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San Pedro seagull population booms out of control
To control the problem, authorities in San Pedro del Pinatar will remove nests along busy roads
In an effort to manage the burgeoning population of Larus michahellis, also known as the yellow-legged seagull, officials have initiated controls in the main nesting areas of the species, which currently span 856 hectares of the Salinas y Arenales Regional Park of San Pedro del Pinatar.
The seagull population has grown rapidly in recent years, mainly due to reduced human disturbance of its colonies and a greater availability of food from landfills and dumps.
"This forced the General Directorate of Natural Environment of the Autonomous Community to initiate actions to control the species and to include the works as one of the main actions of the Master Plan for Use and Management, which was approved in 2019," explained the Regional Secretary of Energy, Sustainability and Climate Action, María Cruz Ferreira.
The main issue caused by the gulls is that they are encroaching on the habitats of other species like the egret, the avocet, the Audouin's gull, the black-billed tern, tern and little tern, forcing these birds to nest in often unsuitable and sometimes vulnerable areas.
In addition, the low-flying birds pose a significant risk to local workers, who traverse the salt flats on motorbikes.
To address these concerns, the community launched a control initiative funded partially by EU FEDER funds. Key components involve removing eggs and nests found along major roadways and adjacent to critical colony locations inhabited by avocets and terns. Interventions extend beyond principal thoroughfares to incorporate access points around crystallization pools, divisions between saline basins, coastal sand dunes, and regions situated to the park's southern coastline.
"Despite these limitations, the nesting and reproduction of yellow-legged gulls is allowed in localised sectors far from the colonies of other species of interest," clarified the regional secretary.
Image: Freepik
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