The Bacara Resort & Spa in Santa Barbara employs raptors like owls and falcons to keep seagulls away from dining areas through their predatory presence alone. A Eurasian eagle owl named Bubba that previously led the team retired and was replaced by his offspring, a male named Boobo and female named Athena. The falconer shares information with guests about the owls and falcons, including that Eurasian eagle owls have a 5-foot wingspan but only weigh 4.5 pounds due to hollow bones and heavy feathering.

1. Press Release by Wendy Jenson
Falcons & Seagull Security at Bacara Resort & Spa
For over five years a fleet of raptors, known as The Seagull Security Team, has kept the seagulls at bay simply by their presence. As a result, diners enjoying a meal al fresco are no longer joined by uninvited guests, namely the gulls. “Just as most of us wouldn’t find a pool of sharks an inviting place for an afternoon swim, the seagulls would rather not look for lunch where predators are flying around,” says Falconer Matt Moreau, adding that these raptors are flown solely to appear as if they are hunting. The Falconry Program is strictly non-lethal. No harm, no fowl.
After soaring with Seagull Security since its inception, a Eurasian Eagle Owl named Bubba retired with his missus (it was an arranged marriage) to a ranch in Utah in January. The pair hit it off and Boobo, a healthy male, and Athena, a robust female, were born on May 1. The magnificent offspring are now flying in their father’s stead at Bacara.
Moreau acquaints guests with the fleet of birds, also including a Barbary Falcon named Dinosaur. Guests of all ages meet and learn to better appreciate these incredible creatures. Says Moreau, “Owls are social animals. Just as there are herds of horses and prides of lions, there are parliaments of owls. Since Boobo and Athena grew up dual imprinting, they consider humans to be part of their parliament.”
Moreau relishes sharing bird facts with guests. Did you know Eurasian eagle owls are one of the world’s largest species of owls? “With a five-foot wingspan and a body the size of a

2. turkey, one might suspect the full-grown birds to weigh 15 pounds or so, but with hollow bones and half their weight in feathers, they tip the scale at only 4½ pounds,” he says. “Boobo and Athena are the Stealth Bombers of the Seagull Security team. Special silencers on their flight feathers make them soundless in flight.” And those disks around their large orange eyes are actually earlobes funneling sound to ears offset on either side of their heads. This unusual anatomical arrangement enables the owls to hear a field mouse under snow (not that there’s any of the white stuff in Santa Barbara!) 100 feet away.
These majestic creatures have fascinated for centuries. In fact, the ancient art of falconry predates written history. Arguably originating in Mesopotamia or even further east in today’s China, the sport found its way into the western world at the time of the Crusades. There is evidence that raptors were used to scare birds such as the starling and the house sparrow away from precious crops on the feudal farms of Western Europe. Oft referred to as “the sport of kings,” many historical nobles became practitioners of falconry including Frederick II and Mary Queen of Scots.
The birds have plenty of room to stretch their wings at Bacara. The resort is set on a 78- acre coastal bluff nestled between the Pacific Ocean and Santa Ynez Mountains.
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3. At 2 ½ weeks old, Boobo and Athena have yet to grow their adult feathers. As you can see, female Eurasian eagle owls are typically larger than their male counterparts.
Photo by Wendy Jenson