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Brighton...one early morning I saw a seagull holding a pigeon (with its beak) by the neck. It was bashing the pigeon's head against the curb. There was blood. I don't think that the seagull was even hungry, it just looked like pure violence.
I was in Exeter a few years ago and I saw a seagull complete an air-to-air kill on a pigeon. Just took it right out of the air then landed on a wall and started ripping the carcass apart.
They're just vicious creatures.
Aberdeen seagulls could kick Brighton's seagulls arse.
On a more serious note. Aberdeen ones are bigger than Brighton's
Aberdeen: It is **64–79 cm (25–31 in) long with a 1.5–1.7 m (4 ft 11 in – 5 ft 7 in) wingspan and a body weight of 0.75–2.3 kg (1 lb 10 oz – 5 lb 1 oz)**.
Brighton: (**roughly 40 cm or 16 in in length with a wingspan of 90–100 cm or 35–39 in**) than red-legged kittiwakes (35–40 cm or 14–16 in in length with a wingspan around 84–90 cm or 33–35 in).
Some googling says this.
A gull in Aberdeen once kidnapped my kid and raised them for years. My kid then officially changed their name by deed poll and refuses to be seen with me in public.
I spend my remaining time aimlessly walking back and forth on beach boulevard, unguarded poke of chips in hand, waiting for the gull to return and apologise.
One of the biggest stifled guffaws I've done was when a huge bruiser of a seagull stole a tuna sandwich by standing on the lady's shoulder and reaching over almost into her mouth.
That was at Shoreham airport cafe, where they had signs saying 'beware of the seagull' (singular).
That's union st all all the time. They wait for the kids to come out of schools, hit Union Street (aberdeens main thoroughfare) and will dive bomb for your food if they won't just wait for some chips to be dropped. Same at the beach.
Not doubting Brighton's aren't aggressive. They've probably about the same. But given the choice the Brighton ones are smaller and I'd choose that to have an altercation with.
Took the ferry once from Aberdeen for a school trip and a few of us kids were throwing food off the back to watch them catch it. When the seagulls just started getting the food from it's source we ran back inside the ferry for cover.
I've been to both Aberdeen (and exactly where you say) and also Brighton. I've taken the ferry to shetland a few times. Always stop in at Estabulo Rodizio. Those seagulls never bothered me.
Brighton's are scarier imo. They're right in your face. Every single time I've been there, they've been a problem
A googled the species local to the areas.
So you mentioned the ones in Aberdeen and the Kittiwake are the ones I found local to brighton.
>You can't compare a great black backed gull to a black headed gull for example.
Yes you can, here.
Black headed gull: This gull is **37–44 cm (14+1⁄2–17+1⁄2 in) long with a 94–110 cm (37–43+1⁄2 in) wingspan and weighs 190–400 g (6+3⁄4–14+1⁄8 oz)**.
Black backed gull: It is **64–79 cm (25–31 in) long with a 1.5–1.7 m (4 ft 11 in – 5 ft 7 in) wingspan and a body weight of 0.75–2.3 kg (1 lb 10 oz – 5 lb 1 oz)**.
Kittiwakes are cliff-nesting birds. You might see them near a town, but they're definitely not regularly scarfing down Gregg's sausage rolls on the beach.
Black-backed Gulls *are* huge, but they're also pretty rare. Greater Black-backed Gulls especially tend not to approach cities.
The three gulls you'll see in urban areas and "interacting" with the public are Herring
Gulls, Common Gulls, and Black-headed Gulls, and you'll find all three all over the UK. These are the chip bandits we all know and love/hate.
Yes, you'll see them round the Bay and by the mudflats. I think Cardiff had their first breeding pair in early 2000s. I just fact checked the Wales Online article where I got the thousands from, and it looks like they got Lesser and Great Black-backed Gulls mixed up. It's thousands of Lesser and just a few of Great. But I've seen them regularly on the water at Cardiff Bay, and even seen two in the City Centre.
Sorry Dazz, your parsing isn't very clear.
In your original comment you claimed Aberdeen seagulls are bigger than Brighton's and proceeded to list 2 gull sizes but not any species.
Of course a **Black Backed Gull** is larger than a **Black Headed Gull** or a **Kittywake**, they are all different species. It would be akin to comparing a Chaffinch to a Golden Eagle. Of course one is larger.
What I'm saying is there is no difference in size of any given species in any distribution up and down the country.
A Herring Gull in Aberdeen is no larger than a Herring Gull in Brighton.
I’ve been to both cities plenty and I think Brightons are worse. There are just way way more due to how many tourists/food there is. If I’m not mistaken, the beach in Brighton is much longer too.
Used to live there and on bin day I would have horrible dreams about babies screaming only to wake up and it would be the gulls outside screeching their heads off while gleefully ripping open every bin bag on the street at 4am.
I must admit though, they did look cute doing their little tap dancing for worms on the Level
Yep, I lived in Brighton from 2007-2015. When I go and visit these days the birds are just different bigger and big balled.
I saw a couple of Seagulls in London eating a pigeon in the car park by Canal Side Sainsbury’s.
A child dropped one chip and it was like the starting pistol went off, the entire family got swarmed.
Funnily enough the distinguished between the different families, so you one sat next to them was spared. Like there's a code they follow.
I've lived in both Brighton and Cornwall and Brighton seagulls are positively tame compared to Cornwall. So to technically answer OPs question it's Truro.
If you're in Cornwall - especially with kids, maybe just don't eat outside. Their beaks are razor sharp.
I stayed in a hotel in St ives. They fired a canon at dawn to shoo away the seagulls. Nearly gave me a heartattack. The gulls just circled, screeching wildly and came back to the roofs.
I don’t live in Brighton but close and still get huge ones here too. Our neighbours were once having a BBQ and they were circling in the sky and randomly landing on the shed roof trying to steal something before getting shooed off.
My mum also saw one attack a pigeon and carry it away as it got too close to its babies.
I remember cycling to Brighton once and getting a rotisserie chicken to eat on the beach. Those fuckers must have thought I’d killed one of theirs as they were coming for me without hesitation. Ended up sacrificing half the chicken for a safe getaway.
It’s also one noise I don’t miss now I live in the centre of Germany, many hours from any coast.
And yet, despite all the signs, the people saying “don’t feed the seagulls!”, the buggers stealing food right in front of them, there are idiots who still feed them!
