Crows Bomb Yuba City Mall, Blurring Lines In Parking Lot
YUBA CITY (CBS13) — Hundreds of thousands of crows have descended on Yuba City and their bombing raids are leaving behind a big mess in parking lots near the Yuba Sutter Mall.
While people inside the mall are dropping cash on presents, crows outside the mall are dropping a gift nobody wants.
The crow poop is so prevalent at the mall that Samuel Tejano's aunt couldn't see the white parking lines.
"When she was trying to park, she asked me if she was in the spot," he said. "We couldn't even tell because of how much white bird crap was on the floor."
Each evening, cackling crows congregate in trees, tens of thousands peppering the pink sky. Originally they came to feed on orchard bugs, but have now adapted to eat just about anything.
The city has tried nets, fake owls and sound cannons to spook the birds, but while it worked at first, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife says these feathered pests aren't bird-brained.
"The birds become accustomed to those kinds of sounds—the sound cannons—and ultimately they start to ignore it," said Lt. Patrick Foy.
Experts say the crow community will eventually thin, but there's no telling when.
Crews at All Season R-V have to clean up the crow dropping from their products each day, but workers say it's just part of the job from October to March.
"Better the trailer than me. I've been lucky. I've only had my foot pooped on this year," said Iva Clark. "It's early, there's still time."
Fish and Wildlife says you can shoot crows, but only with a hunting license and outside of city limits. The maximum is 24 each day, and they are edible.
