Under the blazing solar, darkish shadows loom over households hauling ice cream and meals out of Sullivan’s on Castle Island — seagulls, watching and ready.
Until a fry falls.
“Bird!” shrieks a lady clutching her shake, ducking and operating away from a hungry gull diving simply ft away earlier than turning to a person lagging behind with their meals. “Get cover!”
Her fears aren’t unfounded; so many dive-bombing seagulls have stolen meals from clients on the Southie landmark that the restaurant was pressured to shut their out of doors eating this week.
Sully’s was opened on Castle Island in 1951, commonly attracting a crowd of South Boston locals and guests to the historic beachfront park.
Caution tape now surrounds the inexperienced tables outdoors, with indicators studying “Beware Seagulls.”
“In the last 40 years, I’ve never seen it like this before,” mentioned South Boston native Evelyn, who mentioned she’s been coming to the restaurant since she was 10 years outdated. “One swooped down and took the fries right off the table next to us last week.”
Patrons round Sully’s known as the birds “vicious,” “scary” and “aggressive.” Before the out of doors eating closed, the birds have been stealing 4 or 5 meals a day, one park employee mentioned, and even with precautions in place, one stole a cheeseburger proper out of a child’s fingers earlier Wednesday.
“We love the ice cream — chocolate and vanilla,” mentioned Victor, strolling out of Sullivan’s with two youngsters, Charlie and Caleb, and three cones.
“But Charlie’s afraid of the seagulls,” he added, because the younger woman nodded alongside adamantly and appeared up.
Inside, employees warn clients to be careful for the birds and canopy their fries with tin foil earlier than they go. Patrons famous the restaurant will change any meals misplaced to the birds.
Prior to this summer time, the tables have been closed off by way of the pandemic period. People speculated that the problem often is the recent inflow of meals or a rise within the variety of individuals feeding the wildlife.
“For now, we should just pay attention to the sign,” mentioned native Joe Cappuccio, who mentioned he “battled one for his fries” simply the opposite day, pointing to an indication warning individuals off feeding the gulls. “Best to watch out for the seagulls and their natural order.”
The Department of Conservation and Recreation signage notes feeding the birds has adverse results on the animals and the surroundings, inflicting giant congregations to construct up across the meals sources.
Customers handed alongside strategies to the park employees and Sully’s workers, from netting over the world, to transferring the tents beneath the bushes close by, to enjoying noise deterrents to maintain the birds away. Someone even taped up an image of an owl.
“Once you take away the food source and people stop feeding them, they’ll go away,” mentioned Evelyn, as birds clumped round a pool of fallen ice cream behind her. “Head back to the ocean.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”