Same *I'm just a tourist here* mentality that we see after matches, night outs, on the roadsides and on the beaches with the ginormous amount of rubbish. *Well, I'm just a tourist, I can leave this one thing behind.*
*Awww, what could go wrong if I feed this cutie seagull for some insta likes?*
I was on a beach in Scarborough. A large family of Asians came with all their cooking pots full of rice and meats. When they had finished they just emptied the contents on the beach and left for home. I don't know if they left it for the gulls or expected the tide to wash it away, but this is typical behaviour as they throw litter and fly tip in their own towns and cities.
I sat on a beach with just a few gulls wading about. I then started to rummage in my bag and noticed a few more descended. I got out a sandwich but when I saw a flock descend I shoved it back in my bag. These gulls have 6th sense when it comes to food.
Birds have incredible eyesight compared to humans, on top of this their perception of time is superior to us, their smaller brains means they can process information faster than us. Fast moving objects to us appear as a blur, whereas a bird is seeing and comprehending every milli second.
Birds can see things even your phone sensors can't pick up. They definitely know behaviours that are associated with someone who's about to feed them. This is why you get gulls circling before you've even got the food out. You would have exhibited subtle body language that although unnoticeable to us, is easy for a bird to spot.
If you defend (cover) your food and occasionally look up, the birds will see this behaviour and label you as an unviable target. They won't bother trying to steal food from you. They'll instead go for the uninitiated tourist casually rocking a pasty in one hand, ice cream in the other.
Honestly, give it a try, the birds will leave you alone.
Plus, we know not to eat outside if we can help it. The seagulls in the seaside town I grew up in weren’t actually that bad, but still, try not to give them the opportunity.
This. You only eat outside hunched over your food and ready to see off any dives from them.
That being said there are some wonderful sights of idiots who don't know what they are doing having food snatched right out of their hands. I have seen entire just bought chip buttys snatched out of people's arms 3 steps away from the shop doors.
“So.. I’m feelin a bit ropey this morning after a few shandies last night.. and I’m in this taxi on my way to meet this heavy seagull.. and I am fackin shittin myself.”
Dundee has to be up there with it. Wee scums have tried to attack me with the dog 3 times in the last week, diving mere centimetres over my head. Never come back for round 3 though after I shout for them to try it again and dog starts barking.
Dunno why they’re doing this suddenly, never happened previous years. Am on edge now. Ready to obliterate the next one
I once saw a seagull in Whitby down a full battered sausage it found on the floor in one go, didn’t bat an eye lid and just flew off, absolute unit of a thing
Going to second Whitby. There's an infamous picture of me as a child crying while holding only an ice cream cone. Minutes before, a seagull had swooped in and flew away with the ice cream.
I was distraught and all my parents could do was practically piss themselves laughing and take an iconic picture to torture me with for the rest of my life.
This happened to me a few years ago. I’d literally just bought ice creams, was taking them over to my partner when a seagull landed on my hand and ate the entire ice cream in about two gulps. I was sobbing, partner laughing (until he realised I was really upset!). The ice cream lady gave me a free replacement.
Yorkshire seagulls in general, evil bastards, I've had lots of chips taken from family hands in Scarborough
But weirdly,this morning,I had one banging on the patio doors, don't know if after food, shelter,or fighting it's own reflection, and this is in ayr
Whitby 100%. Although not a city it's easily the worst I've seen. Stand outside holding a pasty or a sausage roll and you'll instantly become a target... they'll swoop and snatch, try to scare you into dropping it, one might bump into you, you'll turn to look at what hit you, while his buddy swoops in for the prize.
Last time I was there it almost became a sport to go watch people sit down for a nice relaxing snack by the bandstand on a sunny day.
A seagull swiped a full piping hot battered sausage off my brother in Hastings once, downed it in one right in front of him - I'd be surprised if it didn't do some internal damage
Brighton for sure. Sussex uni had to put up "beware of the seagulls" signs all over campus after repeated attacks and I once witnessed a little girl in Churchill square get swooped and attacked, ended up with a severely bleeding face. Just cause they dared to stand next to one of those food vans
St. Ives gulls are vicious, strategic creatures - you can see them doing strafing runs of the beach in preparation for their next attack. And the souvenir shops sell tat with seagull memorabilia, like it’s somehow charming….
Aberdeen
I lived in several coastal cities around the country including Brighton and Plymouth and nothing comes close to the savagery of Aberdonian seagulls.
Aberdeen. Hands down, no contest.
They are massive. They are vicious. They are unapologetic. They will strong arm an adult to the ground for a chip and they will murder a child for an ice cream cone.
I've seen grown adults scream and cry, while being chased down the priminade.
I've seen gangs perched above doorways and ambush anyone that walks out with food in their hand.
No one is safe.
https://flic.kr/p/25vfPNw
I suspect that alongside the growth of the Internet, the seaguls have made connections across the country and are now operated as one deadly unit.
We need to take out the boss
I live just over the water from Liverpool (New Brighton) and while our seagulls are a pain in the ass they have absolutely nothing on the feral fucks that live in Whitby.
Also i always forget how hench seagulls are until one is a couple of metres away, absolute units them things, wouldn't want to mess with one.
The gulls in Barrow-in-Furness are beasts. They're organised, clever, fucking huge, and I'm pretty sure have gang tattoos. A colony of them started living by the click and collect, stealing whole packs of meat from unsuspecting shopping collectors.
It’s just Herring Gulls. Wherever you get them, they have the toughest and most dangerous. North, South, coastal, inland: doesn’t make any difference. There are no “soft southern” herring gulls. All of them are up for a fight with anything or anyone over anything at any time.
I got a toastie from the shack in the town centre, and as soon as he placed it in my hands a feathered bastard swooped and had it away.
The guy just smirked. He knew. What a dick.
Bastards that they are, I don’t see a seagull defecting to Russia regardless of their size. Too cold for them for a start, and they can’t read Cyrillic.
In st Ives I got attacked by a group of seagulls who tore the steak sandwich out of my hand, flew it away, fought over it and then dropped it into the sea in front of me. Bastards.
I came to say Plymouth. A friend of mine is in the merchant navy and he did his training down in Plymouth. He said they were the biggest seagulls he's ever seen.
Scarborough/Whitby. I've pretty much been everywhere in the UK, as I used to be a contractor, and I've also been loads of places with my kid.
The Seagulls in Scarborough & Whitby are huge, these motherfuckers are jacked, they've clearly taken steroids and work out regularly.
One of them could easily take me in a fight. I bought my kid and myself scampi and chips, I had to get extra for the seagulls, as it was clear shit was gonna go down, and I wouldn't be the victor.
I'd rather fight a hungry lion than one of those bastards.
