A seabird expert at the Millport Field studies Centre this week backed our ‘Please don’t feed the seagulls’ campaign.

Dr Phillip Cowie, a higher education team leader and lecturer in marine biology, believes seagulls become ‘emboldened’ if they are fed, and it is important to raise awareness of the issue.

He said: “People shouldn’t feed the seagulls, even if they are tempted to. All it does is embolden them. I take a keen interest in seagulls. They are remarkable creatures; they will eat anything they can get hold of.

“They are very clever and adaptable. They go for chips as it is easy food. Seagulls are great scavengers of all different types of foods, but by not feeding them, they will go back to the shore and target starfish, periwinkles, crabs and such like.

“If we feed them, it brings them into conflict with people, which leads to calls for seagulls to be culled and things like that. Of course, people like to feed the gulls, and think it is quite nice to see them happily feeding away, but if you do feed them, in inflates their populations.

“If you don’t feed the seagulls, they are not going to keel over, they will go away and naturally find their food. It is perfectly acceptable to say ‘don’t feed the seagulls’. I think local people are aware of the campaign, but with some people it doesn’t register and they don’t understand when they start feeding the gulls they get mobbed.’ “At present, the gulls are feeding their young. I don’t think chips with a high fat content is great for their young, if it is regurgitated, to be honest.

Dr Cowie pointed out that by not feeding the birds, and reducing their intake, it limits the chances of ‘human conflict’, and given the importance of conservation of nature, this means that the gulls can still be appreciated as part of the overall marine environment.