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This is curious in that they don't seem to know the differences between
ravens and crows, nor whether one or both are causing the damages to cars,
AND the quoted wildlife biologist, John Mills, has never heard of ravens or
crowns doing this mischief, which is of course well known from elsewhere at
least for ravens.
Cheers from Jim in Wolfville
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King's County Register, Thurs., July 19, 2007
Crows picking up pecking
Berwick busy keeping birds off destructive path
by Sara Keddy/Kings County Register
Article online since July 19th 2007, 18:14
PHOTO: Cst. Colleen Fequet with the towel-draped crow and raven deterring
system. S.Keddy
Crows picking up pecking -- Berwick busy keeping birds off destructive path
BY SARA KEDDY
Kings County Register
Berwick RCMP Constable Colleen Fequet is stone-faced.
³I just donıt think itıs funny,² she says when asked about the cows and
ravens that are ripping the wiper rubbers off cars around town.
³Itıs damage to property, mischief - and we canıt control them. At first it
was funny, but itıs frustrating and expensive.²
The black birds went through four sets of wiper rubbers on one RCMP car, two
sets on each of the other two, and another two sets on Fequetıs own car in
the past month in the detachment yard alone.
³I first noticed the bird on my car and thought, Oh, what a sign of good
luck or something, maybeı,² Fequet says. ³But then - I saw all the damage
and the scratches and the plastic parts missing and thought, Oh, you
devilı!²
The RCMP arenıt the only ones having problems. Complaints of crows bothering
cars have come in this spring from the Larsensı parking lot down on East
Main Street, the UAP retail store on Commercial Street and from Grand View
Manorıs parking lot. There have been a handful of calls from others thinking
vandals have caused the damage.
³Itıs all around Berwick, and has been an issue for years,² Fequet says.
³Weıve seen them actually sitting on cars - they have their claws right in
around the top of the hood, and theyıre pecking.
³If someone wants to claim this on their insurance, they could - the paint
is all scratched and chipped and the wipers are ripped off.²
Some RCMP staff wonıt bring their cars to park outside the office anymore.
Others - including Fequet - are trying to foil the birds. Theyıve draped
beach towels over the wiper area or slid PVC pipe down the length of the
wipers as the cars sit in the yard.
³Itıs not a creative idea, but just a way to prevent the crows from getting
at them.²
Public works staff have moved an electronic noise machine called a Phoenix
Wailer around Berwick for the past few years, hoping to keep the groups of
crows unsettled and on the move. Fequet says that works to an extent - until
people living near the intermittent screeching, squawking and banging
noisemakers complain.
Experts baffled
In his 32-and-a-half years with the Department of Natural Resources, John
Mills, based in Bridgewater, has never heard of crows or ravens going after
car parts.
³Weıve found lots of odd things in their nests over the years, but you
generally think of crows and ravens going after shiny things,² he says.
³It always amazes me the things we learn about wildlife. Theyıre truly
sentient creatures - and we canıt explain or ask them whey they do what they
do.²
Mills remembers visiting Berwick town council a few years ago to talk about
the crow problem, and figures he didnıt have any more good advice for
Berwick then it had gathered at the time; he doesnıt have any more now,
either.
³The shoo away methodı is about the best thing - but itıs time consuming.
You have to keep the crows moving, and leave them well enough alone when
they do find somewhere to settle. You have to be persistent.²
While he says Berwick is not alone with crow problems, the latest efforts by
the birds to pick on cars is new to him.
³Itıs definitely a learned behaviour from somewhere - once one crow did it,
others saw it and now itıs a unique situation with a limited number of
solutions.
³And, crows are a long-lived, smart bird.²
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