Problem With Bird Droppings In Downtown Youngstown

[jay]

Your problem birds were probably starlings.  They have paired up for the mating season  and have built their nests all over the community.   After a few more months, the young falcons will have matured and perhaps moved on.   The holes in the building have to be filled after the falcon nesting is over and before the starlings start roosting again in the fall.

[Defend Youngstown]

I know that the droppings have ceased because of the warm weather. I am not sure where the Frangos Group stands in regards to getting the holes plugged on the over-hang to ensure prevention of the same problem for next winter. When I meet with reps again, I'll be sure to get an update.

[jay]

I walked past the Stambaugh Building the other morning and did not notice an accumulation of bird waste.  Maybe the sidewalk is washed or swept every day.

I also would like to know if the problem has been solved.

[ForumManager]

What is the status of this situation?
Is it still a problem?

Just curious.  Someone on the westside  thinks they are seeing hawks in the Schenley area, but perhaps they are falcons.

[Defend Youngstown]

From Friday's www.44503Live.blogspot.com post:

"Met w/ representatives from the Division of Wildlife and the Frangos group to address bird dropping issue in front of Stambaugh Building. Roof top tour of problem conducted. Falcons present potential obstacle of being able to get work crew to execute function of plugging up holes where flock of sparrings are nesting/generating droppings. Wildlife crew may be able to provide security while work is done. Frangos Group to look into possibility of getting a crew assembled given the situation. To report back."

[jay]

This is a photo of the holes in the overhang of the Stambaugh Building.

[Rick Rowlands]

Jay, I read Jeff Hamm's letter and apparently came away with a much different understanding than you did.

No the Falcons did not cause the problem, but to solve the problem a swing stage must be built.  Apparently erecting the swing stage will affect the nesting Falcons, so in order not to disturb the Falcons they will have to be moved.

The letter was written in very plain English, I can't fathom why it was so hard to understand.

If the Falcons are a downtown attraction then it must be an attraction for only a select few since I've not heard of them before now.

[Towntalk]

Jay:

When I was working downtown, I would see the flocks as I left work at 7:00 AM the year around. They wouldfly in from the south and Southeast and settle on the roofs of the buildings downtown between 1970 and 1992. When they flew in the larger flocks would settle on the buildings around Vindicator Square and move east during the course of the day.

I'm no bird watcher, but most likely they were Starlings.

Occasionally I would see a Gull or two.

And I suspect that the birds have occupied those wholes all along but as many of the buildings were torn down, more birds resettled on the Stambaugh Building. I don't recall other buildings having the same problem.

One of the favorite roosts was an empty building (State Theater building, Paramount Theater building and other buildings where the windows were missing.) In looking at photos of the interior of the State and Paramount you can see evidence of bird droppings all over the place.

When they were restoring the Davis Building, they had to clear it of large piles of bird droppings since they are hazardous waste if breathed in.

A temporary fix at the Stambaugh Building could be tarps that would block the areas where the birds roost. Clear drops could be afixed to the building in such a way as be almost invisable on the ground. Another would be lights on the building. You don't see piles of droppings around the Central Tower. Haligon (sp) lights are cost effective and bright enough to discourage birds.

Aside from tarps or lights, or even both, there is little else that can be done.

BW3 has outdoor doings during the summer which include food and drink as well as bands, but unless something is done, these doings will stop. No one wants to sit near piles of bird droppings, and risk having droppings land on them or their food and drinks.

Which is more important ... dirty birds or events that bring people downtown?

For my part, I vote in favor of the events absent the birds.

[jay]

Why didn't the birds live in the holes last year?
The answer to this question may point the way to solving the problem.

Another Question
Are the birds roosting or nesting?
Some birds gather in large flocks during the winter months and then disperse throughout the area during mating season.

[Towntalk]

Jay, it seems to me that you want it both ways ... keep the Falcon and clean up the droppings even though it means paying people for no more than going out every hour on the hour to sweep up bird droppings 24/7.

As I see it, not a single penny would come out of your pocket to pay the crew, yet nothing that the building owner does or trys to do satisfies you.

