Wallaceburg Hometown Bingo Morning Coffee – By Aaron Hall
The crow control issue in Chatham won’t be dealt with until the new year.
Last month, East Kent Coun. David VanDamme brought forward a notice of motion for the community to develop a plan to tackle the annual problem in the city of Chatham.
Vandamme wanted staff to prepare a Crow Control Bylaw, with input from the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Food and Rural Affairs and local hunt clubs, to eradicate the crows that roost within the city from November to March each year.
However, council could not come to a decision at Monday’s meeting and the motion was deferred until January.
Chatham-Kent staff did prepare an information report for council at Monday’s meeting, outlining past methods used in the community to deal with the crow problem.
“For years crows have roosted within Chatham, from early October to March,” a staff report states.
“The natural tendency for crows is to form flocks. They are highly intelligent, social animals and each winter they form communal roosts in remembered areas, such as a woodlot, along a riverbank, or in urban areas. The problems caused by crows are as a result of their roosting and feeding habits. The roosting areas are dirty with bird droppings on the streets, sidewalks, and public and private properties, which creates a significant inconvenience and cost to local businesses and residences dealing with the problem.”
The staff report adds: “The residential areas in the vicinity of the roosting areas are also bothered by crow noises in the early morning and dusk periods as crows arrive at or leave the area. At dawn the birds wake, call for a while, then depart from the roosting areas to feed during the morning hours. During the late afternoon hours, crows slowly head back toward the roost.”
Staff said, while the numbers are approximate, there are somewhere between 50,000 and 125,000 crows in the Chatham area.
Here are some of the methods used in the past in Chatham-Kent:
Scare Cartridges – These were used to break up the roost areas. The result was that in the early evenings the crows moved to a different areas but eventually returned to the original roost areas. In the later evening it was very difficult to move the crows using the scare cartridges.
Bright Light – Crows do not like bright lights, so the roost areas were illuminated with a portable marine spotlight. In the early evenings this caused the crows to move to another location but eventually they returned. In the late evenings the light was not sufficient to cause the crows to move.
Crows in Distress Tapes – Crow in distress tapes were played in the roosting areas. The intent was to indicate to the crows that this was not a safe place. The result of playing the tape was an immediate swarm of crows towards the noise source. It was believed that the crows were actually attempting to assist the crow in distress. Once the noise stopped they returned to their place of roosting. This action was repeated numerous times with the same results. It was not successful in deterring the crows from using the roosting site.
Predator Birds – Public Works witnessed a test of predator birds to deter crows from a roosting area. A tethered eagle and falcons were used to deter roosting of crows. As the crows arrived at the roost area one could observe a disturbance in the crow flight patterns. The disturbance continued until dusk at which time the falcons no longer flew and the tethered eagle was not visible to the crows. Although the crows did not roost in the immediate vicinity of the eagle they did roost nearby. This trial lasted approximately one week and then was discontinued.
Crow Carcasses – In an attempt to repel crows from the roosting areas crow carcasses were hung from trees in the roosting areas. This deterred crows from roosting in these trees but they did roost in neighbouring trees. As darkness set in, the crows roosted closer to the carcasses (and in the same tree) as visibility of the carcasses was decreased.
Live Ammunition – As a last resort live ammunition was used in conjunction with crow in distress tapes and scare cartridges. This action seemed the most persuasive in moving the crows. It was difficult to track the movement of the crows at night but it appeared that they moved further into the city to areas where only scare cartridges could be used. Later in the evening the scare cartridges were not successful in moving them further and the roosts remained dispersed within the urban centre. Many of the carcasses were sent to a laboratory at no cost to the Municipality to be tested for the West Nile disease. All test for the disease proved negative.
If you have a suggestion, story idea, column idea, or if you want to say hello… drop me an e-mail at aaron@sydenhamcurrent.ca.
Photo of the day
Andrea Palmer captured this photo of crows in Chatham back in October.
Weather forecast for Thursday, December 15, 2016
A special weather statement remain in effect for CHatham-Kent: More snow, poor travel conditions expected this weekend
Today – A mix of sun and cloud. Wind west 30 km/h gusting to 50. High minus 9. Wind chill minus 25 this morning.
Tonight – Partly cloudy. Wind west 20 km/h gusting to 40. Low minus 16.
World news
Snow squalls fire up in Ontario 🌨
Aleppo evacuation resumes after sniper attack
Watch out for car-licking moose in Alberta
