Angry birds fight drones patrolling for sharks on NYC beaches

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.

No birds have been harmed, but officials said 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. They spotted their first shark on Thursday, resulting in a closure of most of the beach.

On Rockaway Beach, a popular summertime destination for New Yorkers, American oystercatchers share their habitat with multiple tern species, as well as piping plovers, a small, sand-colored bird that is the city's only federally designated endangered species. Local officials closely monitor the plovers each summer, barring beachgoers – and drones – from the stretches of sand where they primarily nest.

The city's Emergency Management Department, which also flies drones over the beach, flagged the coastal conflict last month to other drone operators in the police and fire department, who agreed to launch the devices further from oystercatcher nesting areas.

"We pointed out that there's a nest here and there's two angry parents who don't want you anywhere near their eggs or their babies," said Natalie Grybauskas, the agency's assistant commissioner.

Since then, agencies have been holding briefings on the issue, a departure from their usual work on disasters like fires and building collapses.

"It's rare that you have to learn about the life cycles of baby birds," Grybauskas said.