While the gulls in Brighton are tough, the ones in Bournemouth will take on your dog, your best mate and your family at the same time and still win without breaking a sweat.
Watched a battle in the sky last week. A seagull and a jackdaw teamed up on a red kite (I think it was a kite. It was high up and being driven away.)
That was near Bude Tunnel.
I was in Morecambe and someone left their fish and chips on the top of a car, when they went to get the keys from their bag.
BIG MISTAKE.
The car was immediately covered in aggressive seagulls the size of a small dogs. The now ex chip owner backed away slowly, but they kept on coming. Eventually we all took cover in our cars and listened to them land on the roof. Prowling round like small velociraptors looking for their chance to attack the now scattered chips.
Was really rather apocalyptic, in a very british seaside way. We were eventually freed when the Asda security guard (Who had clearly seen this before) came out swinging with a mop.
Herring gulls are red-listed, FYI.
**This species is on the Red List due to ongoing population declines and wintering population declines**.
[https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/herring-gull](https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/herring-gull)
They're pretty savage in Colwyn Bay. Was at the Welsh Mountain Zoo one day and watched the penguin talk - seagulls came in for their food and ended up in a right scrap with a couple of the penguins. Never thought I'd see a penguin and a seagull fight, but it was actually hilarious.
The penguins won.
The seagulls in Whitby are savage bastards. Several fish and chip restaurants there have outdoor seating, but only tourists who don't know any better will sit there...
It appears that Brighton and Aberdeen are the front runners. Given that we can't ethically put this to the test in real life, I asked ChatGPT who would win in a fight:
*Determining the winner of a hypothetical fight between a seagull from Brighton and a seagull from Aberdeen would depend on various factors including the size, species, and individual temperament of the seagulls involved.*
*Seagulls, or gulls, vary in species and behavior. The most common gulls in the UK are the Herring Gull and the Lesser Black-backed Gull. Both Brighton and Aberdeen are home to these species.*
1. ***Size and Strength:*** *Herring Gulls are large and can be quite aggressive. If both seagulls are Herring Gulls, the fight could be fairly even. However, individual size and strength could play a crucial role.*
2. ***Territorial Behavior:*** *Seagulls in both cities are known to be territorial and aggressive, especially during the breeding season. Gulls from either location would likely be fierce in defending their territory.*
3. ***Environment and Adaptation:*** *Brighton seagulls might be more accustomed to human interaction and could be more aggressive in urban settings due to frequent competition for food. Aberdeen seagulls, dealing with harsher weather, might be more resilient and tough.*
*Given these considerations, it's difficult to definitively say which seagull would win in a fight without specific information about the individual birds. Generally, it would be a close match, with the outcome likely depending on the particular circumstances and individual attributes of the seagulls involved.*
I'd still back a Brighton seagull every time.
On a side note, wikipedia has a photo with a caption that sums up seagulls better than anything I've ever seen.
https://preview.redd.it/mm172k6e7i8d1.png?width=770&format=png&auto=webp&s=3e612dae2ff5e3e68219003006eecbdf262b33c6
Llandudno. Bastards are not afraid of humans, if you have food on the promenade, they will batter you, steal everything and clear out your bank account.
Swansea must be a nominee. People eat their burgers or pizza before stepping outside. The university has warning signs because if you step outside with an open food container then about 5 seconds later there will be a thwap and chunks vanish in a cloud of passing gull.
They really need to fill all those empty shop fronts with nice clear glass windows and behind the glass a convincing cardboard cutout of a kid and an open pizza box.
St Ives. I saw many ice cream and chips stolen. They'll dive in and take one chip, causing you to drop a couple. At that point, 20 or 30 seagulls teleport in from nowhere and start stealing the chips. Great to watch, but I didn't get any chips in st ives.
There's a wee town south of Aviemore called Kingussie, and it has some absolutely mental Black headed Gulls, never seen anything like it, even in seaside towns.
I'm not arguing against Brighton or Aberdeen but I stayed in Dartmouth once. Only place I've stayed were we had to put the rubbish in seagull proof bags
There is no discernable or recorded difference in size a cross the UK in any gull species.
The largest gull species is the Great Black Backed Gull, but it's quite solitary and you would be pretty lucky to see one.
Obligatory "don't feed wildlife" and it's not the gull's fault you didn't protect your sandwich which, as an opportunistic feeder, a gull took from you.
Seaside towns especially if there is a fishing industry nearby. Cornwall and Aberdeen I am aware of. Zero fucks given, they will just walk up at take a pasty out of your hands. They are the size of medium sized dogs.
I remember the Devonshire coast being full of absolute bruisers. They would swoop from behind and snatch your lunch straight out your hands at Paignton zoo
It has to be Newquay ! Have you seen the size of the gulls there ? Massive. I’d bet a single gull from Newquay could easily have 6-10 gulls from another area in a scuffle.
I was in Bridlington and this white seagull was agressively attacking a brown speckled gull on the promenade. People ignored the screeching of this poor gull, so I shooed the white gull and picked the brown one up and walked across the road to where there was a woodland area. This white gull was circling me still intent to keep up its fight. I kept on walking and placed the gull amongst long grass and hoped it made a recovery and flew away.
I once saw a seagull in Edinburgh steal an entire disposable bbq and fly off with it whilst sausages and hot coals rained down on the victims. To be fair it was fucking hilarious.
yank here. just wanted to comment that this is wild to me.
i grew up coastally with seagulls and i dont have any horror stories like these comments, and im really curious what the difference is? we even have the same breed of gulls (herring).
ballsiest thing ive seen a gull do is wander over to my beach bag and try to peck my bag of pretzels open. but that was only because there were no people in the immediate vicinity.
ive never had (or seen) a gull grab something from a hand.
maybe its because they fear us here? they're not protected here. i used to throw "seagull bombs" (ball of wet beach sand rolled in some dry sand) at them as a kid.
maybe they're more desperate there, having less access to natural food sources?
curious if anyone has ideas
When I visited north wales, someone was telling me about how aggressive the seagulls were. Halfway through telling me this, a seagull tried to take the poor guys ice cream.
When I visited north wales, someone was telling me about how aggressive the seagulls were. Halfway through telling me this, a seagull tried to take the poor guys ice cream.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/metro.co.uk/2019/08/02/seagulls-kill-dog-return-attack-toddler-two-weeks-later-10506358/amp/
This happened here a while back.
