Lasers and drones employed in the battle against gulls

A local authority fighting a long-running war with urban gulls has called in lasers to try to deal with the situation.

Environmental health teams from Dumfries and Galloway Council have been using the beams in a bid to scare off the birds and prevent them from nesting on council property.

A drone is also being used to track down gull nests at the earliest stage.

The new tactics have been successfully used at various council buildings across the Nithsdale area, according to a report to be tabled at the local area committee next week.

Dumfries and a number of other places in the region have had issues with gulls which go back decades.

Birds stealing food from people's hands, dive-bombing to protect chicks, ripping open rubbish bags and noise problems are among the battles being fought.

The town hosted a summit on the problem nearly 20 years ago and began an egg and nest removal scheme in 2009.

Falcons once flew in the skies over the town, in a bid to deter roof-nesting gulls but it was deemed only a "partial success".

Now the lasers - which are said to mimic the presence of a predator - have been tried out.

The council report says: "In the 2026 pre-nesting period the environmental health team disturbed gulls with the use of a laser twice a day at 11 different council-owned properties in Nithsdale to prevent nesting."

Gull management in the region is overseen by NatureScot, which licenses councils to remove eggs and nests.

However, the government agency has told councils they must first exhaust other measures before licences will be granted.

The report says: "A variety of preventative measures are now being used, such as roof spikes, noise emitters, hawk kites and lasers to deter gulls from nesting in areas that cause a risk of harm to humans."

Despite the range of deterrents now in use, NatureScot still granted two licences for egg and nest removal in Nithsdale during the 2025 nesting season.

The report states 11 nests were removed at the Dumfries Activity and Resource Centre, while one nest was removed at Brownhall Primary School.

Gulls have become an increasing problem in urban areas across Scotland in recent years, with reports of birds swooping on members of the public, particularly during nesting season when they can become aggressive in defending their young.

Members of Nithsdale area committee will discuss the report, along with the wider update on projects and initiatives in the area, when they meet on 9 September.

Reporting by Marc McLean of the local democracy service.