This Ridiculously Simple Trick Might Stop Gulls From Nabbing Your Lunch (gull-safe!)

[usonian]

https://gizmodo.com/this-ridiculously-simple-trick-might-stop-gulls-from-nabbing-your-lunch-2000742276

Few things can ruin a fun beach or park outing as quickly as a gull with a hankering for your lunch. But a recent study might have just uncovered a nifty trick that can keep these feathery thieves at bay.

Researchers in the UK studied how European herring gulls (Larus argentatus) in the city reacted to various types of takeout boxes. The gulls were substantially less likely to approach or peck at boxes that had googly eyes attached to them, they found. Though not every bird was deterred, the simple design strategy could help ease human-gull conflict, the researchers say.

“Identifying and exploiting pre-existing sensory biases of animals remains an important area of research for animal deterrents,” they wrote in their paper, published last month in the journal Ecology and Evolution.

Scary eyes



Eyes and eye contact are known to spook away many predatory or scavenging animals, birds included. Some prey animals have even evolved to incorporate eye-like patterns in their appearance to ward off would-be snackers, such as various species of butterflies.

I mean, would YOU???

[ornotna]

1. Those are some strange looking meatballs

But, yes I would.

[Norrrm]

2. Is that a tarantula eyeing those odd meatballs?

[usonian]

4. Halloween recipe.

See the recipe link.

[mr715]

6. Ha!

[usonian]

3. Mozzarella and olives.

https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/spaghetti-and-eyeballs/

YMMV

Your meatballs may vary.

[MustLoveBeagles]

5. That's some scary spaghetti 🍝

[mr715]

7. I appreciate the boldness of gulls.

When I saw the pasta, I was pretty spooked. I empathize with the poor birdies.

[Danmel]

8. My son was traumatized by a seagull

He was 4 and we were at the Toronto Zoo on vacation. This absolutely adorable little boy with a mop of curls and big brown eyes happily munching big chicken nuggets when a seagull swooped in from Lake Ontario and grabbed his nugget. He completely dissolved into tears.

[haele]

10. I was at a BOQ/Convention dining area on surf and turf day...

Out by the ocean. The guy sitting alone on his side of the large table next to us set down his plate with T-bone smack in the middle of it down, then realized he left his drink inside and got up to go get it.
Three steps, and a seagull who had been patiently waiting on the overhang near the door was airborne and snatched that steak whole - got it halfway across the patio dining area before even the other seagulls figured out what it had done.

That was a loud and merry chase that ended about 100 feet away on the break wall area...
Poor sailor should have known better than to leave his food alone outside - but he was only an O-2, so I'm guessing he was still following the knife and fork school training

[haele]

9. Ahhh, spact'hulutti!

An old Italian dish, for sure. Lol
I've got to make my husband this. Looks like little buratta balls with green olive. Think instead of using just pimento green olives there, might want to stuff some little button mushroom with sausage and quick sautee them.