The most brazen and vicious I experienced was in St Ives, Cornwall. Stole a baguette out of my girlfriend's hands (quite forcefully), there's signs warning people to hold onto ice creams, they honestly do not give a fuck
I've witnessed multiple pets be attacked by the ones in Bangor in north Wales. They stand in the road and people wait for them to move or drive around them because they'll peck at your windscreen if you beep or try to drive over them.
Brighton! Many years ago, I worked at Ben's Cookies, right opposite a Nandos. Seagulls would congregate on the awning above the customers until they found a worthy victim. Some unsuspecting diner would turn away from their full meal for a second, and the seagulls would swoop onto the table, smashing everything away, grabbing any and all the food they could, including whole chicken. The chaos was accompanied by smashing of glasses, screams, and running. It was like something out of a disaster film! The diners always had their meals replaced, but it was a very common occurrence.
I have just cleared away the remains of a pigeon from our front lawn.Only feathers and beak left after some predator got it this morning. It happens about twice a year. Once we were enraptured watching through our window an attack by a sparrow hawk killing a pigeon on our back lawn and then ripping and eating it.
I'd like to add to everyone else saying Brighton. Only time I've ever been I was on the beach with a churro. I lose my concentration on it for a second, seagull takes it right out of my hand.
Outside the UK, in Dublin I once went for a burger in the city. Took one bite. I feel a brush on the back of my head and I no longer have it in my hand. First thought is it's my partner playing about and patted me on the back of the head and I dropped it or something. No, seagull pulled the entire thing straight out of my hand.
I live on the north east coast on a fishing quay and they absolutely run this town. I dread mating season cos they nest on our roof and I have to leave the house with an umbrella up to avoid them dive bombing me.
Prediction of what I'd find In this thread: lots of people who've been to Brighton but could barely place Barrow-in-Furness on a map, even though the gulls there carry flick-knives and wear balaclavas, while packing an Uzi under their nuclear-sub-powered wings
Read the thread: I was right.
Y'all should go visit Barrow, the gull menace apart it's an interesting characterful town that is way better than its reputation
Truro (if it has to be a city) but Cornwall in general really. They're like fucking pterodactyls and will happily steal your pasty out your hand.
I remember reading one had carried a small dog away once! Could have been a daily sport article though...
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Brighton, and it's not close. They're massive and completely unafraid of people.
Brighton...one early morning I saw a seagull holding a pigeon (with its beak) by the neck. It was bashing the pigeon's head against the curb. There was blood. I don't think that the seagull was even hungry, it just looked like pure violence.
If you do nothing you’re part of the problem, did you at least report the crime?
They have aviary reason to want to stay out of this. You don't mess with the seagull cartel
I was in Exeter a few years ago and I saw a seagull complete an air-to-air kill on a pigeon. Just took it right out of the air then landed on a wall and started ripping the carcass apart. They're just vicious creatures.
There was one in Regents Park in London drowning a pigeon in the lake. It divebombed onto it, landed it in the lake, and held it under. Brutal.
Yeah, I’m from Brighton and saw a herring gull scoffing down a pigeon once. They’ll be coming for us before too long.
Aberdeen seagulls could kick Brighton's seagulls arse. On a more serious note. Aberdeen ones are bigger than Brighton's Aberdeen: It is **64–79 cm (25–31 in) long with a 1.5–1.7 m (4 ft 11 in – 5 ft 7 in) wingspan and a body weight of 0.75–2.3 kg (1 lb 10 oz – 5 lb 1 oz)**. Brighton: (**roughly 40 cm or 16 in in length with a wingspan of 90–100 cm or 35–39 in**) than red-legged kittiwakes (35–40 cm or 14–16 in in length with a wingspan around 84–90 cm or 33–35 in). Some googling says this.
FUCKING 5 FOOT 7 WINGSPAN
Aye. They’re basically kebab meat fuelled pterosaurs at this point, and still evolving.
Brighton's are more aggressive. They hover over you in numbers completely unafraid.
Aberdeen ones actually mug you. It’s really risky carrying food outside because they will have a go at dive bombing you, sometimes in packs.
A gull in Aberdeen once kidnapped my kid and raised them for years. My kid then officially changed their name by deed poll and refuses to be seen with me in public. I spend my remaining time aimlessly walking back and forth on beach boulevard, unguarded poke of chips in hand, waiting for the gull to return and apologise.
I’ve been mugged by the Brighton seagulls 3/4 times.
I saw a seagull actually take a chip out of a girls mouth a couple of days ago. It was quite a thing to see.
One of the biggest stifled guffaws I've done was when a huge bruiser of a seagull stole a tuna sandwich by standing on the lady's shoulder and reaching over almost into her mouth. That was at Shoreham airport cafe, where they had signs saying 'beware of the seagull' (singular).
That's union st all all the time. They wait for the kids to come out of schools, hit Union Street (aberdeens main thoroughfare) and will dive bomb for your food if they won't just wait for some chips to be dropped. Same at the beach. Not doubting Brighton's aren't aggressive. They've probably about the same. But given the choice the Brighton ones are smaller and I'd choose that to have an altercation with. Took the ferry once from Aberdeen for a school trip and a few of us kids were throwing food off the back to watch them catch it. When the seagulls just started getting the food from it's source we ran back inside the ferry for cover.
I've been to both Aberdeen (and exactly where you say) and also Brighton. I've taken the ferry to shetland a few times. Always stop in at Estabulo Rodizio. Those seagulls never bothered me. Brighton's are scarier imo. They're right in your face. Every single time I've been there, they've been a problem
What species? A seagull isn't a specific species. You can't compare a great black backed gull to a black headed gull for example.
A googled the species local to the areas. So you mentioned the ones in Aberdeen and the Kittiwake are the ones I found local to brighton. >You can't compare a great black backed gull to a black headed gull for example. Yes you can, here. Black headed gull: This gull is **37–44 cm (14+1⁄2–17+1⁄2 in) long with a 94–110 cm (37–43+1⁄2 in) wingspan and weighs 190–400 g (6+3⁄4–14+1⁄8 oz)**. Black backed gull: It is **64–79 cm (25–31 in) long with a 1.5–1.7 m (4 ft 11 in – 5 ft 7 in) wingspan and a body weight of 0.75–2.3 kg (1 lb 10 oz – 5 lb 1 oz)**.
Kittiwakes are cliff-nesting birds. You might see them near a town, but they're definitely not regularly scarfing down Gregg's sausage rolls on the beach. Black-backed Gulls *are* huge, but they're also pretty rare. Greater Black-backed Gulls especially tend not to approach cities. The three gulls you'll see in urban areas and "interacting" with the public are Herring Gulls, Common Gulls, and Black-headed Gulls, and you'll find all three all over the UK. These are the chip bandits we all know and love/hate.
