By Steffen Klenk
Over the past two weeks, there’s been a noticeable absence in the number of seagulls on the Ocean City boardwalk. No pesky birds swooping down for a slice of pizza, French fries or funnel cake. This is all thanks to the help of seven trained raptors. For up to twelve hours a day, these birds of prey fly high and low over the boardwalk, warding away opportunistic gulls from beachgoers and visitors in downtown Ocean City, their location being tracked by GPS.
The company is utilizing seven raptors; four falcons, two hawks and an owl. One of the birds you might find flying high over Ocean City is the Harris hawk, whose wingspan is up to 46 inches and has an overall height of 2 feet. They have dark plumage, white tail feathers and reddish shoulders. Harris’s hawks can be found throughout the Southwestern United States, parts of Mexico, Chile, Brazil and Argentina.
At night, the Eurasian eagle owl will take to the boardwalk, with a weight of up to 11 lbs. and a wingspan between 4 ½ – 6 ½ feet wide. The most distinctive features of this particular owl are their very large, orange eyes, used to help them see extremely well in the dark. They have feathery ear-tufts and are golden brown with darker splotches. The Eurasian eagle-owl is considered one of the largest living owl species in the world.
Erik Swanson is the owner of East Coast Falcons, a bird abatement company based out of Lodi, Bergen County. Swanson has been training falcons for over 30 years and is now a Master Falconer. Becoming a Master Falconer takes no less than seven years which includes a two-year apprenticeship.
Raptor training requires a vast amount of knowledge in falconry, which is complex in raising and guiding these birds. There are strict federal and state-wide laws to practice falconry nationwide. Only those who prove their true dedication to falconry will be approved for the many licenses.
This program is new to our area and has been used for much similar seagull abatement. One such is 85,000 to 100,000 seagulls at a waste facility. East Coast Falcons were successful in encouraging a huge flock of starling to leave a blueberry farm that was losing 40-50% of their crops. Swanson says the program so far has been very successful. “People are showing up from different states to try and get a glimpse of the hawks. The people here really like it.”
City officials are praising the work of East Coast Falcons. Since arriving on August 2nd, many of the seagulls have swarmed elsewhere. Swanson says that eventually the seagulls should learn to stay away from the boardwalk in search of food and go back to the ocean hunting for fish and crabs.
Mr. Swanson and his team of raptors and trainers have, so far, provided thousands of vacationers a pleasant experience along the boardwalk. From now until Labor Day, the falcons, hawks and owl will fly over Ocean City. If the initiative continues to be successful, a decision will be made that could bring the program back for summer 2020.
