PLT AVOIDING SEA GULLS MAY HAVE PENETRATED TCA.

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DEPARTED REPUBLIC ARPT AT APPROX XA00 AM AND PROCEEDED NE IN A CLB TO 7500' TO TEST REPAIR OF AN EXHAUST GAS TEMP GAUGE. CONTACTED NY ARSA ON 126.95 AND EXPLAINED PURPOSE OF TRIP. FLEW OUT OVER NORTHPORT ON A NE COURSE TO 7500' UP THROUGH SCATTERED TO BROKEN CLOUDS. REPAIR WAS SATISFACTORY AND WE MADE A 180 DEG TURN AND PROCEEDED BACK TOWARD FARMINGDALE; ADVISING APCH AND STARTING DSCNT. ON THE DSCNT; WHICH WAS DONE AT AN AIRSPD JUST UNDER THE YELLOW ARC; WE DSNDED BELOW CLOUDS. AT THAT POINT WE HIT SOME MODERATE TURB AND NOTICED A LARGE # OF CIRCLING SEA GULLS BELOW US. I REDUCED PWR AND RAISED THE NOSE. I MANEUVERED AROUND SOME STRAY GULLS AND CONTINUED DSCNT. PRIOR TO DSNDING BELOW CLOUDS APCH ADVISED; 'SQUAWK 1200; NO TFC BTWN YOU AND REPUBLIC. JFK IS WATCHING YOU. HAVE A GOOD DAY.' ON CLRING THE GULLS I NOTICED THAT MY ALT WAS 3800'. FEELING THAT I MAY HAVE NICKED THE OUTSIDE OF THE NY TCA; I TUNED JFK AND READ 18 1/2 MI. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT DUE TO THE BIRDS DELAYING MY DSCNT THAT I PENETRATED PART OF THE TCA. I AM NOT SURE THAT THE STATEMENT 'JFK IS WATCHING YOU' WAS A TACIT APPROVAL TO ENTER THE TCA ON MY DSCNT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: POSSIBLE NO INCURSION OCCURRED. PLT CHKED ALT QUICKLY; BUT NOW FEELS HE WAS IN 4000' FLOOR AREA AT 3800'. SEA GULL DISTR AND AVOIDANCE BRIEF. NO FAA CONTACT.