ST. GEORGE — More than 100 dead starlings were found Wednesday around the LDS Church's East Stake Center following a government poisoning effort that was supposed to have been canceled.
"I don't know where the ball got dropped and who was going to pick up the dead birds, but we specifically discussed the cleanup to keep this from happening again," said Mike Bodenchuk, state director of Wildlife Services for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Last year, dead birds, mostly starlings, were found around the stake center and Dixie Regional Medical Center after areas in Washington Fields were poisoned to kill the starlings.
Bodenchuk said that at a meeting last week his agency discussed what a mess the dead birds created last year and decided not to poison the migrating birds this year.
Cattle and dairy farmers were concerned about droppings left in feed bins. Bacteria in the droppings can cause pregnant cattle to miscarry, said Bodenchuk.
However, the poison was spread on Tuesday.
"We were asked to poison the birds by local dairy and cattle men and feed-lot operators," Bodenchuk said.
Cattle and dairy farmers are concerned about droppings left in feed bins. Bacteria in the droppings can cause pregnant cattle to miscarry, said Bodenchuk.
Richard Cosby, a groundskeeper at the hospital, said it has been keeping the birds away by using a sound device that imitates birds in distress.
He said the droppings have been cut down dramatically and there were no birds perching on the hospital.
Cosby found other environmentally friendly means to rid the hospital of birds. He uses a silicone solution along the windows and eaves to discourage pigeons from perching.
"The pigeons don't like the sticky substance," Cosby said. "So it helps to keep them away."
Bodenchuk said nothing but poisoning works for any length of time to keep starlings away.
Bodenchuk estimates that more than 100,000 starlings will be killed this winter statewide.