CORTLAND, N.Y. — The city of Cortland, N.Y. is considering hiring a pest management company to deal with a growing problem with crows. Here’s the story, according to News 10 Now, based in Syracuse, N.Y.:
The City of Cortland has some unwanted visitors. Looking up at the sky around dusk can be an eerie sight, with thousands of crows hovering over the city. City Hall has received complaints from people who live downtown near the Cortland State campus and from those near the city limits. A popular question this winter is, where did all the crows come from?
Mayor Tom Gallagher said, “I’ve looked at a lot of these crows, and I haven’t seen any with bands on them saying where they came from. So I’ll tell you, I don’t think they came from Auburn. I think they’ve been here. We’ve had thousands of them for years.”
The mayor and the City Council have discussed hiring Sweeney’s Pest Control to get rid of the birds. Sweeney’s worked for the city before, and if hired again the company plans on removing the birds soon.
Mike Sweeney of Sweeney’s Pest Control said, “We’re going to be using bird bangers and bird screamers. We’ll launch them up into the trees when they come in and roost at 4:30, 5 a.m., and it spooks them out of the roost.”
If hired, Sweeney said his company will work in the early morning hours. After a few consecutive days, the crows should leave the area.
Sweeney said, “The second night, they kind of get the hint. By the third night, they definitely have the hint, and there’s usually not as many. By the fourth night they know my vehicle so if there’s any left, they’re gone by the time I pull up.”
If you’re one of those who won’t receive help from a pest control company, Sweeney said there is something you can do on your own to get rid of those pesky crows — make a lot of noise with those pots and pans.
For those of you worried about the crows’ safety, Sweeney said the techniques they use don’t harm the birds.
I moved back to Cortland in March of 1987, and the crow problem was here then. The crows, being a very intelligent species, swarm to the fields during the daylight hours where they consume mostly cow manure, as it is plentiful, and roadkills for dessert, and return to the city where there are thousands of roosting structures, as well as thousands of trees. The temperature difference can be 3-4 degrees warmer in the city because of all the heat generated by humans. The sensitivity of the birds is quite remarkable. Simply put: IT”S MORE COMFORTABLE HEERE!
I scare them out of my trees by dropping the tailgate of my pickup and wale on it with a flat 1″ x 4″ piece of wood and presto, no more crows. They only need a couple of treatments and it’s all better. Gas cannons have been successful too. FYI.