Are pesky seagulls becoming more annoying in Ocean City?

It’s not exactly a real-life version of the Alfred Hitchcock horror movie classic “The Birds.”

But the cackling seagulls that make their home in Ocean City seem a bit more brazen this summer in hanging out on the Boardwalk and swooping down to snatch a meal of French fries from unsuspecting tourists, city officials say.

“For some reason, I guess they really love French fries,” Councilman Keith Hartzell surmised.

During a City Council meeting Thursday night, Hartzell and other members of the governing body said it seems there are times when the aggressive gulls are congregating on the Boardwalk in larger numbers and making an even bigger pest of themselves than usual.

Councilman Tony Polcini said he has received a lot of calls lately from people complaining about the gulls.

Mayor Jay Gillian promised that he would look into whether the gulls are becoming a more serious problem and will give the Council members an update.

“The French fries are better,” Gillian said, joking, of the gulls getting bolder in diving down for food.

This is the sixth summer that the city has contracted with a company called East Coast Falcons to have its trained falcons and hawks chase away the gulls to prevent them from harassing residents and vacationers.

The novel approach of using raptors to keep the pesky gulls in check has been hailed by city officials as a great success summer after summer.

“(East Coast Falcons) has worked to greatly reduce disruptions by nuisance birds on our Boardwalk, beaches, as well certain interior areas where the gull presence has become a growing concern for our business community,” Ocean City Community Services Director Dan Kelchner wrote in a memo when the company was awarded a new contract early this year.

However, the gulls seem to be loitering on the Boardwalk more this summer – instead of staying in their natural habitat of the bays, marshlands and ocean. City officials want to know why and how to stop it.

Hartzell said the gulls “move back in” the minute that the falcons and hawks leave the areas of the Boardwalk they were patrolling.

Half-joking, Hartzell wondered whether the seagulls are getting “smarter.”

“It’s super-simple. They’re coming in because of the food,” he said in an interview after the council meeting.

    Falconer Angelina Caselli, of East Coast Falcons, leads a raptor down the Boardwalk to patrol for pesky gulls in August of 2023.
  

Both Hartzell and fellow Councilman Jody Levchuk said they believe East Coast Falcons is doing a good job overall in controlling the gulls.

“I certainly would rather have 50 than perhaps 500 or 5,000 that we would have around,” Levchuk said of the possibility of the city having a much larger number of gulls if it did not have East Coast Falcons doing its job.

But Levchuk also said it appears that the gull-abatement program “does seem a little bit off” compared to previous summers.

He guessed that perhaps it is becoming more challenging to chase away the gulls because East Coast Falcons now patrols a larger area of town than just the Boardwalk.

When East Coast Falcons was awarded a $328,000 contract early this year, the company was given the responsibility of shooing away gulls in the downtown business district, the 34th Street business district and other areas of town – in addition to the Boardwalk.

“I know they have a lot more ground to cover, too, so there’s that (challenge),” Levchuk said.

Levchuk and his family own the Jilly’s brand of Boardwalk stores, including Jilly’s French Fry Factory. In addition to serving as a councilman, Hartzell is the food services director for the Jilly’s stores.

Levchuk and Hartzell are able to watch the seagulls on the Boardwalk from their vantage point at the Jilly’s stores around 10th and 11th streets.

Hartzell said the Jilly’s shops encourage their customers to take a bag and cover their food as a way of thwarting the gulls from stealing French fries or other snacks.

    Councilmen Jody Levchuk, left, and Keith Hartzell wonder whether the seagull problem is getting worse.
  

One favorite hangout for the gulls is the Boardwalk pavilion at 11th Street, Hartzell said.

“They’re hovering at the 11th Street pavilion. That’s what they’re doing. I’ve seen upwards of 15 or 20,” he said in the interview.

However, Hartzell noted that when he was on the Boardwalk later Thursday night, after the Council meeting, he didn’t see any gulls.

“There’s not one seagull out tonight,” he said in a text just before 8 p.m. “Some quick action. Much improved over the last couple of days.”

Both Hartzell and Levchuk stressed that city officials and East Coast Falcons have been responsive when they are called to areas where the gulls are congregating.

Levchuk, though, acknowledged that it is simply impossible for the company – and its birds of prey – to keep the Boardwalk completely clear of troublesome gulls.

“You’re never going to have zero seagulls at the shore,” Levchuk said in an interview.

“But I would rather have a small seagull problem than a big seagull problem,” he added.

Hartzell urged members of the public to call the police department’s nonemergency number if they spot gulls making a nuisance of themselves or gathering in larger numbers. That way, city officials and East Coast Falcons can be directed to any troublesome areas, he said.

“It’s a matter of communication. That’s what it comes down to,” he said.

    The gulls snatch a meal.