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Today's Poll: Do you think the owner of the Latina's property should do something about the gulls?

By Howard B. Owens
Bea McManis

Why has the city allowed this problem to continue for as long as it has? First and foremost is the health issue, and it is being ignored.

Perhaps someone, from the city, would like to comment.

Charlie, this was going on during your watch, what steps were considered to eliminate the gull problem?

The gull's natural enemies are rats, foxes, cats, raccoons, coyotes, eagles, terns and dogs
I just read an article about a project to bring puffins back to their native Maine. This project was almost sidelined by gulls that attacked the relocated birds. Their answer was to introduce terns to the area. The terns eliminated the gull problem, but they attack people. The scientists, working on the project, had to resort to wearing hard hats to ward off the attacks by the terns. Obviously, the terns would not be a good idea in a public parking lot.

The other choices for introducing a natural enemy to drive out the gulls are not viable either, unless we want cats or dogs living on the roof until the owner is forced into doing something with that building.

Mark is right. Why aren't the owners of this building cited for code violatioins? The city has no problem citing the elderly home owners. What makes this different?

Eliminating the birds from that building is only half of the solution. If it is razed, they will find new places to roost in the city. We witnessed that when urban renewal demolished Main Street buildings.

Jun 23, 2010, 7:38am Permalink
bud prevost

I am not a resident of the city, but I am an observer of it's activities. It amazes me that the city was giving people grief about mowing the grass, or leaving trash cans out too long, yet they let this seagull toilet sit unchecked. Disgusting

Jun 23, 2010, 9:33am Permalink
Howard B. Owens

I don't believe there is in place a specific ordinance to deal with this.

There is simply no ordinance that says thou shalt no allow birds to nest on your property.

If it's a health issue, that's a county issue.

Jun 23, 2010, 9:39am Permalink
Mary E DelPlato

lol why worry bout the gulls defecating on empty buildings...at least they arent as much as our city council...look what the powers that be have done to Batavia...made it a place for gulls to poop on...there are way too many other important issues...like bringing life to this place...to all you who disagree I say "duh"...look around...its not like I imagine all the emptyness around here.

Jun 23, 2010, 9:54am Permalink
Charlie Mallow

Bea, I didn’t help pass any local laws regulating where birds could fly or nest in the city. Maybe this is a new piece of legislation CM could use for his campaign? He could call it the ”Bird Relocation Act” I’m sure it would only cost a few $100 Million to hire a unionized State work force devoted to capturing and tagging all the birds that nest in our cities and moving them to unpopulated areas in our state.

Think of what a good campaign promise that would be? No more bird crap on your cars or being woke up by the sound of chirping birds. Who cares about the state’s growing debt, we will finally be free of all those pesky birds!!!

Vote for change, change you can believe in!!

Jun 23, 2010, 10:12am Permalink
John Roach

And you can't just go and remove the birds eggs to get them to leave, like they did at City Hall. You have to get a permit from the government.

The building was owned by Gautieri at one time. Is he still one of the partners in the building? If he is still a partner, maybe he can help resolve the problem.

Jun 23, 2010, 10:18am Permalink
Mark Potwora

Charlie....Wasn't their and issue with these same birds on the Mall...I remember Bill Cox envolved with getting the health dept to look into to it...Why not contact the health dept again...

Jun 23, 2010, 10:19am Permalink
Charlie Mallow

Mark, yes they probably are the same birds that were on top of the mall. If you scare them off the roof of Latina’s they will just move somewhere else. Not everything has a political or legal answer no matter how many politicians or lawyers tell you it does. Life has a way of adapting…

I learned this all from the movie Jurassic Park.

Jun 23, 2010, 10:24am Permalink
Charlie Mallow

All joking aside, the birds are causing a mess. It wasn’t all that great when the birds where on top of the mall either. I have no idea why this owner wouldn’t work with the wildlife people, that doesn’t make sense. The county health department should do what they can.

I really do believe this is a futile effort. Those birds were flying and nesting long before any of us got here and they will be long after we are gone.

It would be nice if we could just talk to the birds then we could tell them to spread out a bit so, we could live in harmony with them. Wait a minute…. May be CM could… OH, Never mind.

Jun 23, 2010, 10:39am Permalink
Bea McManis

Posted by Charlie Mallow on June 23, 2010 - 10:12am
Bea, I didn’t help pass any local laws regulating where birds could fly or nest in the city. Maybe this is a new piece of legislation CM could use for his campaign? He could call it the ”Bird Relocation Act” I’m sure it would only cost a few $100 Million to hire a unionized State work force devoted to capturing and tagging all the birds that nest in our cities and moving them to unpopulated areas in our state.

