The latest Long Read on the Outside Podcast is set in the seaside town of Ocean City, New Jersey, where marauding seagulls were scaring off tourists. The city hired birds of prey to chase the gulls away. So far, it’s working.
Published September 22, 2026 09:06AM
A few years ago Ocean City, New Jersey had a problem with seagulls. Every summer, clouds of marauding gulls would descend on the sand and boardwalk to hunt for treats. Usually this mean snatching pizza, chips, popcorn, and other goodies away from tourists. To curb the gulls, Ocean City hired East Coast Falcons, a group that trains and deploys massive birds of prey. Now, a team of hawks, falcons, and owls patrols the boardwalk every day, scaring away the gulls. In the latest Long Read on the Outside Podcast, writer Andrew Zaleski rides shotgun with East Coast Falcons as they go on bird patrol.
