University Park, Pa. -- Penn State's efforts to relocate the crow population that has chosen to roost on the University Park campus are continuing. In addition to moving the crows from central campus, an initiative is under way to steer them away from the dairy barns on Park Avenue, northwest of Beaver Stadium and the Organic Materials Processing Education Center (OMPEC) located just north of the Route 322 bypass.
While the crows are not currently roosting at the dairy or compost site, they are stopping to feed at those locations before continuing on to campus to roost in the large trees and on top of buildings.
"The crows peck holes in the plastic feed storage bags and covers to get at the feed," said Randy Swope, coordinator of support units in the College of Agricultural Sciences. "The holes allow air into the fermented feed and all the feed in the storage structure begins to spoil. The losses in feed add up to several thousand dollars."
The process to relocate the crows at those locations will be similar to what is being done in central campus. "We would primarily be using a propane cannon commonly used in fruit orchards and vineyards, and on occasion hand-launched noisemakers called bangers and screamers, the same noisemaker used by OPP," said Swope.
The noisemaking efforts could be employed between daylight and dusk seven days a week, depending on the crow populations. The locations are not open to the general public and the noise will be directed so as not to be much of a disturbance off site.