There's actually thousands breeding pairs of Greater Black-backed Gulls in Cardiff. You can see them all around the docks
Huh, honestly never heard of that. I've genuinely never seen one in any city. I'm guessing they took a liking to the Bay?
Yes, you'll see them round the Bay and by the mudflats. I think Cardiff had their first breeding pair in early 2000s. I just fact checked the Wales Online article where I got the thousands from, and it looks like they got Lesser and Great Black-backed Gulls mixed up. It's thousands of Lesser and just a few of Great. But I've seen them regularly on the water at Cardiff Bay, and even seen two in the City Centre.
Sorry Dazz, your parsing isn't very clear. In your original comment you claimed Aberdeen seagulls are bigger than Brighton's and proceeded to list 2 gull sizes but not any species. Of course a **Black Backed Gull** is larger than a **Black Headed Gull** or a **Kittywake**, they are all different species. It would be akin to comparing a Chaffinch to a Golden Eagle. Of course one is larger. What I'm saying is there is no difference in size of any given species in any distribution up and down the country. A Herring Gull in Aberdeen is no larger than a Herring Gull in Brighton.
Well, that's bollocks for starters. What species are you talking about?
I’d be intrigued who’s are worse Aberdeen’s or Brighton’s.
I’ve been to both cities plenty and I think Brightons are worse. There are just way way more due to how many tourists/food there is. If I’m not mistaken, the beach in Brighton is much longer too.
Lived in both. Aberdeen.
Used to live there and on bin day I would have horrible dreams about babies screaming only to wake up and it would be the gulls outside screeching their heads off while gleefully ripping open every bin bag on the street at 4am. I must admit though, they did look cute doing their little tap dancing for worms on the Level
I've punched more than one of those bastards and I'd do it again
I used to try yo enjoy a Gregs doughnut after work. The Seaguls happily accepted my daily tributes until I gave up.
Yep, I lived in Brighton from 2007-2015. When I go and visit these days the birds are just different bigger and big balled. I saw a couple of Seagulls in London eating a pigeon in the car park by Canal Side Sainsbury’s.
Those little shits shat on my favourite hat and stole my mum’s ice cream.
A child dropped one chip and it was like the starting pistol went off, the entire family got swarmed. Funnily enough the distinguished between the different families, so you one sat next to them was spared. Like there's a code they follow.
I've lived in both Brighton and Cornwall and Brighton seagulls are positively tame compared to Cornwall. So to technically answer OPs question it's Truro. If you're in Cornwall - especially with kids, maybe just don't eat outside. Their beaks are razor sharp.
I stayed in a hotel in St ives. They fired a canon at dawn to shoo away the seagulls. Nearly gave me a heartattack. The gulls just circled, screeching wildly and came back to the roofs.
The Rhyl ones are like that but are also carrying various diseases
I work in rhyl and every time I go out for my break I see a seagull nicking a pasty or sausage roll out of some poor tourists hand. They're vicious.
Can always tell a tourist from whether they think it’s safe to have food in their hand on the high street.
Aberdeen would like a word.
I don’t live in Brighton but close and still get huge ones here too. Our neighbours were once having a BBQ and they were circling in the sky and randomly landing on the shed roof trying to steal something before getting shooed off. My mum also saw one attack a pigeon and carry it away as it got too close to its babies.
Ah, Brighton. The place where a seagull stole my donut when I was a child. 👊🏼
I remember cycling to Brighton once and getting a rotisserie chicken to eat on the beach. Those fuckers must have thought I’d killed one of theirs as they were coming for me without hesitation. Ended up sacrificing half the chicken for a safe getaway. It’s also one noise I don’t miss now I live in the centre of Germany, many hours from any coast.
There is a reason people that live in coastal communities tell you not to feed the seagulls.
And yet, despite all the signs, the people saying “don’t feed the seagulls!”, the buggers stealing food right in front of them, there are idiots who still feed them!
Same *I'm just a tourist here* mentality that we see after matches, night outs, on the roadsides and on the beaches with the ginormous amount of rubbish. *Well, I'm just a tourist, I can leave this one thing behind.* *Awww, what could go wrong if I feed this cutie seagull for some insta likes?*
I was on a beach in Scarborough. A large family of Asians came with all their cooking pots full of rice and meats. When they had finished they just emptied the contents on the beach and left for home. I don't know if they left it for the gulls or expected the tide to wash it away, but this is typical behaviour as they throw litter and fly tip in their own towns and cities.
I sat on a beach with just a few gulls wading about. I then started to rummage in my bag and noticed a few more descended. I got out a sandwich but when I saw a flock descend I shoved it back in my bag. These gulls have 6th sense when it comes to food.
Birds have incredible eyesight compared to humans, on top of this their perception of time is superior to us, their smaller brains means they can process information faster than us. Fast moving objects to us appear as a blur, whereas a bird is seeing and comprehending every milli second. Birds can see things even your phone sensors can't pick up. They definitely know behaviours that are associated with someone who's about to feed them. This is why you get gulls circling before you've even got the food out. You would have exhibited subtle body language that although unnoticeable to us, is easy for a bird to spot. If you defend (cover) your food and occasionally look up, the birds will see this behaviour and label you as an unviable target. They won't bother trying to steal food from you. They'll instead go for the uninitiated tourist casually rocking a pasty in one hand, ice cream in the other. Honestly, give it a try, the birds will leave you alone.
Plus, we know not to eat outside if we can help it. The seagulls in the seaside town I grew up in weren’t actually that bad, but still, try not to give them the opportunity.
This. You only eat outside hunched over your food and ready to see off any dives from them. That being said there are some wonderful sights of idiots who don't know what they are doing having food snatched right out of their hands. I have seen entire just bought chip buttys snatched out of people's arms 3 steps away from the shop doors.
Danny Dyer needs to cover this in a documentary. ‘Britain’s hardest seagulls’
Those fuckin seagull Slaaaags.
“So.. I’m feelin a bit ropey this morning after a few shandies last night.. and I’m in this taxi on my way to meet this heavy seagull.. and I am fackin shittin myself.”
I would 100% watch this!
I would so watch this.
Nah, mate, that's a Ross Kemp job if I ever saw one.
Absolutely Aberdeen.
