Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Wildlife Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Falconry pilot shows roughly 80% drop in seagull counts, falconer tells council
Summary
At a May 26 Oak Harbor council workshop, the city's falconry pilot was credited with an average ~80% daily reduction in seagull presence; the falconer urged more outreach and enforcement against deliberate feeding after feedings sharply reduced the program's effectiveness.
At the Oak Harbor City Council workshop on May 26, 2026, the council heard a mid-contract report on a falconry-based bird-deterrence pilot that the city approved in February.
Steve Scheler, the city's public works director, introduced Cole, the program falconer, who said the pilot has produced a sustained reduction in seagull activity in targeted waterfront and downtown locations. "Each day throughout the program, we've seen a reduction rate of 80%," Cole said, attributing the change to regular flights and site visits by trained raptors. He told the council staff have been taking daily counts, surveying business owners and compiling a longer 30-page report for public release later this summer.
Cole said city data and business reports produce rough population estimates of about 150 nesting pairs in the Oak Harbor area (roughly 500 individual birds) that could produce approximately 400 chicks this nesting season. Applying the pilot's observed reduction rate, he said the city could reduce nests in town from about 150 to as few as 30, which would cut the recurring cleanup and damage costs associated with large gull colonies.
The falconer also gave cost figures: the five-month pilot costs $35,000; based on conservative accounting he estimated the program has already produced about $53,000 in savings to the city, a net of roughly $17,000 so far.
Cole emphasized a major constraint on the program's effectiveness: human feeding. He cited a day in April when eight separate feeding events drove the program's measured effectiveness down from its average to about 44%. "That really bummed me out," he said. "It shows just how effective feeding is at keeping gulls in town and why it should stop." He recommended stepped-up signage, outreach and potential civil penalties to deter intentional feeding.
Council members praised the outreach to businesses and asked technical questions. Council Member Stucky asked how gulls are counted; Cole described 15-minute systematic counts at the start of each shift and cross-checking with business-owner reports to maintain reasonable estimates. Council Member Romero said he was initially skeptical but now finds the data persuasive; others suggested law-enforcement follow-up for repeat feeders and applauded the communications team's new waterfront signage.
The city will provide council and the public the full mid-contract report when staff complete an internal review; staff said it will present additional data and recommendations on signage and potential ordinance changes for feeding at a future meeting.
