Beware the Seagulls

[TagsMissy]

lol...they ARE on the dining plan! The seagull DDP - It comes with 1 chicken nugget, 1 funnel cake and 1 ice cream per day. And they don't need ADR's!

You forgot one piece of fish from the fish and chips @ Epcot! I've seen many an aggressive bird there!

 

[LorlovesStitch]

Maybe this could be a new app for IPhone......Disney's Angry Birds!

 

[sydneysmom]

I came out of Pecos Bill ( I think that's where it was) w/ a tray of 2 burgers, fries and dessert. Well, the seagull pegged me!! He swooped down and snatched a burger off the tray and didn't even miss a wing beat!! Honestly, it was so dastardly it was funny. My ex didn't think so...but he's got no sense of humor whatsoever. Funny, it was after that trip we split up.....

 

[surferdave]

C'mon, folks, the'ye not pests, they're an attraction! Be glad you didn't have to wait in line to be attacked by the Pixar Seagulls.

 

[Victoria3]

This is why I try to avoid eating outside as much as I can.

 

[aurorae]

This is why Disney has signs posted. "Do NOT Feed the Birds". I always see yahoos feeding the birds and then turn around and wonder why the birds are getting agressive.

First time I ate at Casey's Corner, it was crowded and all the outside tables were full. I couldn't believe the people that were feeding the birds there, it was pretty nasty.

 

[Texas Rob]

I say if you Taser a few of them they will stop...oh wait, that hasn't worked for humans yet....

 

[DisneyNoob13]

It happens because some people feed them. Once they get a taste for human food you are going to have problems.

For my first post, I'm responding regarding seagulls!

I second this opinion...the areas where we saw the biggest issue last week was where people were feeding them. They stalked us outside Yorkshire in Epcot and were circling the tables at Flame Tree in AK. If folks wouldn't feed them, I don't think they'd be quite so brazen.

 

[Mary T in PA]

Some responses are just hilarious! I never realized what threats we have avoided on our trips - imagine being dive bombed by a bird!

However I do agree with a few others who said not to feed the birds. On our last trip we were eating at Flame Tree BBQ and while we were sitting there, we watched a family keep feeding the birds. A CM came over and told them not to, and the woman very rudely said why not? And the CM pointed to the sign posted right above them Please do not feed the birds. The lady just said whatever, everyone else is doing it, and looks around- no one was even sitting near this family! She knew she was the guilty party and then was rude to the CM. THe CM handled herself well, I told her that after this family abruptly left.

As for Casey's Corner, maybe a sign needs installed for the birds: Please do not eat the humans.

 

[Lou Holtz]

The signs should further explain that feeding the birds causes them to be aggressive and poses a safety risk to all of the guests. People don't get that, so they ignore the signs. You really have to spell it out for some.

 

[harpinjean]

They must not be on the dining plan.

 

[W.E.D.]

They used to play "predator calls" and the sounds of birds in distress over speakers outside the parks which were supposed to scare away the gulls. Either the gulls got smart, or they stopped playing it. Any CMs know?

 

[aurorae]

The signs should further explain that feeding the birds causes them to be aggressive and poses a safety risk to all of the guests. People don't get that, so they ignore the signs. You really have to spell it out for some.

Same people that walk up to bison in Yellowstone, I guess.

 

[A&Bmama]

I learned my lesson the hard way although, not at Disney.

One day many years ago in the early spring I had a school project due that I was very behind on. I decided to ditch school and go to the public library downtown so I could finsh it since it was due the next day.

The weather still was not very warm, there was even the remanents of snow banks that were melting away but it was a nice enough day. By lunch time I needed a break and a breath of fresh air, so I took a walk to the Public Gardens. Along the way I bought myself a snack and a large bag of nuts to feed the birds as is commonly done in this park. I was happy at the thought of spending some time outside after being cooped up for so much of the winter. As I entered the park I had visions of spending a lazy hour sitting on a bench eating my snack and tossing nuts to the birds.

