A HOCKEY venue in Inverness has been forced to close temporarily due to the level of mess left by seagulls on the pitch.
Highland Hockey Club have confirmed that its synthetic surface at Bught Lane has been closed due to health and safety concerns as a result of the birds.
NorthpixA hockey venue was forced to close after it was covered in bird poo[/caption]
NorthpixThe Highland Hockey Club was closed for health and safety reasons[/caption]
NorthpixThe Scots pitch is also used for five-a-side football[/caption]
Due to the amount of mess on the pitch and nests at the venue, the club are currently unable to train or play matches at the pitch, located near Inverness Leisure Centre.
Highland Hockey Club confirmed on social media that the venue is closed until further notice. They said they will issue a further update once the issue has been resolved.
They wrote: “Due to the mess and the amount of gulls present in the area, the pitch has been closed on health and safety grounds.
“The pitch will be closed until further notice. We will update, as and when, there are any improvements.”
High Life Highland confirmed that the venue is closed due to the mess caused by seagulls. The pitch is also used for five-a-side football.
It says due to its licence application with Nature Scot to remove nests and eggs being refused, it has made it difficult to tackle the problem.
It is working to find alternative venues for the hockey club to play matches and train on.
A spokesperson for High Life Highland said: “Regretfully we have had to close the Bught synthetic pitch as of this morning due to the issues we are facing with nesting gulls.
“Working in conjunction with our colleagues at The Highland Council as owners of the pitches – every effort has been made to address the challenges we are facing in this location due to the ongoing gull problem which has included having the pitch brushed and cleaned on a weekly basis.
“Despite these efforts, it has become increasingly difficult with more and more gulls, and their gull fledglings taking up home within the safe space of the fenced synthetic pitch.
“The challenges this summer have been exacerbated this year when the licence to remove nests and eggs was initially refused, despite having been in place in previous years.”
One local added: “They are dive bombing whoever goes near the pitch.”
For dwellers of many a Scottish seaside town they are a dive-bombing and noisy menace.
Last week it emerged that the reason why seagulls attack beachgoers for their fish and chips might finally have been solved.
The birds still prefer seafood even when there are multiple other human or pet food alternatives available, scientists have found.
To test their preferences, researchers at the University of Exeter carried out an experiment on 27 herring gull chicks which had been rescued after falling off roofs in towns across Cornwall.
During their spell in captivity, the birds were either given a marine diet, consisting mainly of fish and mussels, or an urban diet of bread and cat food.
However, when they were given a choice of the four foods, the gulls made a beeline for the fish, even if they had been brought up on bread and cat food.
“Our results suggest that, even when reared on an ‘urban’ diet of foods found only around people, these chicks might be unlikely to seek out urban foods as adults,” said lead author Emma Inzani, from the Centre for Ecology and Conservation at the university.
“Human-associated foods are often both reliably present and easy to obtain – but when fish is available they clearly prefer it.”
A Scottish council has also called in the gull busters and awarded a contract worth over £650,000 to deter the nuisance.
Sonic scarers and hawks are being used to control the bird blight in Moray.
Banff-based Specialist Vermin Control has been awarded a £657,000 contract to carry out deterrent works across the region.
And the local authority is going further than recent years with two extra sonic scarers due to be installed to bring the total to 10.
Hawks and lasers will also be used in Moray Council housing estates in Elgin, Forres, Lossiemouth and Buckie.
A pilot project was launched by Moray Council in Elgin in 2022 to help reduce the number of gulls nesting and breeding in the town.
Special permission is needed to remove herring gull nests due to the species, which is most commonly seen in northeast towns, being on the RSPB’s “red list” for endangered birds.
Government wildlife agency NatureScot last year updated guidance for gull licensing in response to significant and serious declines in all five species that breed in Scotland.
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