Raptors Likely To Return To Ocean City For 2024

OCEAN CITY, NJ — There's no need to worry about a seagull swooping down to steal your French fries this summer. Ocean City Council is set to vote to renew a contract that will again employ falcons around the island to ward off those pesky gulls.

The contract to East Coast Falcons, LLC, will run from April 4, 2024 to Oct. 19, 2024, according to the resolution, which will be voted on at the Jan. 25 City Council meeting. Council also has the option to renew the contract through 2025.

The Lodi-based company's falcon services have been "beyond satisfactory," City Director of Community Services Daniel Kelchner said in a memo supporting the contract's renewal.

Falcons scare off seagulls, who have become more aggressive and dependent on unnatural food sources (like fries stolen from unsuspecting tourists). The gulls instinctively know to leave when they see the raptors flying around.

East Coast Falcons have been present on the boardwalk since 2019, and the program has been a success since its initiation, according to officials. Last year, Ocean City extended the program's area beyond the boardwalk and into the downtown area as well.

The falcons have "worked to greatly reduce disruptions by nuisance birds" on the island, Kelchner said, and the company itself helps to educate residents and visitors about the work that they do.

"This is a good thing," Mayor Jay Gillian said at the 2023 contract renewal. "It's good for the birds. It's good for our guests. It's good for everybody."

For more information about East Coast Falcons, visit their website.