I tossed the first few nuts and it quickly became apparent that those birds had not been fed in a very long time! They devoured them instantly and clouds of birds began to descend on me. I went from having 5 or 6 birds around me to well over a hundred in mere seconds. There was a flurry of flapping wings all around me, some of the birds were landing on me others were pecking at the bag, my hands, my arms. I began to take handfuls of nuts and throwing them as far away from me as I could while I walked in the opposite direction. That would work for a few seconds and then they would be after me again. I finally just scattered the entire bag on the ground and ran for my life!

Moral of the story is: DON'T DITCH SCHOOL OR YOU MAYBE PECKED TO DEATH!!

 

[si-am]

 

[honeydiane1953]

I never encountered trouble with the birds. Some pix I have seen they look menacing.

 

[Colleen27]

I wish Disney would be a little more proactive in discouraging the people who feed the birds. Yes, the signs are there but in several spots we watched CMs sweeping up, cleaning tables, etc. around people who were feeding the birds and never did they so much as point out the sign or mention that feeding wildlife only creates aggressive, dependant animals. I'm sure it is part and parcel of their non-confrontational guest services approach but geez, some things need to be said! We had problems with aggressive birds snatching things from our tables and pecking at our feet at Flame Tree BBQ, Hurricane Hannahs, and the snack bar at Blizzard Beach.

It isn't just the birds either; we once saw a squirrel at Epcot climb right up onto a child in a stroller to snatch food from the stroller tray. I've been bitten by a squirrel and it is NOT fun, so seeing that kind of freaked me out (and changed my mind about the fish & chips we were going to grab - we went to Sunshine Seasons where we could enjoy a wildlife-free QS!)

 

[ZuzuWDW]

right before the beginning of World Showcase by Mexico, I saw a seagull grab a churro out of someone's hand. Paper and everything, while the guy was walking. I mean, that takes some skill on the seagull's part. I was in a wheelchair (had problems with my left leg on that trip) being pushed by my brother so I had a "bird's eye view" (har har.) I saw it happen and pointed enthusiastically but my family missed it. There were a lot of other people who did see it though and everyone burst into laughter!

 

[JerseyDisneyGirl]

LOL, never had this happen at Disney. But any good Jersey Girl knows to never eat food on the boardwalk at the Jersey Shore. They will attack you, I have seen people with buckets of french fries running down the boardwalk. I had a friend who was eating a slice of pizza, the seagul took the whole thing right out of her hand. Of course you get the morons who will feed them and they FLOCK to you! I have been on the beach with the family next to me feeding them, I always nicely ask them to stop. We go to Ocean City, NJ and they have a $500 fine for feeding them, I don't think it is enforced, I wish they would. Those creatures are very obnoxious, DH calls them sky rats.

 

[goofy4tink]

There we sat, eating our lunch outside at the Electric Umbrella. There was a young man, eating alone, a few tables over from us. Well....he got up and left, went into the restaurant. We thought he had left for good. He wasn't even in the door when a bird (one of the big black ones) came swooping in and stood there, on the table, snacking on the young man's leftover burger and fries. Some people walked by, the bird flew away. The young man returned with some ketchup. OMG!! I was horrified. Yelled over to him that a bird had been picking at his lunch!!! He was not amused.

Or the poor man who came out of Pecos Bills, with a tray full of food for his family. Yup...seagull came swooping in, knocked the tray out of his hands. You should have seen the gulls joining that first one...there had to be 15 of them. And what do you think was going on, over about 20' away??? Yep, a bunch of kids feeding the birds french fries.

I've had the ducks harrass me at Flame Tree!! OMG....they were really aggressive. And yes, there were families feeding other ducks. I quite loudly said...'Man, these ducks need to find duck food..not french fries. It's bad for them and it makes then attack us for our food.' Nope....nobody stopped feeding them.

People will continue feeding the birds. For some reason, they think it's cute. It will make the birds ill..and they will eventually die. But, heck, it's cute and our kids love it. So who cares if the birds suffer??!!: