The "Dealing With Crows" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Sitting in my lounge chair in our family room watching "Jeopardy" when I heard it.  Not just heard it, but was almost knocked off my chair by it.  The "it" is a few propane-powered noise makers that sound like a series of cannons going off all at the same time.  They come from a mile or so away to the west of my house, but sound as if they are across the street from me.  Happens in the Springtime as well as in the Fall.  

Reported the noise years ago to the local Police Department who informed me they were "cannons" going off at nearby Park City Shopping Center.  And just why are they going off in the Spring and Fall?  To chase away the thousands of BIG BLACK CROWS that make an incredible amount of noise as well as Poop all over the place.  Heard the cannons last evening and when I looked out my window next to my lounge chair, there were close to a thousand crows sitting about twenty yards away from my window, vying for a parking space on one of the many limbs of the trees that line the edge of my street.  The sound of the canons...propane-powered noise makers...are much the same as the local fireworks that knock you out of your chair every 4th of July celebration at the nearby Long's Park which sits next to the Park City Shopping Center!  Now...I don't mind the fireworks, since my wife and I usually grab a lawn chair and hustle out the door to our driveway so we too can watch the fireworks from about two miles away at Long's Park.  But, the noise needed to move the crows is another thing.  It starts about twi-light when the birds try and find a place to perch in the many trees in our neighborhood.  The noise they make is one thing, but the poop they make is another problem.  My blacktop driveway turns white after a few days of lending my trees to the crows for spending the evening.  The roof of my house also turns white instead of the brown-green shade it usually is during the rest of the year.  The only thing that works to change everything back to its original color is a good rain or snow.  And, about the only thing we can do to eliminate the noise is close the doors and windows and turn up the TV a few notches.  Now, I should tell you that I'm not the only one that minds both the crows and the propane-powered noise makers.  Quite a few neighbors, who have been pointing fingers at more than a half-dozen local businesses, said they hoped to find out exactly who is responsible for the cannons and why they were being used overnight.  But, no one would fess up to whom was responsible for the noise.  One local man, not me mind you, said the cannon use was completely unacceptable to have to be disrupted in one's own home all night long.  He claimed he heard the banging every few minutes, beginning about 4:30 p.m. and lasting until 7:30 a.m.  The local police did some investigating and did find that they heard the cannon noise after 10 p.m.  Seems that the noise ordinance prohibits this type of activity without a variance, and even if a variance is given, if we receive complaints we will approach the organizers and have them lower the volume.  The crow related issues have been a part of Lancaster County for the past 15 years.  Local municipalities have been dealing with the problem forever it seems.  

So, how do you deal with roosting crows?  Someone came up with the idea of poisoning them with tainted dog food.  That led to the formation of the Lancaster Crow Coalition who opposed lethal mitigation efforts.  Then someone suggested all the neighbors around the area use clanging pots and pans to get rid of them.  Yeah, right!  But, the crows can carry avian flu and something has to be done about them.  Their breeding season is usually over by October, just before they begin to gather in massive groups.  And, the mani reason they gather together in such large groups is for warmth and to help one another find food as well as protection from predators like hawks, owls and raccoons.  I can attest to the fact that the crows are smart.  And, they do have some value to the local ecosystem by dispersing seeds while eating plants, controlling pests by consuming insects, and even mitigating disease by cleaning up roadkill.  No matter what I have tried, they figure out a way to bypass it.  I must admit that they make great targets for my camera.  But, there must be other ways to get rid of them besides killing them or making loud noises to scare them.  I did read that predator calls could be recorded and played to scare them away.  But, then we will hear the predators calling all night long.  I just hope sometime soon someone can come up with a solution so we don't have to hear the noises all the time, but still don't want to have the bird dirt all over the house and driveway.  And, no matter where I might move, there is bound to be another problem in that area to deal with.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.