A fleet of drones patrolling New York City’s beaches for signs of sharks and struggling swimmers is drawing backlash from an aggressive group of seaside residents: local shorebirds.
Since the drones began flying in May, flocks of birds have repeatedly swarmed the devices, forcing the police department and other city agencies to adjust their flight plans. While the attacks have slowed, they have not stopped completely, fueling concern from wildlife experts about the impact on threatened species nesting along the coast.
Veronica Welsh, a wildlife coordinator at the Parks Department, said the birds were “very annoyed by the drones” from the moment they arrived on the beach.
“They will fly at it, they’ll swoop at it, they’ll be vocalizing,” Welsh said. “They think they’re defending their chicks from a predator.”
No birds have been harmed, but officials say there have been several close calls. The drones, which come equipped with inflatable life rafts that can be dropped on distressed swimmers, have yet to conduct any rescues.
“Oystercatchers, in particular, are very defensive of their young, and they see drones as real predators for themselves or their chicks,” Dr. Schulte said. “They think the drones are some form of raptor, so that’s why they’re attacking them. They see them as some sort of threat.”
All along the East Coast, he said, the use of drones on beaches is “becoming an increasing problem for shorebirds.” Every time a shorebird leaves its nest to pursue a drone, he said, the bird is not feeding its young and is leaving its nest vulnerable to actual predators like cats, dogs and crabs.
Dr. Schulte said that drones should either be flown at higher altitudes or be replaced by lifeguards or people in boats scanning for sharks and struggling swimmers.
Ms. Toal said that the city’s emergency management agency, which operates the drones at Rockaway Beach, contacted the Parks Department last month after repeated close encounters between aggressive Oystercatchers and drones.
She said that the Parks Department had explained that the birds were merely trying to protect their young, and had recommended moving the launch site for the drones farther west, away from the Oystercatchers’ nesting area. Ms. Toal said the goal was to operate the drones “for human safety and for bird safety, too.”
Mayor Eric Adams, a self-described “tech geek,” has been a strong supporter of the use of drones on city beaches. He has said that the drones can be equipped with powerful speakers that can alert lifeguards to a swimmer struggling in the water.
“Now you have eyes in the sky telling you, ‘The person is straight ahead,’ ‘The person is off to your right,’ ‘The person went under in front of you,’”
Mr. Adams said at a news conference in February.
On Thursday, the Police Department said that one of the drones had spotted a shark at Rockaway Beach, prompting officials to close part of it. The department did not respond to a request for comment about birds attacking the drones.
Photo: Rockaway Beach – AP/Seth Wenig
Sources: Associated Press; New York Times