ROCKLAND, Maine — The Rockland woman at the center of a controversy over what the city and her neighbors say is the excessive feeding of sea gulls has been ordered to clean up her property within 24 hours or face court action.
Rockland Code Enforcement Officer John Root and City Attorney Kevin Beal served Susie Gray of Camden Street Terrace with notices of two violations on Wednesday — one for local property maintenance codes and one state law concerning public health.
The city council will consider Monday night whether to adopt an ordinance prohibiting the excessive feeding of birds, but Beal said it will be at least 60 days before the local law would take effect if adopted by the council.
Some of Gray’s neighbors contend they are not able to enjoy being outside of their homes because of the amount of sea gull droppings.
The city attorney said the amount of droppings has become a health hazard and public nuisance. Beal said Gray is being directed to not feed wildlife to any extent that would continue the nuisance and she must clean her property.
Gray said she is trying to find an attorney who might help her but said she “can’t afford $200 an hour” to defend herself. Gray said she was told she could not feed the sea gulls or squirrels.
She maintains that she has not created a health risk and contends that the claims by neighbors that there is seagull poop everywhere are baloney. She said most of the droppings are on her property and not the neighbors.
Gray said she used to feed the birds three or four times a day but after complaints from her neighbors she reduced it to once in the evening. She estimated 75-100 sea gulls arrive and are there for only 15 minutes before they leave.
The 62-year-old woman said she purchases stale bread from a store for $8 a week. She said she loves birds and enjoys feeding them. She said her actions have not caused any other animals other than squirrels and a few raccoons to come on her property.
She also said that the birds are in the area anyway because of her close proximity to McDonald’s restaurant, the Hannaford supermarket and a Thai restaurant.
Birds poop. It’s what they do. Let the poor lady have her enjoyment.
Have you ever had a seagull poop on your car? They poop HUGE!
Those wild turkeys are worse. After almost getting hit by traffic on Route 1, they will attempt to fly over my home to get to the woods. When they see that they aren’t gaining enough altitude to clear the house they jettison the contents of their bowels thinking losing that weight might help. It doesn’t. Some crash into the roof.
The after effects of one of these bombing runs is terrible. It looks like someone took cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup and threw it all over the lawn, driveway, steps and roof. If you don’t power-wash it off before it dries it stains and solidifies, to say nothing about the smell.
I’ll put up with the seagull poop any day.
I agree, you’ve got it worse! Why don’t the turkeys just go around your house? Are turkeys really that dumb?
Turkey fact #12: A turkey would rather walk through an electric fan than around one. Yes, they really are that dumb.
Stop it! Stop it – my stomach hurts, I’m going to pee – I can’t take it, stop it (LMAO)! Do they make a sign that says LOW FLYING FOWL you could put up to direct traffic for them? I think they may have them at Lowes.
Totally agree, Rocky, but what was the thinking behind banning squirrel feeding as well? Squirrel turds are miniscule, hardly recognizable, blend in, are not runny, don’t splash, wash off easily, etc, etc …an altogether considerate animal.
The ban may be too reactionary.
Have you been discecting animal feces again – what did we tell you about that! Fun aside, I feed birds, mostly smaller ones, but in the spring, we have ducks, a couple of turkeys, blue jays, and yes, crows, ravens and seagulls from time to time. You can’t keep one bird out and feed another. The feces is miniscule at best – it fertilizes the lawn, by the next rain – wait it is raining- the poo is gone and we have a much greener lawn. I would rather get rid of the gray squirrels (the greedy pigs) but I can’t feed one without the other. This woman’s fun is feeding birds, probably her last hurrah on this earth – too bad.
A few larger birds feeding on your property doesn’t compare to hundreds of seagulls fighting over loaves of bread in a small space and in an extremely short period of time. I also love feeding birds but would never dream of attracting a swarm of seagulls with food to defecate all over my property and my neighbors property. I have very good neighbors and wouldn’t dream of putting them through the horrors of a seagull feeding frenzy and the mess it creates.
seagull poop, also known as guano, carries germs and diseases, if she wants to feed the birds she should go down to the shore, which is only about a 5 minute walk from her house….
That’s what I was thinking Cyndi.
From the Hannaford/McDonalds area? Way more than a 5 minute walk. Nice try though.
no it’s not. Cross Camden street at the light by McDonalds and it’s a straight shot down to the water. 5 minutes. Since she’s disabled, perhaps she has a friend or family member that would be willing to take her down to the shore on a daily basis.
Ya, if she wants to go hang out at the metal yard. The public landing is way down at the head end of Main St. 20 min walk for an able bodied person.
her neighbors can’t even open their windows, as the bird poop comes in through the windows. Have you ever been around a large flock of seagulls? When they let go, it’s like a military bombardment of bird poop. They are dealing with skunks, raccoons, and honestly I wouldn’t be surprised if they have rats too. I was at that city meeting the other night. Not only does she give them bread, but she also dumps things like spaghetti….right on the other side of one of her neighbor’s fence. It’s one thing to put out bird feeders or scatter a little seed, but what she is doing is a public nuisance and is very unhealthy.
Bird feces also can cause lung disease. Histoplasmosis.
OMG, they will try to regulate eveything. Next up, doggy diapers, can’t have that canine urine on fire hydrants!
Where do you live? I would love to set up a gull feeding station in your yard.
Nothing but rats with wings!
So if they were cute or handsome birds like Ospreys or Eagles it would be ok?
