The Waitaki District Council sought consent from business owners or proprietors to collect aerial evidence of red-billed gulls starting to nest on the buildings in Oamaru's retail area earlier in the week.
The Otago Daily Times granted the council permission to fly over its Thames St property.
Yesterday, council heritage, environment and regulatory manager Lichelle Guyan said the council would review its footage and advise building owners of the current state of their roofs, so businesses could take any required action to prevent the gulls from nesting on their properties in the coming breeding season.
"A report is being prepared for the heritage, environment and regulatory committee," she said.
"It will discuss the possibility of encouraging the gulls to a natural environment."
In previous years, Thames St businesses have complained that the hundreds of gulls nesting in the retail area not only produced scenes reminiscent of the Hitchcock classic The Birds in the evening, but also created a "disgusting" smell.
Last year, after up to 900 red-billed gulls nested atop Countdown Oamaru in Thames St, the Department of Conservation (Doc) gave the company the authority under the Wildlife Act to take measures to disturb or prevent birds from nesting on its property.
Countdown has since stated it had taken steps to try to meet its target of zero nests on its property this year.
A company spokeswoman said in May Countdown had installed spikes along the rooftop's perimeter walls, a laser, and raptor calls. It would also add netting "which will cover the entire space, preventing the gulls from landing in the first place".
The council published a primer for Oamaru businesses in the hope similar issues did not spread to other central business district rooftops.
In May, Mrs Guyan said the council had not taken any measures to gull-proof its own buildings, adding: "Council buildings have not yet been affected by visiting seagulls - not even by temporary visits. From our observations, the gulls appear to prefer flat roofs."
She also said there were ways the birds "could be enticed to form a new colony".
"This could include painting an area white to simulate the natural build-up of bird droppings or speakers playing bird calls."
Once the protected species has begun laying eggs, it is illegal to remove the birds, or their eggs or chicks.
The breeding season typically runs from September to January.
Doc's Conservation status of New Zealand birds, 2016, shows the protected species could face a decline in numbers of up to 70%.
