In the time I have covered the Jersey Shore, there have been two things that I have not done.

The first thing that hasn’t happened was to have boardwalk fries while at the shore. The other one was not having the fries, or any other food taken away by a seagull.

So on Friday, I was assigned to do both.

Most people try to avoid the seaside-snack loving birds that have developed quite a reputation at Ocean City, “America’s Greatest Family Resort,” for swooping down from the sky and devouring whatever you were about eat.

Entire pizzas have been lost. Sandwiches have been snatched. Ocean City’s Mayor Jay Gillian said he saw a baby attacked by one of them.

But instead of ducking and covering like most do, I spent the muggy afternoon trying to see if the city’s $2,100-a-day program to scare away the seagulls by flying falcons, hawks and owls overhead was actually working.

The city hired East Coast Falcons to use a fleet of birds to keep away the aggressive gulls and plan to use them through the end of the season. I was there earlier this month with photographer Tim Hawk (no relation) to see the debut.

So far, Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian says the bigger birds are working.

“People say they are grateful to be able to stroll the boardwalk and beach across the entire island without fear of gulls swooping down to steal food,” Gillian wrote in a weekly update on the city’s website. “Our newest city team members — falcons, hawks and an owl — appear to be doing their job in holding the gulls at bay. We will continue to monitor the program in the next two weeks. If it continues to be successful, we will bring it back for next summer. Any investment that can protect the quality of life for our residents and guests is worthwhile.”

Gillian believes in it and says the other people on the island believe in the Bird Force. Guess it was time to test it.

The main thing running through my mind as I walked from the car to the boardwalk, was “Please do not let a bird poop on me or any of the food I was eating. I really don’t want to have to add it to the story.”

Two seagulls circle above Curly's Fries on the Ocean City boardwalk, Friday, Aug. 16, 2019. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

I met up with photographer Lori M. Nichols in front of the Ocean City Music Pier.

At the very least, if I was going to make the most of this trip, I had to choose fries that I had not had before — not hard, because I’m a newbie when it comes to eating boardwalk fries. (Fudge and saltwater taffy is a different story — I always make sure to bring some back to the office after an assignment.)

Alas, I would let Curley’s Fries be the bait of choice. After ordering one medium order of fries and a large Coke, we headed to a bench near a pavilion. Nearby, there were a couple of trash cans, recycle bins, and places to dispose of pizza boxes.

We sat around for nearly a half-hour, scanning the area for seagulls and seeing if any bird was looking to attempt to get a quick snack. Most of the seagulls, close to six of them, were hovering by the dunes, with a scattered number of them sitting around the beach.

Halfway through our time at our first stop, one appeared. Was it going to go after the half-eaten cup of fries? Nope, it chose to go after a scrap that was dropped by someone. It flew to a post and stayed there, devouring his newfound food.

A lone seagull drops in to check out a dropped food item on the boards in Ocean City, Friday, Aug. 16, 2019. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

A couple of seagulls remained on top of the pavilion, not bothering anyone. So far, it looked as if it was working. Before leaving, right near a mini-golf pirate ship, one of the raptors were in flight, and a group of seagulls high-tailed it out of the area and headed toward the beach, faster than families leaving town on a Sunday afternoon.

As we moved down the boardwalk, we went to a location that we heard the seagulls were known to frequent because of the smaller, bite-sized snacks — Johnson’s Popcorn.

Popcorn employee Bryn O’Hara said that she saw a difference since the Bird Force took effect. Maybe the seagulls are on vacation?

“I definitely think there has been a decrease in the seagulls because they are usually everywhere,” O’Hara said. Sometimes they would come down and take some food. I feel like I haven’t seen that lately.”

So, far, the seagulls were striking out. But we decided to make one last stop to test their chops. We went to Quincey’s Classic Lobster Roll and ordered one of the sandwiches, you know, for scientific purposes.

NJ Advance Media reporter Chris Franklin enjoys a Quincy's Original Lobster Roll -- without a seagull in sight -- on the boardwalk in Ocean City, Friday, Aug. 16, 2019. (Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Lori and I sat on a bench across from the sandwich shack and ate in peace. No seagulls were coming around — the only hungry onlookers were fellow beachgoers who stopped by to hover over our sandwiches and ask how they were.

No Finding Nemo “Mine” spouting seagulls in sight. My fries and fingers were thankful.

From Disney's Finding Nemo

Chris Franklin can be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @cfranklinnews or on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.

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