Noisy crows causing big mess in Trenton

TRENTON, N.J. (WPVI) -- A messy situation in Trenton has turned into a crow conundrum.

It seems the birds are feeling a little too much at home downtown. Now officials are trying to figure out how to get the birds to disperse.

"Sometimes when I'm walking to my car there'll be a crazy amount of crows and it kind of looks like that Alford Hitchcock movie," said Nicki Nicosia.

For months now thousands of crows have been descending on downtown Trenton each night roosting in the trees, squawking incessantly and leaving their calling cards everywhere.

"I'm trying to walk around it. I'm trying to avoid it. It's disgusting and I worry about what we are breathing in," said Cathy Boland.

The sidewalk near the Hughes justice complex may be the worst. Everything here is coated in bird doo, including lampposts, signs, the walkway. But it's surely not the only spot that's a mess.

"I've been working in this building for a long time. I've worked for the state almost 26 years, I have never seen it this bad," said Dee Ivery.

"The noise is something else when several hundred thousand crows decide to wake up in the morning and fly around they make quite a racket," said Scott Miller.

Scott Miller, who lives on W. Front St., has taken to banging pans to chase them.

The state division of property management is doing it differently. It's using rooftop noise devices to try to disperse the crows.

Shop owner are hoping for results. They say the bird droppings are bad for business.

Bob Giaquinto, of Giaquinto Shoe Repair, said, "It's bad enough when you get cold and rainy days, people don't want to walk out of the buildings. But then you add all that stuff on the pavement and the birds out there - they don't even want to bother."

Alex Hicks is about to open a new restaurant on South Warren

"Biggest problem is the cars and when people are walking in the evening. When it turns dark that's when the birds really accumulate in this area," he said.

No one seems to be sure why the crows are flocking to Trenton.

The Division of Property Management is overseeing the use of sonic devices from rooftops to drive the birds away but, so far, no luck.