Rfalconcam Forum

With more crows roosting in Bethlehem's trees during the night hours, Lehigh staff members continue to use harassment techniques to scare them away on campus.

The staff is using pyrotechnic equipment called "bird bangers" or "screamers and bangers," which are essentially fire crackers sent 100 feet into the air to frighten the crows out of the trees. At last count, there were up to 15,000 crows in the area.

"It doesn't hurt them," said Brian Szabo, who is licensed to use the equipment. "It just bangs and scares them. We've used this for four or five years. It has been a problem longer than that, but we didn't know what to do then."

While Bethlehem has been home to these migratory birds for close to 30 years, there are different theories as to why they seem to be more visible on campus recently.

"Normally, they stay off campus, but officials are doing the same thing now on the North Side and scaring them back over here," said Richard Benner, assistant director of ground maintenance.

Ralph Carp, Bethlehem's director of parks and public property, believes the cause is simply an increase in numbers.

"The roost is on an increase," Carp said. "We're not trying to scare them from Sand Island to South Mountain. They are on both sides; they're everywhere."

Whatever the reason, the crows create multiple problems for the campus and city in general. They pose a safety threat to airplanes at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, cause health hazards, including respiratory distress from their fecal droppings, and damage property.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has partnered with the airport to try to combat the crow situation, Carp said.

The problems the birds create on campus are less extreme but still require attention.

"Once one roosts on a branch, 20 do, and they snap the branches," Szabo said. "They also go to the bathroom everywhere. It's very unsightly."

These birds find strength in numbers, and a large roost can defend itself against predators and often times against the bird bangers.

"If you have ever been on the [Hill-to-Hill] bridge from about 4-5 p.m., sometimes the sky is completely black from them," Benner said. "It's like a Hitchcock movie."   :mini-bird: :mini-bird: :mini-bird: :mini-bird: :mini-bird:

The harassment of the crows needs to take place for many days in a row to have an effect, and it is not guaranteed even then.

The crows migrate south during the winter, mostly from northern Pennsylvania and southern New York. They settle in Bethlehem because the city lights help them find food, and there is a surplus of greenery to call home.

"They are getting all they need here," Szabo said.