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Gulls: Winningest team in San Francisco Bay Area baseball

In this photo taken Aug. 1, 2017, a vinyl kite used to ward off seagulls flies over the top deck of the Oakland Coliseum before the start of a baseball game between the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics in Oakland, Calif. Both Bay Area baseball franchises are experimenting with unconventional measures to deal with their own respective seagull situations. The kites in Oakland even have catchy nicknames chosen by fans: Falcon McFalconface and Scott Hattebird, after former A's star Scott Hatteberg. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg) In this photo taken Aug. 1, 2017, a vinyl kite used to ward off seagulls flies over the top deck of the Oakland Coliseum before the start of a baseball game between the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics in Oakland, Calif. Both Bay Area baseball franchises are experimenting with unconventional measures to deal with their own respective seagull situations. The kites in Oakland even have catchy nicknames chosen by fans: Falcon McFalconface and Scott Hattebird, after former A's star Scott Hatteberg. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

By Associated Press August 24, 2017 1 min read

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Among Denard Span’s greatest fears in the outfield is having a gull splat on him from above as he chases down a long fly ball.

It’s a real possibility, considering how regularly the pesky birds come in off McCovey Cove and the bay to hover low over the Giants’ AT&T Park in the late innings.

The gulls have become such a nuisance at ballparks in San Francisco and Oakland, California, that teams are experimenting with unconventional measures to try to keep them away.

In Oakland, the Athletics added a pair of vinyl kites to deter the birds from even flying into the Coliseum.

In 2012, the Giants said they were counting on a hawk nicknamed Bruce Lee to solve their “gull-drums.”