How to deter seagulls from a garden according to experts – 1 thing you need to remember about these noisy, messy birds

While many gardeners enjoy tending to the birds that visit their gardens, there is one bird in particular that doesn’t receive as warm a welcome. I’m talking about seagulls, and experts have revealed the best ways to deter these birds from your garden.

Seagulls’ habitats have traditionally been in coastal areas and on clifflines, but due to urbanisation, you’ll find them in urban areas now, too. Given that they are opportunistic scavengers, when you attempt to attract songbirds to your garden, you might find you’re attracting seagulls, too.

While we always advocate for wildlife gardens, seagulls can be messy and noisy, making them a less-than-ideal guest. So, I asked experts for the best way to deter them humanely. This is what they said.

How to humanely deter seagulls from a garden

‘There are six main species of gull in the UK, from the Herring Gull to Kittiwakes. In a garden, they might create noise, rip open and feed from rubbish, or nest on the sides of buildings. Often appearing in a flock, this can create a big disturbance for householders,’ comments Sophie Thorogood, technical training manager at Pelsis.

Seagulls go where food is. Full stop. So, the best form of deterrence is to ensure all potential food sites are secured. This is similar to how you might deter rats or deter foxes from a garden. You need to make sure your bins are secure, for example, as seagulls will shred through your bin bags to reach any potential food, so it’s worth using bin straps (£9.98, B&Q) to stop anything opening your bin lids.

‘Gulls will be attracted into gardens due to food availability and therefore, think of all food sources that could be attracting them. This mainly will include waste overflowing from bins, so make sure it is stored correctly, emptied regularly and don't leave food out for them to feed on,’ adds Sophie.

This doesn’t mean you should stop feeding the garden birds that already visit your garden. You just need to be a little more strategic as to how you feed them.

‘Seagulls also routinely feed on the ground, so I’d totally avoid dropping food on the lawn to remove this food source for them in their natural way of feeding. To ensure our smaller feathered friends can still feed, don’t stop feeding birds entirely by any means. Ensure smaller birds can feed without being overpowered by seagulls by using caged bird feeders with protective mesh covers to block larger birds,’ says James Ewens, bird specialist at Green Feathers.

‘These noisy visitors are at their most clamorous from May through July while raising their young. During these months, it’s best to simply let them be, waiting until they have moved on before putting long-term deterrents in place to prevent a repeat visit next year.

‘Remember that active gull nests enjoy legal protection during construction and occupancy. It is strictly illegal to obstruct access to an active nesting site without explicit authorisation under license.’

Deter seagulls from your garden

You should never attempt to harm seagulls in a bid to get rid of them. Instead, simply removing any food sources will make your garden less desireable.