SAN ANTONIO -- A war is being waged in downtown San Antonio nightly.
Ground zero of this battle is a parking lot near the River Walk where Jeff Cattoor of BlackJack Bird Abatement has brought two of his Harris's hawks to take on roosting grackles.
"See this. This is pretty typical", Jeff says as he points out poop-covered cars, sidewalks and sometimes even people. "I've seen people walk downtown in years past and actually get hit on the head, and that's kind of embarrassing."
Grackles are attracted to the many trees that line the River Walk, and the food that is readily available there. Along with the birds comes noise, disease through their feces, and a lot of poop. City employees routinely power-wash sidewalks near downtown. Then there is also the odor: "The smell is overpowering", says Cattoor.
"We're really just re-introducing a predator to move along the grackle population," Cattoor points out.
On this night, Cattoor brings Ace and Joker to attack grackle roost in hopes of moving the nuisance out of the city. "If you hit a roost at least three times, the birds will feel threatened and move along," says Cattoor.
Once the Harris's hawks, which are indigenous to South Texas, emerge from covered boxes inside Cattoor's vehicle they sense the nearby grackles and chatter and whine to be released. "It's OK", says Cattoor as he readies each bird with bells and a transmitter to relocate them, if necessary.
After Cattoor successfully herds grackles into an open area surrounded by trees using a laser pointer, his hawks take to the sky, and straight into a roost. The flock quickly scatters. And the grackles, along with starlings and sparrows, fly off into the night.
After about an hour, the parking lot, which was noisy with grackle squawks was quiet. The birds have moved on.
Ace and Joker each done their jobs.
Paula Stallcup, director of the city's Downtown Operations Department calls the program a success. The group has been using BlackJack Bird Abatement for three years. The program is paid for thorough private money from a Public Improvement District.
