El Reno Takes Unique Approach To Remedy Bird Problem

Residents in El Reno's Holbrook neighborhood had to put up with loud booms around dusk Tuesday night.

The booms came from what El Reno Animal Control Director Mike Townsend call his "Bird Blaster”. The propane powered cannon works on a timer and is used to scare away hundreds of black birds that migrate to the trees in the neighborhood this time of year.

Townsend says the birds leave droppings that can be a health hazard.

"They can just tear up the backyards, and if we don't stay on top of it, it can get pretty nasty," he said.

Townsend says firing the bird blaster doesn't hurt the birds, it just scares them away.