No, they all taste about the same.
Lol
I don’t like rules and regs either, but neither do I late bird poop all over my lawn. Since she is not using common sense and considering her neighbors, someone has to step in.
I would love to find an attorney for $200. /hr. hell of a deal.
Do these two stories go together? :) http://bangor-launch.newspackstaging.com/2012/05/09/news/midcoast/midcoast-banking-on-baby-boomers-area-wooing-wealthy-community-minded-retirees/
If you don’t like Seagulls move away from the ocean, simple as that. Leave the poor woman alone. There isn’t much left to enjoy in this life without someone telling us we can and can’t do in it. So let her feed her birds and squirrels and leave her alone.
To repeat my prior post. Where do you live? I will be happy to set up a seagull feeding station in your yard.
I’ll put one up for you too.
Do you mean you will put one up for me personally? or do you mean you’ll put one up with me at Cathleen’s? Cause I don’t want one! :)
I had a next door neighbor some years ago who fed the seagulls stale bread daily. The gulls sat on my roof and waited for him to come out with the bread. They crapped on the roof, the siding and my deck and eventually it ruined the shingles. Costs me thousands of dollars to replace. Saying that if you don’t like seagulls “move away from the ocean” is a simple but ignorant statement. I like seagulls fine but they belong in and over the ocean.
Irregardless of how nasty the after effects are or not, feeding the birds stale bread? What’s the problem Susie? No broken glass, chicken bones or razor blades available? She couldn’t possibly pick a worse food to feed a bird if she wanted to. When I saw the headline I figured she was using cracked corn or sardines or some stinky, fish type thing to lure them in. But no. Her weapon of choice is Ye Ole Standby of the cheap and ill-informed: stale bread. Well played Susie Gray. You’re just another person who doesn’t care about your neighbors, your property and really, you don’t care about the birds either. You just care about your own personal entertainment. And isn’t that really all that matters? Ahhhh the Ron Paul Revolution in full bloom!
Oh give us a break with the Ron Paul cracks; hasn’t a thing to do with the story. Seagulls will eat anything, rotten, unhealthy or not. Stale bread is likely one of the cleanest things they eat. You know not much about seagulls.
Gross……seagulls are scavangers, I think they can feed themselves like most other animals. You can’t always do what you want to do in life. Grow up people, she is causing a health hazard to those around her which means the greater good wins again. Do you want someone with a pig farm to move in next door to you without you having a say on what happens around your property (that most people pay good money for the property they purchase, usually the most expensive item they wil ever buy). Please don’t say if you don’t like it move cause that’s just a stupid statement said because they have nothing else to say.
This women needs to volunteer at an animal shelter where animals really need some love and care. Why more productive use of her time and money. Give her some cummunity service if she does not stop feeding them perhaps at the local soup kitchen to feed the less fortunate.
Good grief! It’s Rockland for crying out loud and the seagulls were there first. I live on the coast too, so don’t get your knickers in a not about me being some flat-lander.
Now, if maybe you’d like to cut down on the Johnny-come-later crowd that always wants to change something, I’m all for that.
He’s not saying the seagulls weren’t there first, that’s not the point. There’s no reason for this lady to be feeding the avian equivalent of rodents. Would you feel the same if she were feeding raccoon, or rats? Or skunks (which are pretty cute, stink aside!)
… one person’s avian rodent is just another one of God’s creatures to another. If you feed any bird, you will be feeding raccoons, rat & skunks come dark. If you put your trash in a landfill you will be doing the same. Let the poor woman alone or take up a collection for a sign to put in her yard saying ‘Seagulls not Welcome.’
Still silliness, but then you won’t find me living in Rockland or anywhere else west of the Narraguagus.
grew up on an island in Casco Bay– we didn’t feed gulls so I would say she , by feeding them, was the one that changed something
I don’t understand what your argument is, as you seem to be fixing for both sides of the non debate.
“She maintains that she has not created a health risk and contends that the claims by neighbors that there is seagull poop everywhere are baloney. She said most of the droppings are on her property and not the neighbors.” -from above article
This woman has created a health risk to herself and her neighbors with excessive seagull droppings on her property and theirs. It is unbelievable how self-centered some people can be.
Lady, take your fingers out of your ears, stop repeating “La la la la la la” and listen to what other people are saying. The nuisance you are creating is extremely GROSS!
I’m glad I live nowhere near this woman and her smeared seagull poop covered part of town.
I can just imagine all the poop, we have a fishing pier, it is covered with sea gull droppings, almost unusable, horrible, people that have never been around sea gulls have no clue..
Exactly what I was thinking when I read some of the posts on here. These are not small birds and leave a large mess when they go.
My family spends vacations on Assateague Island in VA quite often. There are a lot of sea gulls and I have been “hit” with sea gull poop which is not very pleasant. I can’t imagine feeding them, and having the mess they make all over my property, as well as the neighbors.
The photo doesn’t look like her back yard, looks like a public way. So I guess she is contributing to littering. Do dog owners have to pick up after their dogs , then if the birds are in her care get her a broom and shovel.. premeditated public nusance
The photo is actually of the Public Landing in Rockland, which is no where near the neighborhood in question. The actual house of the offender is at the dead end of a very narrow street.
Thanks
////
Ms. Gray should move closer to the Blaine House. There’s so much excrement emanating from there, the seagull feces wouldn’t even be noticed.