Think of what a good campaign promise that would be? No more bird crap on your cars or being woke up by the sound of chirping birds. Who cares about the state’s growing debt, we will finally be free of all those pesky birds!!!

Vote for change, change you can believe in!!

Cute answer, Charlie.
Did I ever say that there should be legislation about where birds could fly or roost?
You answer is making a mockery of the problem.
Making it political is what I should have expected from you.

Jun 23, 2010, 10:49am Permalink
Bea McManis

Posted by Charlie Mallow on June 23, 2010 - 10:39am
All joking aside, the birds are causing a mess. It wasn’t all that great when the birds where on top of the mall either. I have no idea why this owner wouldn’t work with the wildlife people, that doesn’t make sense. The county health department should do what they can.

I really do believe this is a futile effort. Those birds were flying and nesting long before any of us got here and they will be long after we are gone.

It would be nice if we could just talk to the birds then we could tell them to spread out a bit so, we could live in harmony with them. Wait a minute…. May be CM could… OH, Never mind.

Once again, Charlie, you don't disappoint.
You may find it a funny situation, but as a resident of the city, it impacts you as well.
What's with the digs at C.M.? Do you really think that those who are suffering damage to their vehicles or those who are concerned for their health find your comments as amusing as you perceive them to be?

Jun 23, 2010, 10:55am Permalink
Charlie Mallow

Bea said "Charlie, this was going on during your watch, what steps were considered to eliminate the gull problem?"

Bea, did I make where birds fly political? Or did you? Was I also responsible for world hunger and the Iraq war when I had a term on the town board as well?

Did you ever hear the term let sleeping dogs lay?

Jun 23, 2010, 11:18am Permalink
Bea McManis

Posted by Charlie Mallow on June 23, 2010 - 11:18am
Bea said "Charlie, this was going on during your watch, what steps were considered to eliminate the gull problem?"

Bea, did I make where birds fly political? Or did you? Was I also responsible for world hunger and the Iraq war when I had a term on the town board as well?

Did you ever hear the term let sleeping dogs lay?

It was a simple question. Not political at all. While you were on the council was there any discussion about this problem? I dont care what the affiliation, just wondered about if it was ever discussed.
You are minimizing the issue and mocking the problem. Is that how the council looked upon it while you were there? Somehow i doubt it.
Other places have dealt with the problem of gull colonies. All I wanted to know is if it was ever discussed back in the day.
You are twisting this, mocking it, and it isn't an issue that deserves to be minimized by sarcasm.

Jun 23, 2010, 11:55am Permalink
Janice Stenman

Right up until people have a problem, they don't want the government....any government at all....to get involved. With the gull problem, now people are talking about enacting new laws. New laws=more government!

Jun 23, 2010, 12:26pm Permalink
Bea McManis

Janice, they may not have to enact new laws, but look into code violations already on the books.
The building is a shambles. There are codes that address that.
The building is attracting birds that are causing property damage and may impact our citizens' health.
There are laws against property damage and health related issues.
What I wanted to learn, from Charlie, was if there were mechanisms in place that would allow the city to notify the various agencies and request help with the problem, and if so, were they ever discussed by the council.
If "let sleeping dogs lie" means turning a blind eye on the fact that friends, neighbors, and relatives are sustaining damage to their cars and risk being fouled by these birds as they walk through that parking lot, then one has to wonder why?

Jun 23, 2010, 12:37pm Permalink
Thomas Schneider

Why not just start shooting the birds. A couple of local hunters and a few rounds of .22 could take care of the problem in a few days. Nobody would complain if they were killing rats. Just call the gulls, wing-rats.

Maybe we could give the birds birth control like they trying to do with the deer in Amherst. :)

Jun 23, 2010, 1:01pm Permalink
Richard Gahagan

I told you poopy city residents that all you have to do is string heavy monofilament fishing line across the roof from edge to edge. Boing the birds get pizzizeled and leave.

Jun 23, 2010, 2:07pm Permalink
George Richardson

They are seagulls. Don't you guys own bb guns, pellet pistols? Can't you climb a ladder or a fence? Don't you have kids that love solving problems? Night time is the right time for no one to ever know what happened to the Seagulls. Just say, "I think they flew back to the sea."
Richard, that just sends them to another roof. Batavia needs a permanent, very low cost solution. BB Guns and sealed lips are the answer.