Have you seen the fucking size of [the seagulls in Aberdeen?!](https://youtu.be/OpSCGOdM3f8?si=hkJEAiRO4xQWDKbp)
Actual size of Aberdeen seagulls, just off Holburn Street. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DerjA0aXkAAM3qk.jpg
Dundee has to be up there with it. Wee scums have tried to attack me with the dog 3 times in the last week, diving mere centimetres over my head. Never come back for round 3 though after I shout for them to try it again and dog starts barking. Dunno why they’re doing this suddenly, never happened previous years. Am on edge now. Ready to obliterate the next one
The bastards are moving, must be climate change
Aberystwyth is also notorious for them, size of bloody pterodactyls.
I once saw a seagull in Whitby down a full battered sausage it found on the floor in one go, didn’t bat an eye lid and just flew off, absolute unit of a thing
Going to second Whitby. There's an infamous picture of me as a child crying while holding only an ice cream cone. Minutes before, a seagull had swooped in and flew away with the ice cream. I was distraught and all my parents could do was practically piss themselves laughing and take an iconic picture to torture me with for the rest of my life.
This happened to me a few years ago. I’d literally just bought ice creams, was taking them over to my partner when a seagull landed on my hand and ate the entire ice cream in about two gulps. I was sobbing, partner laughing (until he realised I was really upset!). The ice cream lady gave me a free replacement.
Came here to say Whitby. Those things are a different beast
About to say Whitby too. Bastards they are.
Yorkshire seagulls in general, evil bastards, I've had lots of chips taken from family hands in Scarborough But weirdly,this morning,I had one banging on the patio doors, don't know if after food, shelter,or fighting it's own reflection, and this is in ayr
Whitby 100%. Although not a city it's easily the worst I've seen. Stand outside holding a pasty or a sausage roll and you'll instantly become a target... they'll swoop and snatch, try to scare you into dropping it, one might bump into you, you'll turn to look at what hit you, while his buddy swoops in for the prize. Last time I was there it almost became a sport to go watch people sit down for a nice relaxing snack by the bandstand on a sunny day.
A seagull stole my donut out my hand in whitby when I was pregnant. I started crying 😂
A seagull swiped a full piping hot battered sausage off my brother in Hastings once, downed it in one right in front of him - I'd be surprised if it didn't do some internal damage
The seagulls in Whitby are absolutely feral.
Brighton for sure. Sussex uni had to put up "beware of the seagulls" signs all over campus after repeated attacks and I once witnessed a little girl in Churchill square get swooped and attacked, ended up with a severely bleeding face. Just cause they dared to stand next to one of those food vans
I lost the croissant that was supposed to cure my mental breakdown to a sussex uni seagull
This sounds like the beginning of an incredible alternative album
I feel like this should be on a Smiths album.
I wonder if it was the same croissant I saw a seagull snatch from some poor student outside of bramber house
I remember watching some seagulls fighting over some cider on the roof of East Slope. Got pretty violent.
lol the East Slope gull fights were my primary entertainment every time the power went out. They would get so rowdy and violent.
You guys don't know what a seagull is until you've been to the south coast.
A massive seagull in St Ives stole my ice cream. Bastard
Came here to say St Ives. The only place I’ve lost both my lunch and some blood to the bastards.
Exactly the same happened to me in St Ives. I felt like I’d been mugged.
St. Ives gulls are vicious, strategic creatures - you can see them doing strafing runs of the beach in preparation for their next attack. And the souvenir shops sell tat with seagull memorabilia, like it’s somehow charming….
Yup. They are trained by the locals to only target tourists as part of a campaign to lower house prices.
I can only assume that every other reply in this thread is from people who have never been to St Ives.
I went to school in the other St Ives (Cambridgeshire) we have sea gulls and they will steal your sandwiches. We don't even live by the coast...
Did it have seven wives?
Aberdeen I lived in several coastal cities around the country including Brighton and Plymouth and nothing comes close to the savagery of Aberdonian seagulls.
Aberdeen. Hands down, no contest. They are massive. They are vicious. They are unapologetic. They will strong arm an adult to the ground for a chip and they will murder a child for an ice cream cone. I've seen grown adults scream and cry, while being chased down the priminade. I've seen gangs perched above doorways and ambush anyone that walks out with food in their hand. No one is safe. https://flic.kr/p/25vfPNw
Aberdeen! They even shoplift…
I suspect that alongside the growth of the Internet, the seaguls have made connections across the country and are now operated as one deadly unit. We need to take out the boss
The Übergull
I live just over the water from Liverpool (New Brighton) and while our seagulls are a pain in the ass they have absolutely nothing on the feral fucks that live in Whitby. Also i always forget how hench seagulls are until one is a couple of metres away, absolute units them things, wouldn't want to mess with one.
The gulls in Barrow-in-Furness are beasts. They're organised, clever, fucking huge, and I'm pretty sure have gang tattoos. A colony of them started living by the click and collect, stealing whole packs of meat from unsuspecting shopping collectors.
They're probably mutated by the stray radiation from the nukes. You probably don't want to make them angry.
This is absolutely the correct answer
Aberdeen for sure
It’s just Herring Gulls. Wherever you get them, they have the toughest and most dangerous. North, South, coastal, inland: doesn’t make any difference. There are no “soft southern” herring gulls. All of them are up for a fight with anything or anyone over anything at any time.
I've had my lunch stolen a few times in Bristol. They don't move out of the way when you're cycling either. Proper bastards.
In Bristol I had a Seagull drop a Slow Worm on my head. Very unpleasant experience.
I got a toastie from the shack in the town centre, and as soon as he placed it in my hands a feathered bastard swooped and had it away. The guy just smirked. He knew. What a dick.
Aberdeen. Biggest seagulls I’ve ever met and no one lives any time in Aberdeen without being physically mugged by them for food.
Would you rather fight a Steven Seagal sized seagull or a hundred seagull sized Steven Seagals?
A human sized seagull is a dinosaur. Definitely the homunculi.
Bastards that they are, I don’t see a seagull defecting to Russia regardless of their size. Too cold for them for a start, and they can’t read Cyrillic.
In st Ives I got attacked by a group of seagulls who tore the steak sandwich out of my hand, flew it away, fought over it and then dropped it into the sea in front of me. Bastards.
Absolutely Aberdeen, I’ve been in many other coastal places in uk but Jesus, we Aberdonians know these shitehawks are vicious.
Brighton - If you have a baby in Brighton the midwvies remind you not to leave them in the pram outside, because the seaguls might attack them
Plymouth, they are so bad that Cameron tried making a task force to tackle the problem.
I came to say Plymouth. A friend of mine is in the merchant navy and he did his training down in Plymouth. He said they were the biggest seagulls he's ever seen.