This is a problem that plagues most large cities, and none of them have been able to come up with the magic bullet that solves this problem because people put birds above public health and safety.

I don't see any bird lovers going down to volunteer their services.

The state is not going to send people here to capture the birds and relocate them elsewhere because they don't have either the time or the money, and that's a fact. They would have to go to virtually every town and city in Ohio to get the job done.

What's the answer? I honestly don't have an answer short of drastic measures, ie. killing the birds ... using tax dollars to seal up the parts of the buildings where the birds nest, or tear down all the buildings and revert the whole downtown into a park. NONE OF THESE THINGS WILL EVER HAPPEN.

As far back as I can remember in the 22 years I worked downtown every morning I would see hundreds of birds in flocks flying around downtown. Starlings, Pigeons, Sparrows etc.

How do we divert them from the downtown area? If you have the solution, then I'm sure that the building owners would pay you good money to try it out.

As for the bird lovers ... if that is the only reason why they come downtown, then they are part of the problem and not the cure, and we'd all be better off if they would transfer themselves to Mill Creek Park.

[jay]

The falcons are not the cause of the recent increase in the amount of droppings.

What is the source of the little holes under the overhang of the building? 
Could someone take a picture of the holes?
Also, why didn't the birds live in the holes last year?


Please note
The falcons are a downtown attraction.
Many people come to downtown Youngstown to watch the falcons.  When the falcons' eggs hatch, the adult falcons will actually use many of the nuisance birds as food for the young falcons.

[Defend Youngstown]

March 17, 2008

Damon Grier
Wildlife District Three
Assistant Wildlife Mgt. Supervisor
912 Portage Lakes Drive
Akron, OH 44319

Re:  Falcon removal from the Stambaugh Bldg.

Damon, after we spoke Thursday my company cleaned up the sidewalk, and Friday morning the sidewalk was covered again in bird droppings. After further investigation we have come to realize that there are hundreds of birds that have built nests in little holes under the overhang of the building. In order to bird proof these holes, a swing stage will need to be set up. We cannot begin any of this work until the falcons have been moved. Due to the amount of birds that have built nests under the overhang, the droppings are too numerous and frequent for us to just clean up every day. In addition it is becoming dangerous to the public as the falcons have actually attacked pedestrians on the street and workers on our and other buildings. Complaints from the city of Youngstown, the health department, along with pedestrians tracking bird droppings in to BW-3 and their cars, have made this a serious situation that needs to be addressed immediately. 

USA Parking and the Frangos Group have been fervent supporters and very understanding and accommodating to the Division of Wildlife over the years, and continue to be now, but we were assured that when and if the falcon became a problem that it would be removed immediately. Because of the eminent public danger and concern for the public safety and welfare we cannot afford to wait for three months to resolve this situation, as you suggested. We were assured by the Division of Wildlife, from the beginning, that if and when the falcon became a problem that it would be removed and relocated immediately.

I have attached some pictures so you can see what happens over a weekend. USA Parking has been very accommodating to the Division of Wildlife and these falcons. Your immediate attention to rectify this situation is required and greatly appreciated.


Sincerely,

Jeff Hamm
Regional Operations Manager
USA Parking Systems, Inc.
330-746-7275

[Defend Youngstown]

The Frangos group is aware of the problem and did do a clean up this week when the snow had melt a bit. Within a 24hr period, virtually the same amount of droppings were there again. They then contacted the a wildlife rep to address the issue who said that the Falcons atop the building (who usually control the problem) are in mating season. The belief is that it is bats who are hanging/perching late at night. Councilwomen Gilliam is aware and is looking into a solution as well.

[ytowner]

Whether it's from pigeons or crows, I will have to say its a nasty set of birds!

[Towntalk]

So that means that the city will have to clean the mess up?

Does the Sheriff's office still have prisoners doing cleanup downtown?

I know that I would have second thoughts about eating at any restaurant where there are bird dropping all over the place. No, I take that back, I'd avoid those restaurants like the plague. People carry those droppings in on their shoes and that's enough to turn my stomach.