By Steffen Klenk
While walking the Ocean City boardwalk this summer, you may notice less seagulls than usual. Finally, no more worrying about opportunistic gulls swooping in for a slice of pizza or a bucket of French fries. This is all thanks to the close watch of eight trained raptors. For up to twelve hours a day, these birds of prey fly high and low, warding away pesky birds from visitors and beachgoers.
The company behind the program is the N.J. based East Coast Falcons, a bird abatement business specialized in warding off nuisance birds. Owner Erik Swanson is a Master Falconer who started the company 30 years ago.
East Coast Falcons was hired by Ocean City back in 2019 to ward laughing gulls away from popular tourist locations in the boardwalk and downtown sections of town. This came after a string of incidents surrounding aggressive seagull activity.
Five years later, the initiative appears to be successful. “When we first started, nobody could even walk down the boardwalk with a piece of pizza, you had to have it covered,” Swanson says. “Now, people are having picnics on the beach.”
With warmer weather returning to our region, the laughing gulls are also migrating back to the Jersey Shore. These irksome winged seagulls can be best identified by their distinct vocalization, a strident call that sounds like someone laughing. In optimal conditions, these gulls can live up to thirty years.
Laughing gulls are primarily found along coastal communities up-and-down the Eastern seaboard. Their primary diet consists mainly of fish, insects, and mollusks. However, this can vary thanks to human feeding activity.
Trained birds of prey, and handlers from East Coast Falcons, have been working the boardwalk in advance of the laughing gull’s return. The company has a total of fourteen birds of prey on its roster. This includes ten falcons, three Harris hawks, and an owl.
During the evening hours, the Eurasian eagle owl will fly high above the boards. Weighing in at 11 lbs., one of the most distinctive features of this owl are their large orange eyes, which help them see extremely well in the dark. They have feathery ear-tufts and are golden brown with dark splotches and are considered one of the largest living owl species on the planet.
Whether you’re enjoying a perfect beach day or taking in the sights and sounds that Ocean City has to offer, you will have peace of mind knowing that trained raptors will keep pesky seagulls away from your food. At the end of the day, Swanson kindly reminds visitors to stop feeding the seagulls. “One of the hardest parts of our job is you get the boardwalk clear for the night and someone’s throwing food.”
East Coast Falcons will have a presence on the boardwalk weekends throughout May and will work daily between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Steffen Klenk is a photographer and multimedia journalist who enjoys capturing the eclectic moments of shore life. You may contact Steffen at shorelocalsteffen@gmail.com.
