why are there no seagulls in cyprus ?

jamboree


Joined: 25/06/2011
Posts: 88

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 02:03

i have always wondered why there are no seagulls here in cyprus? there are loads of seagulls in turkey on the coast.

could it be the hunters have shot them all? could it be the secret seagull pie eaters ate them all? did they all die during the cyprus troubles. i just dont know, but want to know help please..

steptoenoel


Joined: 27/04/2011
Posts: 116

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 02:31

wonderfull question!!I have googled etc,then i acutaually asked my brother who is a sea captain.he has assured me that real sea birds do not come to land.but have to say when on a wonderfull cruise on the african queen i did see a few sea birds

Turbo


Joined: 24/12/2006
Posts: 833

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 02:40

Plenty on the south side..

steptoenoel


Joined: 27/04/2011
Posts: 116

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 02:45

must have eruo in their wee leg satchels then

steptoenoel


Joined: 27/04/2011
Posts: 116

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 02:52

naa kidding guys i watched i watched an appartment been drug raided.I have bought my dream!!!!!!!!!

I onlhI

jamboree


Joined: 25/06/2011
Posts: 88

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 03:37

turbo where abouts in the south please did you see them gulls? i go fishing regular in the north from magusa to lapta and have never seen one. you guys are lucky i think i better get my eyes tested..

matula


Joined: 07/07/2008
Posts: 647

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 06:54

No seagulls in TRNC 'cos the sharks ate them all!!!!!!

GinaC


Joined: 26/11/2010
Posts: 372

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 07:16

There are seagulls in the TRNC, not many I admit but check out the coastline around Kayalar and Sadramaskoy you will often see lone seagulls hunting for fish.

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 07:22

A Cyprus seagull has about as much chance of finding some tucker as an Ethiopian chicken!

swyflot


Joined: 07/11/2008
Posts: 916

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 07:23

I thought the same ,but i saw some on the rocks at alagadi,in fact Kate Fensom the artist named the seagulls in her paintings as Stuart the seagull

Groucho



Joined: 26/04/2008
Posts: 7993

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 07:37

One can see Audouin's Gulls at the Karpas on the island just off the end.

It is a large gull restricted to the Mediterranean and the western coast of Saharan Africa.

In the 1960s this was one of the World's rarest gulls and, although new breeding colonies have been established, it remains rare with a population estimated at 10,000 pairs.

This is one of only about 10 places in the world to see them breeding... so not only do we have gulls but we have very 'select' ones at that!

I too have pondered why the more common species are so rare and it surely has something to do with sources of food. This part of the Med has a poor supply of feeding material for gulls.

louthlass


Joined: 09/11/2008
Posts: 271

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 08:50

I spend a lot of time bird watching and can assure you gulls are still here, but not as many as there used to be in the early eighties and the seventies. I have recorded Audoin gulls this week near to Girne.

Groucho



Joined: 26/04/2008
Posts: 7993

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 08:55

It's not quite the same as being 'mugged' by loads of gulls after your food at UK fishing villages though is it?

Hippo


Joined: 02/02/2007
Posts: 2070

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 09:10

We see gulls most days out on the boat not the same numbers as the UK of course but i assure you they are there.

dippersgirl



Joined: 04/05/2010
Posts: 795

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 09:10

You see a few here in Dipkarpaz, but definitely not like England. I used to work in Andover, Hampshire. There were seagulls all the year round, but in the winter ther Anton lakes were covered with seagulls and its not even that close to the sea.

mmmmmm



Joined: 19/12/2008
Posts: 8398

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 09:50

Good question..



The main plague in Limas(s)ol are pigeons ..

bazzagirl


Joined: 09/05/2010
Posts: 525

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 09:54

Dippersgirl we are surrounded by them down in the south of england, maybe we could ship a few to cyprus as they can be aa pain in the butt here, but i still like to hear the sound of them like i can now sitting eating my breakfast. I think the seas out there are overfished hence the lack of gulls. x

martinD41


Joined: 06/09/2010
Posts: 3001

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 10:04

Simple answer.There is NO food..Gulls are scavengers... NO SEA LIFE=NO FOOD =NO SEA BIRDS ....As Groucho says there are a few scattered up the Karpas, I actually find the lack of shore life here very depressing having come from a place where Sea Bird and Fish life abound...

eagleyemonkey


Joined: 21/03/2010
Posts: 184

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 10:04

Nice info Groucho, thank you. Something for me to look up. Thanks again.

Southcoaster


Joined: 01/04/2009
Posts: 81

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 10:31

The lack of tidal movement is a major factor. When the tide goes out in the UK large areas of small rocks are exposed and these form the habitat of different varieties of shellfish and other marine life, thus providing ample food for sea birds.

martinD41


Joined: 06/09/2010
Posts: 3001

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 10:42

There is also a "major down side" to minimal tidal flow,especially in densely populated areas......Poo !

shrimp


Joined: 01/09/2010
Posts: 939

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 10:51

you should be pleased there are no seagulls, last sunday in Uk we deceided to treat ourselves to the works, rose and turkish delight ice-cream, topped with clotted cream, and a chocolate stiick.all in a wafer cone.....barely got out of the door and a seagull swerved down and took the cone right out of my husband's hand.................it was funny though!!!

deputydawg


Joined: 30/03/2010
Posts: 1727

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 10:51

So it seems that the answer is that TRNC gulls are not GULLible enough to congregate where food is sparse ?

martinD41


Joined: 06/09/2010
Posts: 3001

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 11:28

They are also not GULLible enough to congregate where effluent is anything but sparse ............

jamboree


Joined: 25/06/2011
Posts: 88

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 12:24

thanks to you all for the info. so you are saying if there is no food and lots of poo = no gulls.



i am off to sadrazamkoy later on today so i will keep my eyes open to see. i hope i do see some.

