Inverness gull study

The Highland Council, with input from NatureScot, have appointed an independent consultancy to undertake a baseline census and distribution study of gulls in the centre of Inverness.

Leader of Inverness and Area, Councillor Ian Brown said: “While Highland Council has no statutory duty to take action against any type of gull, the Council hopes that the findings from this study will provide evidence for and inform any future development of a Gull Management Plan for the City of Inverness.”

The survey will take place in May and has been designed to coincide with the start of the nesting period when gull numbers will be reaching their peak, and birds are at their most active.

The survey will follow an adapted methodology from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee Seabird Monitoring Programme’s Urban Gull Census.

Covering an area of over 5km2 of central Inverness from Bught Park in the south to the Kessock Bridge in the north, the survey will include the commercial heart of Inverness, the Longman Industrial Estate, Crown Circus and popular riverside locations including Eden Court Theatre, Inverness Cathedral, Inverness Castle and Ness Walk.

The survey will also assess an additional 20 key buildings across the wider city, including the Council’s school estate.

The work will primarily be ground-based and will count all gull species present with their location noted on mobile GIS recording software along with gull behaviour, whether nesting, occupying territory, foraging or resting.

Information on gulls can be found on the Council’s website at this link.