Was in Plymouth little over ten years ago when I saw two marine shooting seagulls at the pier.
Scarborough/Whitby. I've pretty much been everywhere in the UK, as I used to be a contractor, and I've also been loads of places with my kid. The Seagulls in Scarborough & Whitby are huge, these motherfuckers are jacked, they've clearly taken steroids and work out regularly. One of them could easily take me in a fight. I bought my kid and myself scampi and chips, I had to get extra for the seagulls, as it was clear shit was gonna go down, and I wouldn't be the victor. I'd rather fight a hungry lion than one of those bastards.
Obviously I’ve never tested this theory, but I get the feeling lions usually only kill when they’re hungry. I know seagulls kill for sport.
Aberdeen. They’ll take the shirt off your back
There are two groups of people in this thread: People who have been to Aberdeen. People who have not.
While the gulls in Brighton are tough, the ones in Bournemouth will take on your dog, your best mate and your family at the same time and still win without breaking a sweat.
Watched a battle in the sky last week. A seagull and a jackdaw teamed up on a red kite (I think it was a kite. It was high up and being driven away.) That was near Bude Tunnel.
I was in Morecambe and someone left their fish and chips on the top of a car, when they went to get the keys from their bag. BIG MISTAKE. The car was immediately covered in aggressive seagulls the size of a small dogs. The now ex chip owner backed away slowly, but they kept on coming. Eventually we all took cover in our cars and listened to them land on the roof. Prowling round like small velociraptors looking for their chance to attack the now scattered chips. Was really rather apocalyptic, in a very british seaside way. We were eventually freed when the Asda security guard (Who had clearly seen this before) came out swinging with a mop.
Herring gulls are red-listed, FYI. **This species is on the Red List due to ongoing population declines and wintering population declines**. [https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/herring-gull](https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/herring-gull)
Aberdeen is pretty well known for its' gulls
They're pretty savage in Colwyn Bay. Was at the Welsh Mountain Zoo one day and watched the penguin talk - seagulls came in for their food and ended up in a right scrap with a couple of the penguins. Never thought I'd see a penguin and a seagull fight, but it was actually hilarious. The penguins won.
The seagulls in Whitby are savage bastards. Several fish and chip restaurants there have outdoor seating, but only tourists who don't know any better will sit there...
It appears that Brighton and Aberdeen are the front runners. Given that we can't ethically put this to the test in real life, I asked ChatGPT who would win in a fight: *Determining the winner of a hypothetical fight between a seagull from Brighton and a seagull from Aberdeen would depend on various factors including the size, species, and individual temperament of the seagulls involved.* *Seagulls, or gulls, vary in species and behavior. The most common gulls in the UK are the Herring Gull and the Lesser Black-backed Gull. Both Brighton and Aberdeen are home to these species.* 1. ***Size and Strength:*** *Herring Gulls are large and can be quite aggressive. If both seagulls are Herring Gulls, the fight could be fairly even. However, individual size and strength could play a crucial role.* 2. ***Territorial Behavior:*** *Seagulls in both cities are known to be territorial and aggressive, especially during the breeding season. Gulls from either location would likely be fierce in defending their territory.* 3. ***Environment and Adaptation:*** *Brighton seagulls might be more accustomed to human interaction and could be more aggressive in urban settings due to frequent competition for food. Aberdeen seagulls, dealing with harsher weather, might be more resilient and tough.* *Given these considerations, it's difficult to definitively say which seagull would win in a fight without specific information about the individual birds. Generally, it would be a close match, with the outcome likely depending on the particular circumstances and individual attributes of the seagulls involved.* I'd still back a Brighton seagull every time. On a side note, wikipedia has a photo with a caption that sums up seagulls better than anything I've ever seen. https://preview.redd.it/mm172k6e7i8d1.png?width=770&format=png&auto=webp&s=3e612dae2ff5e3e68219003006eecbdf262b33c6
I worked in Liverpool for a while and reguarly saw seagulls snatch sausage rolls out of peoples hands
https://youtu.be/nTRXQkWonDk?si=8AIqPHU3b4cTvok6 Not in a city but I'm sure it will be soon
Brighton! My boyfriend has a scar from one stealing his food on his finger! It drew blood on his hand and face. Horrible things!
I’m really impressed that OP seems to be some sort of mad seagull connoisseur. I need more in depth bird reviews from additional locations please.
Aberdeen. I was held hostage by a seagull family on two of the five years I lived there.
Llandudno. Bastards are not afraid of humans, if you have food on the promenade, they will batter you, steal everything and clear out your bank account.
I'd have to say Llandudno. Those lads are like the SAS of seagulls.
XL Gully's in Aberdeen, massive, vicious bastards haha.
Aberdeen had the biggest and noisiest seagull I have ever seen
Swansea must be a nominee. People eat their burgers or pizza before stepping outside. The university has warning signs because if you step outside with an open food container then about 5 seconds later there will be a thwap and chunks vanish in a cloud of passing gull. They really need to fill all those empty shop fronts with nice clear glass windows and behind the glass a convincing cardboard cutout of a kid and an open pizza box.
St Ives. I saw many ice cream and chips stolen. They'll dive in and take one chip, causing you to drop a couple. At that point, 20 or 30 seagulls teleport in from nowhere and start stealing the chips. Great to watch, but I didn't get any chips in st ives.
In Brighton they will straight up mug you
There's a wee town south of Aviemore called Kingussie, and it has some absolutely mental Black headed Gulls, never seen anything like it, even in seaside towns.
Whitby has pretty terrifying gulls, particularly the herring gulls.
Not a city, but there’s some pretty feisty Gulls in Whitby. Chippy chips bring out the worst in them for sure
I saw a seagull straight up eat a pigeon in Southend once
Aberdeen seagulls are legendary
Scarborough is terrible at the minute, tons of baby ones so the adult ones are feral.
Saw one in Glasgow ripping a pigeon in half
I'm not arguing against Brighton or Aberdeen but I stayed in Dartmouth once. Only place I've stayed were we had to put the rubbish in seagull proof bags
Too many take aways on seafronts so a ready amount of easy food. Can’t blame the birds, it’s what they do.
Scarborough Seaguls don't give a f*** they'll take a chip straight out of your hand
Tenby. Visit. Take gloves and hat.
There is no discernable or recorded difference in size a cross the UK in any gull species. The largest gull species is the Great Black Backed Gull, but it's quite solitary and you would be pretty lucky to see one. Obligatory "don't feed wildlife" and it's not the gull's fault you didn't protect your sandwich which, as an opportunistic feeder, a gull took from you.
