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Nesting in the flooded foundations of a demolished office building owned by the Christchurch Diocese and Carter Group, rare New Zealand gulls are creating mayhem in central Christchurch.
The problem with nesting began in the foundations of the Armagh Street building in 2019. Today, the area is overrun by red-billed and black-billed gulls which have returned to the area en masse to nest.
In a scene that sounds reminiscent of the rat takeover in Hamelin before the Pied Piper’s arrival, gulls steal food off plates, poo on tables, buildings, cars and people, frighten children and are turning the adjacent New Regent Street – a tourist hot spot – into an “eyesore”.
Outdoor dining is out of the question for many – they move indoors after the first few dive-bombing, excretia-accompanied minutes.
Church plans
Answering questions from The Press regarding the Church’s plans for the site, the Catholic diocese responded in writing saying it had started work upgrading parking services on land it owned in the central city.
However, the response did not clarify whether that included the Armagh pond site where the gull-nesting problems originated.
The Press reports that Christchurch City Council has not received a consent application to turn the site into a temporary car park.
Protected wildlife
Until nesting is over early next year, there is nothing anyone can do about the abundance of gulls – the birds are native and so protected under the Wildlife Act.
A Department of Conservation (DoC) biodiversity ranger said there are no easy solutions to prevent the gulls from returning but people should ensure no food scraps are left around. Rubbish bins should be secure, he said.
DoC has also asked building owners to remove sticks and other nesting material from their rooftops to make it less easy for the gulls to nest.
The ranger said it is the owners’ responsibility to do this—DoC is not responsible for deterring the gulls.
Some who can access their rooftops have done this. Others have put spikes on the edges of their buildings to stop gulls from perching there. It works, but it does not prevent nesting.
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