East Coast Falcons brings raptors back to patrol the wooden way, providing protection, photo-ops
By BILL BARLOW /Special to the Sentinel
OCEAN CITY — Scaring sea gulls is only part of the job.
That becomes obvious after just a few minutes with Ian Turner, a falconer with East Coast Falcons, the crew that has returned to the Ocean City Boardwalk for another year of sea gull control.
With Strawberry, a sleek and beautiful gyrfalcon, on his arm, Turner quickly draws a crowd. Visitors want to take photos with him and the bird, and talk about the project.
Beginning in 2019, the city has hired falconers to patrol the boardwalk and beaches, driving off increasingly aggressive sea gulls. At the time, officials said the gulls were edging beyond a nuisance and becoming hazardous.
Most boardwalk patrons had a story or two about a gull stealing food from a child’s hand or knocking a pizza slice to the deck, with more birds quickly swarming in like they were after Tippi Hedren in a phone booth.
The falcons and hawks brought in under a city contract set a new pecking order on the boardwalk. The decision to bring falcons made national news, some of it tongue-in-cheek. Boardwalk regulars described it as remarkably effective.
The impact could be seen this spring before and after the hawks and their handlers arrived. On a warm spring day, laughing gulls could be seen cawing and pestering for boardwalk treats and lining the tops of businesses. Once the falcons returned during weekends, there did not appear to be a gull in the sky.
Turner told some of those gathered to see Strawberry that the teams would be out seven days a week after Memorial Day weekend. He said he enjoys the educational element of the job.
“These birds have done a great job of making the boardwalk and beach experience safer and much more pleasant without harming the local gull population,” Mayor Jay Gillian stated May 14 in a weekly message in which he announced the return of the program for 2021.
The service does not come cheap.
According to a resolution approved by City Council in March, the daily rate for the falconry-based bird abatement program with East Coast Falcons of Lodi is close to $2,000, or $161 and change per hour. The resolution includes an estimated annual value of the contract at $250,000.
The falcons seem to be the most visible on the boardwalk, but the patrols take in the entire beachfront. Some locals have expressed concern about the impact of the visiting birds of prey on the local songbirds, but city officials have stated that steps have been taken to ensure the hawks do not kill the gulls or other birds.
Wild birds of prey are common in Ocean City. Peregrine falcons can sometimes be seen on the water tower downtown, while red-tailed hawks sometimes visit the barrier island. Great horned owls hunt the marshes at night, while marsh hawks do the same in the day.
Once rare, the fish-eating osprey are now plentiful, and a bald eagle has recently been seen around Corson’s Inlet State Park in the south end of the island.
“Some of you may have noticed this week that we have a few friends back in town for the season. I’m happy to report that East Coast Falcons started work today in the third season of our gull-abatement program,” Gillian said in his message.
The birds this year include six falcons, four Harris’ hawks and two Eurasian eagle owls. The huge owls clock in at 6 p.m.
On a recent afternoon, Donovan Meeks and Marco, a Harris’ hawk, were a few blocks from Turner. Meeks was also answering questions.
At one point, Marco perched on a lamppost, almost unnoticed by the crowd passing below but the focus of attention of two crows seeking to drive him away with repeated dives. Marco seemed to pass it off with a shrug. He returned to Meeks, who rewarded him with a small bit of meat. Marco flew up to the boardwalk rail as people took his photo and asked Meeks questions.