Missing Falcon Found After Month-Long Adventure at Hospital

A familiar face in Ocean City's skies has returned home after an unexpected month-long adventure that took him across the bay to an unlikely perch at Shore Medical Center in Somers Point.

Trico, one of the trained falcons employed by East Coast Falcons to patrol Ocean City's beaches and Boardwalk, vanished on June 3 while doing what he does best — chasing seagulls away from tourists and their snacks. He remained missing until July 1, when sharp-eyed hospital staff spotted an unusual visitor peering through a fourth-floor window.

"Apparently, even falcons know Shore Medical Center is a safe place to land," the hospital quipped in a Facebook post celebrating the bird's capture and safe return to his handlers.

The mystery of Trico's disappearance began in the south end of Ocean City, where the falcon was pursuing gulls when his tracking transmitter suddenly failed. Erik Swanson, owner of East Coast Falcons, explained that while Trico typically returns after chasing prey, this time was different.

"When he sees something, he flies off. Usually, he comes back. But this time, he didn't come back," Swanson said Thursday.

With no working transmitter and every lead running cold, Trico's handlers searched extensively for their missing raptor. Meanwhile, the falcon had made himself comfortable on the roof of Shore Medical Center, just across the bay from his usual hunting grounds.

"His transmitter failed, his handlers searched everywhere, and every lead went cold," Shore Medical Center noted. The falcon was "hiding in plain sight" the entire time.

The breakthrough came when a hospital employee spotted the distinctive bird perched on a ledge, gazing through a window. Word spread quickly among staff, and one observant employee recalled seeing a Facebook post about a missing falcon. A call to East Coast Falcons brought falconer Angelina Caselli to the scene, where she successfully captured Trico using a whistle and lure.

"He's fine," Swanson said reassuringly, adding that Trico has already returned to his important work keeping Ocean City's beaches and Boardwalk free from aggressive seagulls.

"He didn't go far. He flew across the bay and that was that," Swanson said.

Trico is part of a pioneering program that Ocean City launched in 2019, believed to be the first of its kind at the Jersey Shore. The city hired East Coast Falcons after receiving numerous complaints about hyper-aggressive gulls brazenly snatching food — French fries, pizza, and other treats — right out of tourists' and residents' hands.

The program deploys trained falcons, hawks, and even an owl to chase gulls back to their natural habitat in the ocean, bay, and wetlands, where they can feed on their normal diet of fish, crabs, and insects rather than Boardwalk fare like funnel cake. The initiative has been repeatedly praised as a success, making our beaches and public spaces more enjoyable for everyone.

With Trico safely back on patrol, Ocean City visitors can once again enjoy their beach snacks with one less worry — and one more fascinating raptor to watch soaring overhead.