Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, September 21, 1994 TAG: 9409230051
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DAN CASEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Part of the Raleigh Court community in Southwest Roanoke had a problem.
Late in August and early this month, thousands and thousands of migratory starlings descended on a triangular patch of the neighborhood, roosting in thickly branched maples that line Raleigh Court's shady streets.
White bird droppings plopped onto cars and blanketed sidewalks and patios. Residents were irritated.
After dozens of phone calls to city officials and a hurried conference in the Police Department's top echelons, the city's own bird-busting crew swung into action.
Officers in the animal-control section hauled out their top-secret weapon, a cannon-like machine called the Scarecrow that emits sonic booms at timed intervals.
After four evenings of carefully controlled propane explosions, the Scarecrow had done its job.
The starlings have vanished, at least from Raleigh Court, and residents are relieved.
"I'm sure [the birds] are in another neighborhood, doing the same thing. At least they're out of here," said Zelda Stanley, whose tree-filled back yard on York Road provided a haven for some of the birds.
Stanley was so pleased she sent a note of thanks to the animal control section.
But when you get right down to it, police want as little publicity as possible about their bird-control efforts. Maj. Robert D. Shields, head of the patrol section, wouldn't even allow a photographer to take a picture of the Scarecrow, which last was used several years ago.
His theory: a photo would draw more readers to the story, who would request bird-clearing service in their neighborhoods.
Animal control, with a staff of seven and a budget of $314,000, would be unable to fulfill all the requests. Thus, City Council would get complaints, drawing more heat to the department.
"We're going to get numerous requests to get rid of birds in trees," Shields said. "We just can't get in the business of chasing birds from one block to another."
The city tends to get involved when the infestation becomes a possible threat to the public health.
Droppings can be more than an unsightly nuisance. Besides fouling cars and sidewalks, close contact with lots of avian manure can lead to histoplasmosis, a fungal disease that is rare but potentially serious, said Officer Mike Quesenberry, supervisor of the Police Department's animal-control section.
The practice of scaring birds doesn't depend entirely on the Scarecrow's propane-fired blaster.
In fact, the bird-deterrence industry has produced an arsenal of flock-frightening weapons, some of them ear-piercing, others more artful.
Most of them were used by officers in the Raleigh Court operation or have been used in other areas of the city in the past, Quesenberry said.
There are shrieking, fireworks-like "whistle bombs" that scream into the air like bottle rockets before exploding near the birds' roost; and exploding shells, fired from either a 12-gauge shotgun or a flare pistol, that burst with a loud bang near the starlings' perch.
Neither is harmful to the birds, and each is recommended by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Quesenberry stressed.
Banks of flashing lights have been used, and the city from time to time has tried to run off starlings with plastic decoys of owls, a bigger and meaner bird. The latter usually work until the starlings realize the figure is fake - a couple of days at best.
Then there are balloons, which, when inflated, are supposed to look like a hawk's eye, said Michelle Bono, the city's public information officer.
by CNB