Soccer-Aberdeen don't want seagulls on the wings at Pittodrie

LONDON, July 24 (Reuters) - Aberdeen hope to stop scenes reminiscent of the Alfred Hitchcock classic 'The Birds' at their Pittodrie Stadium where seagulls have been scaring the Scottish club's players and supporters. Scores of fans raised concerns following this month's Europa League qualifiers against FK Shkendija and Rijeka. The birds, flocking in from the nearby North Sea, have forced the club into drastic action, including hiring a specialist "eradication" firm, using a hawk to guard the stadium and using audible repellants. Aberdeen said in a statement they had "taken care" of nests and eggs three times a week to keep the birds controlled. "For obvious reasons we cannot fly birds of prey during games," the club said. "Seagulls are very intelligent birds and will always gather where a large crowd of people are and where food is consumed. "Aberdeen FC will continue to do all we can to combat this issue and ensure the match-day experience is a positive one for supporters." Co-incidentally four-times Scottish champions Aberdeen's next fixture is Jamie Langfield's testimonial match against Brighton and Hove Albion, who are nicknamed the Seagulls, on Sunday. (Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Tony Jimenez)