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 12:37

jamboree/Msg 25:



If you happen NOT to see any seagulls; in order to 'quench' your nostalgia, you could 'doodle' some on the back of an old envelope when you get home - gulls are the easiest subjects to 'doodle'!

louthlass


Joined: 09/11/2008
Posts: 271

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 19:03

Saw another lone Audoin gull today whilst out sailing.

Turbo


Joined: 24/12/2006
Posts: 833

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 21:24

used to be many gulls in Larnaca.

TRNCvictim


Joined: 17/08/2010
Posts: 1417

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 21:28

Perhaps because there is no fish?

horselover


Joined: 18/01/2009
Posts: 129

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 22:46

cant be bovered to open a new question but i was askin the same about SHELLS. my dad n i do artwork with them n have to get them from southend. england! we've scoured beaches in cyprus n found nothing. does anyone kow of a beach that does?? that could answer the gull question i guess.no shellfish to pick at

birdman



Joined: 20/09/2010
Posts: 690

Message Posted:
27/08/2011 23:26

According to a geologist I know, when I put the same question to him he replied that there are very few nesting sights for seagulls, and in his opinion THAT is the reason for no seagulls.

Geoff


Joined: 25/06/2008
Posts: 1370

Message Posted:
28/08/2011 07:29

Locals tell me most seagulls were killed and eaten years ago.

Geoff

martinD41


Joined: 06/09/2010
Posts: 3001

Message Posted:
28/08/2011 09:47

msg31...Good point.....But I think lack of food supply would be the main reason,why would they breed in an area that could not support them?This part of the Med is devoid of food and many other things..

jamboree


Joined: 25/06/2011
Posts: 88

Message Posted:
28/08/2011 23:24

ginaC today i was in sadrazamkoy fishing, and saw to birds flying towards me i thought yes seagulls at last. they came and sat a few rocks away from me, but they were not seagulls. they were crows..next time maybe?

fosterscan


Joined: 27/02/2010
Posts: 541

Message Posted:
29/08/2011 01:17

There's not enough rubbish about for the gulls not like the uk tips.

Groucho



Joined: 26/04/2008
Posts: 7993

Message Posted:
29/08/2011 08:38

Because Brighton & Hove are too far away?

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
29/08/2011 09:03

horselover/Msg30:



I collaborated with Mr. John Orr to produce the book 'Seashells of Cyprus' - this was a 15 year project, which included collecting [diving for] and photographing [underwater in natural habitat & laboratory, macro, etc.] ALL species of shells indigenous to Cyprus. I have Uncle John's [magnificent] worldwide collection of seashells here at my house.



If you are interested further, please pop in to 'Ronnies Furniture' - near the 'Ship Inn' and ask for 'Roy' - I hope I can help! Please wait until after the 'Bayram', though, as 'Ronnies' is closed during this period.

horselover


Joined: 18/01/2009
Posts: 129

Message Posted:
29/08/2011 22:14

wow thanks for invite.im back in london at mo, as my son has just had sugery on a tumor, but i bet ther wonderous. u say u went diving for them, but still baffled why none onbeaches?

steptoenoel


Joined: 27/04/2011
Posts: 116

Message Posted:
06/11/2011 03:09

as usual it takes me time to listen to answers ty for the suggestions why the lack of sea birds,

Stonker


Joined: 15/10/2011
Posts: 24

Message Posted:
06/11/2011 08:52

I have often seen a lone one down at Sardunya, and also at the fishermans harbour in Lapta

MsGarnet


Joined: 04/01/2009
Posts: 989

Message Posted:
06/11/2011 11:23

The clean air act, 1956, brought about by the last horrendous smog we had here in England in 1952 when circa 8,000 people died, was specifically enacted to reduce air pollution. Only smokeless fuels could be used, with more emphasis put on electricity and gas as heat sources; as a result, smoke pollution and sulphur dioxide from household fires was dramatically reduced. There is no such thing, as someone said higher up, as a 'sea-gull' they are gulls - 'terns' in fact, and always were around the coastline, not out at sea. Because bonfires and fires per se were drastically reduced, land-fill sites were introduced for the first time, but of course acres of open pits full of food (left open until full enough to cover over, and start another one) all over the country, brought the terns inland to feed without effort on the landfills; impossible to prevent them - and once here, they stayed with their constant food sources. Any land-fill sites in TRNC? If not - maybe that is an answer...

MoonageDaydre


Joined: 09/07/2011
Posts: 70

Message Posted:
07/11/2011 01:57

I think they've all migrated to UK cities like Belfast, Bristol, and Liverpool where they can live off discarded take-aways!

You're lucky not to have them, they can be a real nuisance in urban areas...