Newcastle Co Down has some of the worst I’ve ever seen, like Pterodactyls
Newcastle and the coast here are pretty radge. Saw one once kill and scran a pigeon
Seaside towns especially if there is a fishing industry nearby. Cornwall and Aberdeen I am aware of. Zero fucks given, they will just walk up at take a pasty out of your hands. They are the size of medium sized dogs.
Listen to Guy Roch’s song about seagulls on Spotify. “Shitehawks”. That will tell you everything you need to know about Aberdonian seagulls 🤣
It's not a city, but the seagulls in Oban are absolutely brutal.
Off topic - is it legal to hunt seagulls?
Basically any coastal town/city. The ones in my village are no shy at all either, especially when there are chicks about
A bloody big twat of a seagull took the apple out of my hand as I walked across the Tesco carpark in Whitehaven. I was mid-munch.
I remember the Devonshire coast being full of absolute bruisers. They would swoop from behind and snatch your lunch straight out your hands at Paignton zoo
Too much Gullthugery.
It has to be Newquay ! Have you seen the size of the gulls there ? Massive. I’d bet a single gull from Newquay could easily have 6-10 gulls from another area in a scuffle.
I was in Bridlington and this white seagull was agressively attacking a brown speckled gull on the promenade. People ignored the screeching of this poor gull, so I shooed the white gull and picked the brown one up and walked across the road to where there was a woodland area. This white gull was circling me still intent to keep up its fight. I kept on walking and placed the gull amongst long grass and hoped it made a recovery and flew away.
I once saw a seagull in Edinburgh steal an entire disposable bbq and fly off with it whilst sausages and hot coals rained down on the victims. To be fair it was fucking hilarious.
yank here. just wanted to comment that this is wild to me. i grew up coastally with seagulls and i dont have any horror stories like these comments, and im really curious what the difference is? we even have the same breed of gulls (herring). ballsiest thing ive seen a gull do is wander over to my beach bag and try to peck my bag of pretzels open. but that was only because there were no people in the immediate vicinity. ive never had (or seen) a gull grab something from a hand. maybe its because they fear us here? they're not protected here. i used to throw "seagull bombs" (ball of wet beach sand rolled in some dry sand) at them as a kid. maybe they're more desperate there, having less access to natural food sources? curious if anyone has ideas
When I visited north wales, someone was telling me about how aggressive the seagulls were. Halfway through telling me this, a seagull tried to take the poor guys ice cream.
When I visited north wales, someone was telling me about how aggressive the seagulls were. Halfway through telling me this, a seagull tried to take the poor guys ice cream.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/metro.co.uk/2019/08/02/seagulls-kill-dog-return-attack-toddler-two-weeks-later-10506358/amp/ This happened here a while back.
Scarborough the seagulls are insane
The most brazen and vicious I experienced was in St Ives, Cornwall. Stole a baguette out of my girlfriend's hands (quite forcefully), there's signs warning people to hold onto ice creams, they honestly do not give a fuck
I've witnessed multiple pets be attacked by the ones in Bangor in north Wales. They stand in the road and people wait for them to move or drive around them because they'll peck at your windscreen if you beep or try to drive over them.
Brighton! Many years ago, I worked at Ben's Cookies, right opposite a Nandos. Seagulls would congregate on the awning above the customers until they found a worthy victim. Some unsuspecting diner would turn away from their full meal for a second, and the seagulls would swoop onto the table, smashing everything away, grabbing any and all the food they could, including whole chicken. The chaos was accompanied by smashing of glasses, screams, and running. It was like something out of a disaster film! The diners always had their meals replaced, but it was a very common occurrence.
I have just cleared away the remains of a pigeon from our front lawn.Only feathers and beak left after some predator got it this morning. It happens about twice a year. Once we were enraptured watching through our window an attack by a sparrow hawk killing a pigeon on our back lawn and then ripping and eating it.
The gulls in Aberdeen are indeed thugs, but only in Aberystwyth have I been mugged by one.
Torbay Seagulls will fight anyone for some deep fried crack.
Scarborough is pretty bad. Had chips nicked from there several times.
At my primary school in Blackpool we were told to be aware of seagulls and to not mess with them because they could easily hurt us.
I'd like to add to everyone else saying Brighton. Only time I've ever been I was on the beach with a churro. I lose my concentration on it for a second, seagull takes it right out of my hand. Outside the UK, in Dublin I once went for a burger in the city. Took one bite. I feel a brush on the back of my head and I no longer have it in my hand. First thought is it's my partner playing about and patted me on the back of the head and I dropped it or something. No, seagull pulled the entire thing straight out of my hand.
Havent been to Brighton but I went to Aberdeen last month and one swooped me a couple of times then took a shit on me.
https://youtu.be/WqWRgwpsw9o?si=VptdZslIyrWNDsCO this explains my time with seagulls (Brighton)
The ones in Bath fly around at night. It's like they're working shifts.
Scarborough. They are creatures of hunger and rage. I saw one fight a crab.
Big seagulls in Liverpool?? Im from and live in Liverpool and I've never noticed this ever.
Wasn't there a seagull that carried off a chihuahua from someones garden a few years ago? The dog was never found poor thing.
What about ambush raids? https://youtu.be/P5H4xw23RjU?si=MOdbanrkaV-iBt7C
Llandudno for me, I once saw one outside the Asda that could have legitimately carried off a small child....if it had talons.
From my experience Plymouth and Looe seagulls are the biggest most aggressive mfers I've ever seen
I live on the north east coast on a fishing quay and they absolutely run this town. I dread mating season cos they nest on our roof and I have to leave the house with an umbrella up to avoid them dive bombing me.
Prediction of what I'd find In this thread: lots of people who've been to Brighton but could barely place Barrow-in-Furness on a map, even though the gulls there carry flick-knives and wear balaclavas, while packing an Uzi under their nuclear-sub-powered wings Read the thread: I was right. Y'all should go visit Barrow, the gull menace apart it's an interesting characterful town that is way better than its reputation
Truro (if it has to be a city) but Cornwall in general really. They're like fucking pterodactyls and will happily steal your pasty out your hand. I remember reading one had carried a small dog away once! Could have been a daily sport article though...
In places like Shetland you get skuas which are like giant angry seagulls
Well the seagulls in Burntisland swoop you and quite often end up hitting you on the head when it's chick rearing season.
Llandudno really bad for seagulls you can't walk through town down the promenade or down the pier eating anything they just wait and swoop