MANSFIELD — North central Ohio is in the migratory flight path of thousands of American crows, one of the smartest of birds whose loud communicative “caws” ring out during the evenings as they gather to roost during the winter.
The murder of crows that gather in the many trees in the relatively warm, well-lit Central Park in downtown Mansfield — dropping gobs of sticky bird poop throughout the locale — became the focus of a man vs. crow battle last winter as local officials used green laser lights and noisy distressed crow sounds to push the birds away.
It was an effective, albeit temporary, fix, spurred on by coverage found in Richland Source.
“A crow can recall every route it has ever taken, and Cadin had been this way before. Crows are messengers, spies, guides, companions, harbingers of luck, deliverers of trinkets and treasures, tireless in all ways, more loyal than any other man or beast.”
― Alice Hoffman, Magic Lessons
Now, an effort is underway to seek a more permanent solution, one that moves the crows away from the downtown even as the community celebrates the annual arrival of the birds, much the way the town of Hinckley, Ohio, welcomes the return of turkey buzzards each March.
To wit, a 2022 Crow Festival is planned this month at the Mansfield Art Center, complete with a crow art show and a big one-day CrowFest on Oct. 29.
“We are not trying to get rid of the crows,” said Jennifer Kime, CEO of Downtown Mansfield, Inc. “We are trying to cohabit with them.”
“The issues we have had with crows in Central Park has gotten worse over the last several years. The gathering has gotten larger and become more destructive. But Mansfield is on their migratory path. They are going to be coming through this area,” Kime said.
The ultimate goal appears to be convincing the crows to relocate the crows to Middle Park, a few miles west of the downtown, a lightly-used and heavily wooded area.
“We want to try to bait them down there with lights and a food source,” Mansfield Parks and Recreation Supt. Mark Abrams said.
Kime acknowledged the success of Abrams, whose team helped push the crows out of Central Park last winter with lights and sounds.
Unfortunately, the effort just moved the birds into nearby neighborhoods.
“Mark had success last year in interrupting the birds’ behavior. But it just became someone else’s problem. We don’t want to move them into other neighborhoods.
“We wanted to find more broad-based solutions,” she said, though Abrams and his staff began the process this week of trying to move the arriving crows back out of Central Park, using the same tools as a year ago.
She stressed local officials are seeking a long-term solution, seeking to temper the expectations local residents may have for a quick fix for the crows, which have some federal protections under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
“Interrupting animal behavior is not an easy thing. It may take several years to see some success,” Kime said.
Abrams said Wednesday the crows began arriving last week, though in smaller numbers than a year ago.
“When we saw them in January, it was like a blackout of the sky,” he said. “Right now, it’s about a fourth of that number. We are looking at several options simultaneously.”
Several months ago, Kime and Abrams helped to form a “crow committee,” joined by 2nd Ward City Councilwoman Cheryl Meier, chair of the parks committee, and 5th Ward Councilman Aurelio Diaz, whose ward includes Central Park.
“We started meeting last winter. The more we talked, the more it became clear it was time for us to take a broader look, to see what we can do to mitigate the problems over the long term,” Kime said.
The group sought the advice of the Ohio Bird Sanctuary in Mansfield.
“The people at the sanctuary are experts on birds. We wanted to know what they could tell us about potential relocation efforts,” Kime said.
An intern at the OBS, Nicole Winkler, is a student at Mount Vernon Nazarene University, majoring in environmental science.
She put together a study on the “Relocation of American Crows,” working under the tutelage of Dr. Jon Bossley, an associate biology professor and environmental biology program coordinator at MVNU.
In her study, Winkler noted the difficulties of relocating the uber-intelligent American crows.
“They do not want to leave a place that they have settled in and established,” Winkler wrote. “The urban roosting is attracting crows because it is a ‘heat island’ and the colder nights are not ideal in rural areas.
“The heat is radiating from the town lights and creates thermals for the crows to keep warm,” she said, adding that crows are a social species with recognized group behavior.
Winkler pointed out the “human-wildlife conflict” in Central Park, where crow fecal droppings covered benches, statutes, monuments, buildings and sidewalks, resulting in resident complaints.
Her study found “many cities and small towns all over the United States have had issues with the nuisance of crows,” and she documented attempted solutions:
— In Woodland and Davis, Calif., laser lights were used on 63 urban roosts, which was only temporarily effective. “Crows reoccupied the treated roosts the same night. No roosts were abandoned and the use of lasers is not a tool to use by itself to see results of crow dispersal,” she wrote.
— Officials on the Cook College campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., did a two-year study that found crow group cohesion that happens during roosting ends once the birds left their territories. “The key point of the study will be very helpful for the relocation of a crow murder. … This study shows that crows may not be in community together other than when they are in roosting location,” Winkler wrote.
— She found lasers used in Mansfield’s Central Park had only a short-term effect and “would need to be paired with another technique to help relocate the crows’ nightly roosting location.”
In her analysis, Winkler recommended that Mansfield:
— beginning the relocation process immediately when crows start roosting this month, including the use of distress calls in short durations. “By making the current roosting location undesirable, it will make the crows want to relocate to an area that is more ideal to them.” Calls can also be used to try to “lure” the birds to another location, i.e. Middle Park.
— invest in trash cans that are able to be latched and ask residents to “develop better skills” of cleaning up around town. “The limit of human food should be happening so crows are not attracted to the area based on garbage or leftovers.”
It would appear, based on Winkler’s study, that Middle Park could be an natural site for the crows to roost, especially if food and lighting can be added.
“Just like any bird, crows need to have a water source nearby to be able to thrive in their environment. Besides a source of hydration, crows will need water to soak their food, cool off from the heat and a way to keep up their feather maintenance.
“The crows will soak their food and that may be to soften it up so it is easier to eat or so they can wash it. If a natural water source is not available, there is an option to install a bird bath that is big enough for crows.
“Perching is a very important aspect of site location for crows. It is ideal to have a variety of tree options while picking out the location to relocate the crows,” she wrote.
In her conclusion, Winkler admitted, “There has not been a reported complete successful relocation of the roosting location for crows in urban areas.”
“The recommendation is to stay consistent with the method that is chosen and to pair it with another, so the crows do not get used to one technique over another.
“The relocation of hundreds of crows will be difficult, and it will need to be an ongoing study since it will take an extended period of time to see long-term results,” Winkler wrote.
