The several hundred gulls at the Mt Grand reservoir have ''moved on'' for the winter, but the Dunedin City Council is still searching for bird-scaring technology for when the birds return.
Council water production manager Gerard McCombie said most of the 500 black-backed gulls that congregated at the reservoir in March had gone.
''The big numbers seemed to have moved on.''
The birds had been a nuisance and fouled the black polythene on the sides of the reservoir, he said.
Laser technology the council had investigated to scare the birds had limitations, he said.
The laser had to be used in the morning or evening and it was ineffective if the birds were on the water, he said. The birds had to be on ''dry land'' and the laser had to be projected nearby on a hard surface, he said.
''You didn't need to shine it in their eyes.''
Council staff were investigating a solution to scare the gulls on their return.
''We haven't come up with a smart solution yet.''
The installation of a ''hawk scarecrow on a stick'' was an option the council would explore, he said.
