UTICA —
It can look like a scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s
“The Birds” – hundreds of black crows cutting across the sky at dusk each night
before settling into their trees to roost.
But these birds, which like to winter in the
city, aren’t an evil omen or even much of a threat to local residents. They’re
just a nuisance, and a frequent subject of complaints at City Hall.
This year, the city hopes some new technology
can help it evict its unwanted visitors. Utica used roughly $3,000 in leftover
grant funds to purchase the Bird Blazer, a device designed to scare the birds
away without hurting them, said David Short, commissioner of the Parks and
Public Works departments.
According to a website that sells the small,
portable device, the Bird Blazer uses multi-colored laser beams and constantly
changing patterns to chase away any birds within a 10,000-square-foot area.
Areas where it may be of use locally include Oriskany Street near Franklin
Square, the area around the Addison Miller Pool and O’Connor Park – all popular
hangouts for local crows.
“They have certain areas that they like, and
they keep coming back. So we will do what we can to disrupt them …,” Short
said. “They’ll be the only people we say, ‘Don’t come to Utica.’”
