It is a favourite spot for enjoying ice cream, fish and chips and picnics.
But in one fell swoop, a gull might easily swipe the seaside treats and spoil the fun of a day out in Stonehaven.
Now Aberdeenshire Council has stepped up its efforts to stamp out the menacing behaviour – by bringing in a Harris Hawk to patrol the streets of the Mearns town.
The raptor’s arrival comes a week after the scheme, run by NBC Bird and Pest Solutions, was introduced in Peterhead, amid claims the numbers of gulls are at an all-time high.
Sky and her handler Kirsty Imlay will be in Stonehaven for the rest of the month, working to scare off marauding seabirds following a particularly successful breeding season for herring and lesser black backed gulls.
Senior environmental health officer Jim Logue said: “The nesting season typically begins in April, and the current issues in some of Aberdeenshire’s coastal communities are caused by young birds hatched this year competing for food with adults birds.
“Gulls can be very aggressive at this time, not only with each other but also towards people.
“In the next few weeks, the problem will reduce as the young birds naturally disperse out to sea and further along the coast.
“In the meantime, it’s hoped the ‘fly and scare’ measures will reduce the risk of attacks on people.”
Mr Logue urged people not to deliberately feed the gulls, as it makes them associate humans with a source of food.
The hawks – which are used at venues such as Wimbledon and Pittodrie – do not harm the gulls, but their presence disturbs them.
Although gulls are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981), the Scottish Government can issue licences to control certain species.
Aberdeenshire Council is looking at a number of ways to reduce t numbers, including nest and egg removal and gull proofing buildings.