Pyrotechnics used to keep starlings from nesting at Monument Circle

INDIANAPOLIS -- The city has called in the big guns to battle thousands of starlings that flock to Monument Circle and other spots downtown each fall.\nThe city and downtown property owners have tried several methods for years to get rid of the birds, but Julia Watson, spokeswoman for Indianapolis Downtown Inc., said more needs to be done to discourage the birds from roosting.\nTheir droppings cause a mess on trees, statues and sidewalks, so the city has tried electric shocks, poisons, sterilization and even hunting parties.\nOn Wednesday, Judy Loven, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's state wildlife services director, fired a pistol-like device Wednesday to scare the birds away from Monument Circle.\nThe loud boom from the gun echoed off downtown buildings, prompting people in at least one building to call police.\nLoven said the pyrotechnics must be loud to cut through other city noise. They will be fired on a daily basis beginning about an hour before sunset and continuing until dark.\nThe federal workers will provide the equipment and a bird relocation plan, all paid for by owners and managers of downtown property, the city and the state, Watson said. She added similar projects have helped eliminate bird problems in other cities, including Omaha, Neb.\nUSDA experts say one key to driving birds from a roosting area is to constantly mix up the approach. If not, the birds just get used to the man-made nuisances and will stay around.\n"They're telling us that you've got to throw a little variety in there," Watson said.