Rochester will give crows a rude awakening
Rochester is calling in professionals to roust roosting crows from downtown.
The details of the plan are similar to an announcement several weeks ago — except now, instead of saying Mayo Clinic will be hiring the professional company, the city is doing it. Council members agreed to the plan on Wednesday, and work will begin soon. It takes about three weeks.
The company, U.S. Bird Abatement Services, will work under a not-to-exceed $25,000 contract, and one or more downtown businesses have pledged $12,500, said city council President Dennis Hanson. He declined to name the contributors.
The company uses air horns, trained "attack birds," including peregrine falcons and hawks, and "possibly some lasers — just to scare the birds, not kill them," Hanson said.
The aim is to relocate the untold thousands of crows that have made downtown Rochester their nightly home. The crows are here not necessarily because they've found food here, Hanson said, but because they've found safety and warmth.
http://blogs.democratandchronicle.com/birds/?p=3013 Check out Bob's Starling post in Rochester
