City ponders crow problem



A possible poisoning solution was put on hold while alternative ideas are discussed.
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (AP) -- Thousands of crows that roost in this western Ohio city have escaped a date with death.
Plans to feed the birds a last meal of poisoned corn have been put on the shelf while city officials look for ways to roust the roosting crows to reduce the noise and droppings.
"I'm against using poison for anything," said John Gallagher, president of the Clark County Audubon Society. "There's no poison that's selective. You don't know what you're going to kill."
The city has become a roosting area over the winter for as many as 100,000 crows. The birds begin arriving in November, hang together for about three months, and then begin leaving in late February to nest.
Clark County Sheriff Gene Kelly called the problem bad.
Cars are covered
"They're right here by the courthouse," Kelly said. "They fly over, and the cars are just covered" with droppings.
Andy Montoney, Ohio director of wildlife services for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said Springfield contacted his office three years ago, asking for help.
Special firecrackers, sirens, spotlights, laser beams and even recordings of crows in distress were used to try to chase the birds away.
"The crow population was not reduced. It just dispersed to different locations throughout the city," Montoney said.
He said the agency recommended using a pesticide that would kill the crows, but not harm other animals. He said his agency has never used the technique on crows in Ohio.
Kernels of corn and other food attractive to crows would have been coated with the pesticide. Officials estimated the technique would have killed between 1,000 and 5,000 crows.
Dismissed idea
Assistant City Manager Jim Bodenmiller said he considered the idea, but later dismissed it because he doesn't think it would have a long-term effect.
"When populations are reduced, they tend to re-establish their former numbers in fairly quick order," he said. "We don't want to kill birds for no good reason. I haven't absolutely ruled it out, but it's pretty unlikely we would do this in the future."
Bodenmiller said he will research other ways to solve the problem. In the meantime, the city will continue to use non-lethal ways to try to disperse the crows.
Gallagher said that in recent years crows have moved from roosting in the country to the cities. Springfield is a roost for crows, as is Toledo, Cincinnati and some spots along the Ohio River, he said.
Kevin McGowan, a Springfield native and ornithologist at Cornell University's ornithology laboratory, has studied crows for 15 years. He said he does not know why crows roost in Springfield, but that it is among the larger roosts nationwide.
McGowan said crows don't roost in cities for the food, choosing instead to fly out to farms and fields during the day to feast on grain.
The attraction of cities
He said the crows may be attracted to the tall trees and warmth of cities as well as the lights so the birds can be on the lookout at night for their main predator, the Great Horned Owl.
"To the crow, the owl is the bogeyman," McGowan said.
He said it is difficult to scatter crows because the birds live as families, with as many as 15 parents and offspring sticking together as a unit.
"You cannot disperse them," he said. "This is something that is deeply ingrained in these animals. They will not stop trying to come together."
However, McGowan said it is possible to move the entire roost to another location by using noise or bright lights. But he said it has to be done over and over and over.
"It's not easy," he said.
Mansfield had a crow problem four or five years ago at a downtown park and plaza. Droppings had to be hosed off park benches daily.
"It was nasty," recalled Bud Fisher, the city's public works director.
Fisher said a local farmer came up with a solution that has eased the problem -- the city now hangs inflatable snakes and owls in the trees.