A new initiative to monitor swimmers and sharks on New York City beaches with surveillance drones is spurring backlash from shorebirds. City officials say the drones had been repeatedly swarmed by birds, forcing pilots to ground the devices on several occasions since the program launched in May. The city is now avoiding known nesting areas, but the attacks have not stopped. Wildlife experts cautioned the drones could provoke a stress response in the birds forcing them to abandon their nests. Attacks have mostly been carried out by American oystercatchers. The beach is also home to piping plovers, a federally designated endangered species.
