The Purple Martin Problem

 

  I wrote about the murder of crows in the Vancouver area and more recently called your attention to another murder of crows in Sunnyvale, California, where lasers are being used to scare the crows away. Now I gather that a gathering of purple martins is creating a lot of problems in Nashville. Apparently the collective noun used to refer to such a group is a 'colony', which doesn't seem quite as threatening as a 'murder.'

  The purple martins would be a problem if they were pooping elsewhere in Nashville, but perhaps it is more of a problem when they are pooping on the patrons of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. The Center doesn't have a lot of extra money for cleaning away the problem and Nashville nature lovers don't want the purple martins to be harmed or the elms cut down to deprive the colony of its home. It is yet another "colonial problem" with which we have to deal and the conundrum created is likely to settle in other urban settings as well. 

For more see: "A Flock of Beautiful Birds in a City Is a Miracle, a Disaster and a Conundrum," Margaret Renkl, New York Times, April 11, 2022. 

"The conflict boils down to this: A magnificent gathering of birds, who are facing a host of human-created environmental stressors like habitat destruction and climate change, has in turn created a host of bird-related environmental stressors for human beings. The birds just want to gather in a safe place while they fatten up on insects for the long journey to South America. The symphony just wants to play music again. Both are simply doing what their own species does best.
This conflict is a perfect example of how complex it can be to make urban settings welcoming for wildlife, even when all invested parties are proceeding with good will. Suitable roost sites in Nashville keep falling to development, and the purple martins are bringing into stark relief the need for cities to grow in ways that are both wildlife-friendly and safe for humans. This city is finding out just how disruptive it can be — to all species involved — when they don’t."

Source: 
   For pictures see: "PHOTOS: Tens of Thousands of Purple Martins Swarm Downtown Nashville, Tennessean, Aug. 6, 2021. 
  Since murders and colonies are becoming more of a problem, this might be helpful:
"Bird Dispersal Techniques."

The Bonus:
   In 1940 the folks near Rockford, Illinois used dynamite and an estimated 328,000 crows were murdered. I doubt if nature lovers today would approve of this solution. See: Life Magazine, Mar. 25, 1940.