Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1924-12-03
GULLS AND BLUEBERRIES.
Government, After Study of Subject,
Exonerates GulIs.

Exonerates GulIs.
! An interesting report has just been
! issued by the Bureau of Biological
| Survey, U. S. Department of Agricul-
ture, giving the result of the bureaus
investigation of the reports or com
plants of depredations by herring
| gulls on the coast of Maine.
! The investigation was undertaken
mainly to gather data relative to
| alleged gull depredations in blue
| berry fields, but included an investi-
! cation of other complaints against
the birds and also with reference to
| their abundance.
With reference to the alleged dep
relations of gulls on BURBERRY crops,
| a number of those who complained
| of injury to their crops were inter
viewed; one party in Rockland, who
was interviewed expressed the
! opinion that gull depredations on
blueberries is very local and confined
/ by the best crop years when the
I birds are attracted to the ground by
! the sight of the blue fields. The ex-
| perience of the Rockland man is
| stated to have been that few shots
| fired at the gulls over the berry
patches will keep the birds away and
prevent damage for that season,
whether or not any of the gulls are
hit. 1t was further stated that gulls
were first noticed eating blueberries
about four years ago and no serious
depredations have occurred since.
| Another party who has had con-
siderable experience with herring
gulls. having acted as special warden
on an island of the coast for the
Audubon Society, Was also. inter
| viewed His farm of 800 acres is
valuable for its BURBERRY fields. He
also has found that few shots fired
at the circling gulls brighten them so
| that damage is prevented for the en-
| tire season.
The Bureaus investigation was
also carried on at Owls Head and
| brought similar results to those Sc
| cured in the vicinity of Rockland.
| The investigator heard someone
shooting and found party shooting
at gulls as they sailed over the
| region in the general direction OF the
| BURBERRY fields. The government
agent secured five gulls in the vi
cinity and an examination of the con
tents of their outlets revealed that
their diet was entirely composed OF
fish and garbage. The following day
the Federal Investigator remained in
the vicinity of the large BURBERRY
patch there and saw many gulls COM
ing from Rockland Harbor crossing
to Crescent Beach, but none of them
paid the slightest attention to the
berries-all had obviously been iced
ing on fish or refuse in the water
A party who has lived in Owls
Head practically all his life stated
that in his opinion or to his knowl-
edge gulls had never bothered blue
berries until five or six years ago dur
ing the year 1921. This party
further stated that since that time
the damage has been very slight ana
when once fred upon the gulls seem
to shun the BURBERRY fields for the
rest of the season.
Other parties interviewed at Myra,
Addison and other places from which
reports of depredations by gulls
enandlbu gave pluStiN"'y Wv
information.
Upon investigation of a lew re-
ports with reference to depredatlons
of eulls that they were devouring
fish scrap which had been spread out
on the ground as fertilizer, there ap-
reared to be no foundation for the
complaints, as the use of raw hsh
SCRAP as fertilizer at the present
time appears to have been dlscoA-
tinued.
In summarizing its investigation
the bureau has concluded its report
with the following paragraph:
The results of the investigation do
not appear to warrant the issuance
Of permits at the present time put IL
| gulls should increase to materlal
| extent or they should at any time IN
! the future become seriously injurious
TO the blueberries, the question OF is
suing permits for their destruction
might be considered at that time. We
feel quite sure that the owners OF
| blueberry fields can readily protect
| their crops by shooting Il few blank
shells at the birds if they should at
tack the crops.
-O----