Seagull

Seagull deterrents: what to use where

Want the full walk-through? Our guide to how to keep seagulls away from your roof and chimney covers every surface in detail, with prices, a worked example and the best time to fit each product. This page is the short version.

Gulls are bigger, heavier and longer legged than pigeons, so gull work needs gull-scale products. As our bird control FAQs explain, nesting gulls can become very territorial and aggressive to people near their nests, and heavy fouling is acidic, damages the fabric of a building and can make walkways slippery. Nests can also block gutters and downpipes. The reliable answer is to stop gulls landing on the places they use.

Seagull scarers

Scarers move gulls on from open areas rather than physically stopping them landing. A tethered hawk kite flies over playing fields, industrial roofs and landfill, needs at least 40 square metres of clear space, and should be brought down in strong winds. The BirdXPeller Pro plays gull distress calls and covers up to an acre of open ground, and its product page advises using it alongside a visual scarer. On a house roof, spikes, post and wire and netting are more direct. See the full bird scarers range.

Seagulls and the law

All wild birds, including every gull, are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and it is an offence to intentionally take, damage or destroy a nest that is in use or being built, or its eggs. Herring gull and lesser black-backed gull have been removed from the general licences because their conservation status has worsened, and herring gull is red-listed. There is no general licence you can rely on to kill or take a gull, or to remove a gull nest in use, and that includes a nest on your own roof. Acting outside a licence means applying to Natural England for an individual one.

Stopping gulls landing or nesting in the first place needs no licence, provided the method does not injure a bird or trap it. For gulls, physical exclusion is not the cautious option: it is the only routine lawful one. Read our guide to bird control and the law for the full position, including Scotland and Wales.

When to have seagull proofing installed

Gulls nest from around April to August, with eggs from around May, so roof proofing should be finished well before spring. Once a nest is active, the lawful options narrow sharply and usually reduce to waiting. EnviroGuard supplies the products and does not install them, but if you would rather not work at height, we can arrange it for you.

Seagull deterrent questions

How do I stop seagulls nesting on my chimney?

Fit a Chimney Bird Deterrent Spike around each pot and a Scarborough chimney spike between the pots or where the stack meets the roof, and do it before the nesting season. If a nest is already in use, it is protected until the young have left.

How do I stop seagulls on a flat roof?

Gulls use a flat roof as a whole area rather than an edge, so 75mm seagull netting over the area, or Daddi Long Legs rotating spiders spaced across it, stop them settling. On commercial roofs, non-piercing roof mounts let you net without piercing the roof.

What is the best seagull scarer?

It depends on the site. A hawk kite suits open ground and industrial roofs with clear space around the pole, while the BirdXPeller Pro uses gull distress calls and works better alongside a visual scarer. For a building, spikes, post and wire or netting stop gulls landing in the first place.

More seagull guides

• How to keep seagulls away from your roof and chimney
• What to know before buying seagull prevention spikes
• Bird spike costs: price per metre and installation
• How much does it cost to cap a chimney?
• Bird control and the law