Iowa City going on offensive against crows

Around dusk every night, an eerie blanket of crows descends on downtown Iowa City, creating a “creepy” sound and feeling, not to mention the smattering of poop they leave along the pedestrian mall.

This season's crow infestation has been worse in Iowa City's downtown district than previous years, according to city officials and business owners who say they dodge crow droppings every evening after work.

So city officials, for the first time, are taking crow deterrent measures. Downtown visitors beginning this week might notice new “bird scare predator eye” balloons and repeller ribbon hanging from the trees and, hopefully, blowing in the wind.

The idea is to scare away the masses of crows with yellow balloons donning the red eyes of their predators, like owls, said Mike Moran, director of Iowa City's Parks and Recreation Department.

“Owls are supposed to be their nemesis,” Moran said. “We just thought this would be the least invasive action we could take. We'll see if it works or not.”

Cedar Rapids, on and off for more than a decade, has employed “crow coffins” – boards on which two dead crows are attached – as a method of scaring away the thousands of crows that converge on the downtown's Greene Square Park at dusk.

The boards are placed in the park's trees and are visible from the sky. Moran said Iowa City didn't want to go that route – at least not yet.

“We would do that as a very last resort,” he said.

Crows are attracted to light and large expanses of trees and heat – like the kind that comes off pavement – and Moran said this year's unseasonably dry and warm weather has made the crow clustering in downtown worse than normal.

The eye balloons, which are going up Friday and will stay up for a couple of weeks, are intended only as a temporary measure. They are not supposed to permanently fix a crow problem, according to Nixalite of America Inc., the balloon seller out of East Moline. But Moran said the hope is that the dozen balloons, which cost the city $100, will work in the short term.

“This is the first time in a long time that we have had no snow on the ground by this time,” Moran said. “Once we get snow on the ground, hopefully that will help disperse them.”

Several business owners have complained to the city about this season's crows – that they feel they're being attacked when they exit their shops and that the crow poop isn't very attractive. City staffers have been scrubbing the pavement daily to combat the mounting droppings.

“We are doing all we can to pressure wash that off,” Moran said.

Joni Schrup, owner of the Discerning Eye optical boutique along the pedestrian mall, said she supports the city's efforts.

“(The crows) are a little scary, I have to say,” Schrup said. “It's creepy. They're everywhere. Their noise is creepy. And then there's the sound of the splattering.”

Schrup, who has worked on the pedestrian mall for six years, said she has never seen the crow infestation so bad, calling the number of birds that descend on the district every evening “astonishing.” She has yet to be hit by a crow dropping, which Schrup credited to luck and some fast maneuvers.

“When I walk through there, I literally run,” she said. “It's crazy.”

The city's work to clear crow droppings, according to Schrup, has kept the birds from having a significant impact on business.

“I guess even the crows have found that the pedestrian mall is a pleasant place to hang out,” she said.