Jun 23, 2010, 2:30pm Permalink
Richard Gahagan

I'll do it for a small fee. No on second thought i want a government shitty job with full benfits, ot, health insurance, and outrageous penison benifits. Hell, the shitty could even make me the bird control adminsitrator and pay me a couple hundred grand.

Jun 23, 2010, 2:37pm Permalink
George Richardson

Richard, will you bite the heads off for a dollar apiece? We'll take up a collection and pay cash at two dollars a bird if you'll let Howard videorecord it for YouTube. Ozzy would do it if he was twenty years younger. Hell I would do it if I could be twenty years younger, I would want to do it. They are Seagulls and I love God's little birds, but I still stomp on Cockroaches.

Jun 23, 2010, 2:45pm Permalink
George Richardson

See Richard? We have a lot in common, that just makes me like you more. You speak your crazy mind and I speak my crazy mind. We are probably both Libertarians and don't even know it. But, I like Obama because I love America. Doesn't that air around Houston stink enough yet? "Freaking Retard" is a term of endearment and you don't even know it. Howard, this is not a personal attack. It is a personal hug of a man who thinks he is an arch enemy even though he is a lot more like everyone else here, than he will ever know or acknowledge in his lifetime. I'll make a toast to you Richard: "Long may you hate my sorry ass." And I still like you, doesn't that suck?

Jun 23, 2010, 3:37pm Permalink
George Richardson

"Drop a Few French Fries Friends of Batavia" is hereby formed. I love aliteration, too much. Tim ,was your dad ever a Batavia High School Principal? Just wondering and wandering, in cyberspace, forty five years later.

Jun 23, 2010, 4:15pm Permalink
Bob Price

Yeah,the city had money enough to hang up all the signs in the Valu Plaza parking lot threatening 15 days in jail if you feed the birds-maybe Howard should get a picture of the signs.....maybe we should tell the local buffet owners they taste like chicken......and yes,kids DO get a kick out of watching the birds fight for the pieces of bread.

Jun 23, 2010, 4:23pm Permalink
Tim Howe

Nope George...he was a bus driver a LONG time ago for B-Line and worked at Jones Chemicals as well. Since we are on the subject of relations...Do you have any relations in Batavia? I know a Richardson family from the AG Church.

Jun 23, 2010, 4:24pm Permalink
George Richardson

Yes Tim,
I have a couple of hundred relatives in and around Batavia. Families used to be very big and my mom's dad had eleven children. My aunt had ten, my mom had nine, and a few brothers and sisters had less. My relatives might be involved in that church, although I am a heathen myself. What is the AG Church? I used to go to Church, I was an altar boy in the Catholic Church, (St. Mary's) but now I just love everybody and everything and think: "WTF took me so long?" Organized religion is a political party that I can't relate too, right now, and probably never will again.

Jun 23, 2010, 4:54pm Permalink
Bea McManis

Posted by Jeremiah Pedro on June 23, 2010 - 4:34pm
a possible solution to the problem ...

http://www.teignbridge.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=7497

Imagine community leaders who didn't look upon this problem as a joke or as political fodder. Community leaders who didn't just laugh and say, we can't legislate where birds fly.
The people of Teignbridge looked at the problem and came up with intelligent solutions.

Cllr Gordon Hook, Teignbridge Executive Spokesperson for Environmental Services said:

"Although we aren't legally obliged to take action, it's clear that there's an issue and we'd like to work in partnership with local businesses to adopt a pro-active approach and improve the situation."

I think this is refreshing.

Jun 23, 2010, 5:12pm Permalink
Gary Diegelman

Gulls are protected by law. The owners did not invite them here nor do they feed them to keep them here. Enough complaining. Do the research on laws pertaining to gulls. Check with DEC on ways to control them. Maybe DEC issues nuisance permits. Maybe put up owl or hawk figures to scare them off. I have seen hawks take down pigeons. I know DEC oils the eggs of Cormorants so they won't hatch out maybe they can oil gull eggs with a permit. We don't need any more laws or ordinances dealing with this.I do agree the building itself needs some upkeep. If the owners of the property were approached with reasonable alternatives to control the problem instead of the city demanding they do something about it maybe they would be more receptive to helping with the issue.

Jun 23, 2010, 5:35pm Permalink
Bea McManis

Gary, you make a lot of sense.
There are codes that can be enforced without new laws. They enforce the code when elderly citizens let their grass grow too high, or if the house is painted. That building needs more than a coat of paint. Yet, the owners refuse to do anything and seem immune to our codes.

