Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Friday 25 august 2017
California baseball fans, players have common enemy: gulls

By LINDA WANG up, compost it,” Giants
Associated Press head groundskeeper Greg
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Elliott said. “It’s fine for us,
Like any player, San Fran- but the birds are more of a
cisco Giants outfielder De- nuisance for ballplayers.”
nard Span worries about In 2012, the Giants were
hitting nasty curveballs and counting on a red-tailed
losing fly balls in the sun. But hawk nicknamed Bruce
he’s got another concern Lee to solve their “gull-
when he’s playing at his drums.” His presence kept
home stadium: birds poop- the skies clear for a while.
ing on him in the field. The team built a box for Lee
“I’m afraid of them drop- to nest in, hoping to keep
ping something, using the the gull-chasing predator
bathroom on top of me,” at AT&T Park, Giants senior
Span said. “Or maybe them vice president of ballpark
dropping some food near operations Jorge Costa ex-
me and then all of them plained at the time.
just freaking swarming me.” Yet Lee has since left his
It’s a possibility, considering post, and, naturally, the
how regularly flocks of gulls gulls are back.
come in off the San Fran- In this July 31, 2006 file photo, seagulls perch on a giant baseball glove at AT&T Park during a Eating leftovers is far from
cisco Bay to hover low over baseball game between the Washington Nationals and the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco. healthy for the birds, said
the Giants’ AT&T Park. Associated Press marine biologist Dr. Jim Har-
Sports venues across the tures away. Now, the gulls letics added two falcon- more than 300 gulls circled vey, director of Moss Land-
country struggle to wave circle Bay Area ballparks shaped kites this season in and around the ballpark. ing Marine Laboratories in
off pigeons, bats and gulls, in the hundreds to scour to try to scare off the gulls. Players and fans noticed, Monterey County.
but the two Bay Area ball- for leftovers such as those The kites even have catchy
parks’ proximity to the wa- popular garlic fries, creat- nicknames chosen by fans:
ter and dumps attracts ing a nuisance for fans and “Falcon McFalconface”
birds in large flocks. It has players - not to mention the and “Scott Hattebird,” af-
been such a problem at grounds crew that goes ter former A’s star Scott
the Oakland Coliseum that back to work on the infield, Hatteberg.
stadium operations officials basepaths and mound the “We took off the tarps in
added a pair of vinyl kites moment a game ends. the third deck for the first
this season in an effort to That prompted the two time in several years, so it
fend them off. teams to experiment with seemed to open up the
Gulls typically feed at unconventional measures opportunity for the birds to
dumps, but marine biolo- of dealing with their re- come,” said David Rinetti,

In this photo taken Aug. 1, 2017, a vinyl kite used to ward off
seagulls flies over the top deck of the Oakland Coliseum before
the start of a baseball game between the San Francisco Giants
and Oakland Athletics in Oakland, Calif.
Associated Press
complaining the birds were “They’re supposed to be
making a mess. So Rinetti eating fish and squid,” he
and his staff needed a so- said, “so eating human
lution - and fast. “I looked food, especially ballpark
up ‘bird abatement, Bay food, that’s not good.”
Area’ online and came up Harvey, who also happens
with a company that pro- to be a longtime Giants
vided these kites that are season ticketholder, said
falcons that supposedly he is hardly optimistic that
worked to keep seagulls baseball franchises will find
away,” Rinetti said. a permanent, perfect solu-
They are doing the job so far. tion because birds always
The duo even startled Span adapt. “You can put a
when the Giants played a physical barrier up, create
Bay Bridge Series game in netting around the whole
Oakland earlier this month. park. But that’s not going
“It got me at first. I thought to happen,” he said.
In this July 21, 2017 file photo, former San Francisco Giants relief pitcher George Kontos stands on they were real,” the center Span just wishes fans might
the mound as seagulls fly over AT&T Park in the 11th inning of a baseball game against the San fielder said. At the Giants’ consider doing their part
Diego Padres in San Francisco. waterfront ballpark, as fans by cleaning up their own
Associated Press
leave, another competi- messes, if only to benefit
gists say recent efforts tak- spective bird business. the A’s vice president of tion begins: gulls fly in from the birds - and keep them
en by some nearby sites to In Oakland, the bird bri- stadium operations. McCovey Cove to hunt for as far as possible from his
bury the waste faster have gade was becoming such There were a few day snacks. center field workspace, of
kept the feathered crea- a problem that the Ath- games this season when “They eat food, scoop it course.q