Thousands of crows invaded Twin Falls, Idaho last year. It wasn't pleasant.

After roosting downtown through much of fall and winter, they finally left in the spring, apparently when they were good and ready. Undaunted, city officials are getting a jump on the dreaded birds, anticipating a return of the crows that last year defecated on sidewalks, cars and pedestrians, disturbed the peace with their cawing, and were even known to swoop at people.

Right up there with grackles on the bird obnoxiousness scale. Extreme remedies are no doubt in order, despite long-standing folkloric glorification of crows.

.....Kirk Tubbs, a wildlife specialist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, proposed to the City Council a combination chemical and projectile attack on the birds; projectile in the form of a pellet gun and chemical in the form of DRC-1339, a poison approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. The council unanimously approved his request.

Crows and their larger cousins, ravens, have long been a part of human culture. Many ancient Celtic tribes deified them or assigned them mystical qualities. Ancient Vikings used them on their banners and shields. In Cornwall, the legendary King Arthur is said to live on in the form of a raven, and it is bad luck to shoot one.....According to the National Audubon Society, crows, ravens and their cousins the magpies, "have probably achieved the highest degree of intelligence to be found in any birds."

Of course the poisoned ones will have to be discarded, but the crows killed with pellet guns could make for good eatin' - rivaling lip-smackin' birds such as sage grouse. Crowbusters, a site devoted to crow hunting, has a bunch of tasty recipes here, including Summer Crow Kabobs. The Idaho Statesman-Review passes on a classic recipe for Crow And Kraut. (Hat tip to Chicago Tribune columnist and blogger par excellence Eric Zorn).

Warm up them buffet trays with plenty of tasty crow vittles, Twin Falls. Caws before ya know it, PETA's comin' to town.

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Posted by Matt Rosenberg at November 2, 2005 01:12 PM