Dispersal of Ring-Billed Gull Nesting Colonies in New York State

Ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarenis) are adapting to rooftop nesting habitats throughout the Northeast and the Great Lake States. Presently, six such colonies exist in New York State. Noise, plus accumulations of droppings, feathers and nesting material, cause unsanitary conditions, structural damage, health problems, traffic problems and have lead to Occupational Safety and Health Administration citations. We began a 3-year project in 1991 at two locations, Niagara Falls and Syracuse, New York, to relocate nesting gulls to other nesting sites. Eight lethal and nonlethal control alternatives were considered and three nonlethal alternatives were selected. We concluded that: (1) the nonlethal techniques used were successful in relocating the two gull nesting colonies, (2) the techniques must be used for 3 years to be successful because of the age of sexual maturity in this species, and (3) there are several interesting areas for future research on this problem