Jun 23, 2010, 5:42pm Permalink
John Roach

Bea,
The owners have been cited about problems in the past and still didn't do anything. They were then fined. And they go to court again next month.

But Gary is right, the birds are protected. and being a protected bird (anyone no way?) it's not easy to get rid of them.

And Charlie is also right, when they are finally removed from Latina's, they will relocate to another building.

Jun 23, 2010, 6:17pm Permalink
Howard B. Owens

John wrote, "And Charlie is also right, when they are finally removed from Latina's, they will relocate to another building. "

And then that owner needs to do something, and so on.

The fewer options for the gulls, or more dispersed, the less of a nuisance. It's not an unsolvable problem.

Jun 23, 2010, 6:24pm Permalink
Bea McManis

Posted by Charlie Mallow on June 23, 2010 - 6:28pm
Bea, your right! When leaders are faced with a disaster, they should become angry and curse. That will get things done!

This is my post.
Where did you see me advocate for leaders to become angry and curse? Obfuscate much?

Posted by Bea McManis on June 23, 2010 - 5:12pm
Posted by Jeremiah Pedro on June 23, 2010 - 4:34pm
a possible solution to the problem ...

http://www.teignbridge.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=7497

Imagine community leaders who didn't look upon this problem as a joke or as political fodder. Community leaders who didn't just laugh and say, we can't legislate where birds fly.
The people of Teignbridge looked at the problem and came up with intelligent solutions.

Cllr Gordon Hook, Teignbridge Executive Spokesperson for Environmental Services said:

"Although we aren't legally obliged to take action, it's clear that there's an issue and we'd like to work in partnership with local businesses to adopt a pro-active approach and improve the situation."

I think this is refreshing.

Jun 23, 2010, 6:56pm Permalink
Howard B. Owens

You would think the owners would be concerned with this part, "Roof-top colonies of nesting gulls can cause damage to structures by contamination with large amounts of fecal droppings. Accumulated bird droppings can reduce the functional life of some building roofs by 50%. Corrosion damage to metal structures and painted finishes can occur due to the high concentration of uric acid in bird droppings. In addition, gulls transport large amounts of nest material and food remains to the roof-tops which can obstruct roof drainage systems and lead to structural damage."

Jun 23, 2010, 8:54pm Permalink
Bea McManis

Posted by Howard Owens on June 23, 2010 - 8:54pm
You would think the owners would be concerned with this part, "Roof-top colonies of nesting gulls can cause damage to structures by contamination with large amounts of fecal droppings. Accumulated bird droppings can reduce the functional life of some building roofs by 50%. Corrosion damage to metal structures and painted finishes can occur due to the high concentration of uric acid in bird droppings. In addition, gulls transport large amounts of nest material and food remains to the roof-tops which can obstruct roof drainage systems and lead to structural damage."

I thought that too, then I thought, "A cheap way to have the building demolished. The birds do all the work.".

Jun 24, 2010, 12:51am Permalink
George Richardson

Has anyone looked into federal grant money to create inner city parkland? It might not cost Batavia a dime.
Unpave paradise and tear out the parking lot. Put in trees, bushes, flowers, a splash pad, a playground, a baseball practice field. Take the space back and businesses on the periphery will multiply like wildflowers, as the years go by. General Upton Park sounds really cool and Austin Park could remain as is and be repurposed later if need be, or maybe just remain as is forever. You can never have enough inner city parkland and it pays tremendous benefits to the community. Take a look at Zilker Park or Lady Bird Lake Park in Downtown Austin, Texas then scale back to size.

Jun 24, 2010, 2:30pm Permalink
Mary E DelPlato

I cant believe all this hoopla over poopla....there are much more important issues and I get sick of repeating myself...why do u all ignore me...look around...look at all the for sale signs...hello? I wished other ppl would get upset at the ignorance of those who have "control" over our lives...let me see...both auto dealers on the east side are closed...empty...that tiny buildin used to be restaurant and the other building used to be biggys...the one that used to be kfc...wat else...thats just one area...u ppl that have fat wallets...tell me something...do u buy chinese products????Do you shop at dollar general...I knew when I first saw these dollar stores...American jobs would fade...the fading dream...
That oil spill btw should have been a global priority...and considered a global specific disaster...but noooooo....lets wait over 2 months...shame shame shame....now who knows what earthy reprecussions all this oil leaving the center of the earth will have on the core of this planet.........hold on we're going for a ride...weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!

Jun 24, 2010, 7:43pm Permalink

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