Spring is here and warmer weather is on the horizon, which can only mean one thing: Lots and lots of seagull poop. 

As the busy tourist season gets underway, beaches, parking lots and any place with human activity will become a feeding frenzy. 

After hearing reports of people throwing bread to crowds of seagulls on Onset Pier, Harbormaster Garry Buckminster wants to remind residents that, despite what Mary Poppins may say, it is a crime to feed the birds. 

“It doesn’t benefit them to be easily fed food because they need to know how to forage,” he said. 

He added that the seagulls are more than capable of finding food themselves and do not need humans’ help. Instead, by feeding the birds, humans are encouraging them to grow dependent on outside food sources, lessening their survival skills.

“There’s a cycle of life,” Buckminster said. “If you keep promoting feeding wildlife and they become adapted to that, it doesn’t help them.” 

Contrary to popular belief, bread is not a good food for birds to eat. 

“If you’re going to put something out,” he said, “at least make it something that’s good for them.” 

While there are laws against feeding the seagulls, these laws are difficult to enforce.

Buckminster said that trying to catch seagull feeders is “a never-ending battle” and “like herding cats.” 

“It’s here and there,” he said. “Once they see us, nobody’s doing it. It’s not a significant situation to the point where I have to put myself out there and look for people feeding the seagulls.” 

Still, he wants people to know that birds and baked goods do not mix. 

“It’s not rocket science,” he said. “Just some common sense.”