Photo by Amy Byrnes

The big news in New Jersey yesterday was about birds.  About 55 miles south of my town, in Tinton Falls, residents were assaulted by an estimated 7,000 seagulls that perched on the rooftops of a townhouse development and pooped themselves silly.  Children have been forced to tote umbrellas even on sunny days.  Egad!

The birds landed on the housing complex after moving from nearby Monmouth County landfill.  Mayor Skudera said the “experiment” which involved using falcons at the landfill to scare off seagulls helped a bit, but the county cancelled that experiment a few weeks ago.  Homeowner Amy Ross is heading the campaign to “evict” the seagulls, fearing that with the falcon threat removed, the creatures which used to feast at the landfill will now find a permanent, new home at the Fox Chase complex.

Rooftops are splotched with white droppings and small animal bones have sullied backyard patios.  State Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Larry Hajna told NBC New York that the county cannot be legally liable as long as it is trying to control the problem.

“We can’t take action [against the county] for large numbers of seagulls,” Hajna said.

County spokesman Bill Heine says they are investigating other ways to solve the problem.

Ross’s main concern is the property.  “It’s upsetting that our investments—our properties—are going to decrease in value because of it,” she said.

Perhaps the seagulls are seeking retribution on behalf of their cousins, the geese.  I wondered what happened to the geese that used to overrun Rochelle Park and Saddle River Park.  They took Sunday strolls with their families just like the humans and gaggled en masse on local streets and sidewalks.  No more.

I never heard about this in the papers and numerous Saddle Brook and Rochelle Park officials have stated that they had no prior knowledge of the mass extermination either. 

According to NorthJersey.com, June 29, 2010:

“In an effort to control the population of geese in the Saddle River County Park on the Saddle Brook/Rochelle Park border, at least 30 of the species were gassed.” 

The extermination of approximately 800 geese took place between the hours of 3:00 and 4:30 a.m. on June 24, 25 and 26, 2010.  The process can either be short or long, depending on whom you ask.

Also from NorthJersey.com, June 29, 2010:

“According to Carol Bannerman, public affairs specialist for the United States Wildlife Services, the process begins when members of the USDA use metallic magnetic slabs to round up the geese in the area. The magnets are used to disorient the birds. Once the birds are rounded up in a semi-corral, workers pluck three to four geese from the group and place them in a closed crate that has a hose lead in attached to it. From there, non flammable carbon dioxide is pumped in to the crate killing the birds. Bannerman stated the process takes two to five minutes but the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) disagrees with that estimate, saying it can take as long as 45 minutes to one hour.” 

Bannerman stated that both time frames could be correct.

The gassing was approved by a permit granted by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the New Jersey Wildlife Agency.  It was also in compliance with the National Wildlife Federal Protection Act which specifies that gassing is permitted as long as there is no long-term impact on the natural environment or the animals in the given environment.

A volunteer organization called “GeesePeace” based in Ridgewood, New Jersey, offers a humane population control alternative to gassing.  Their solution is threefold:  (1) Population Stabilization, (2) Geese Exclusion and (3) a No-Feeding Policy.  For more information, check out their website:  http://nopoop07450.blogspot.com/

Fortunately, on July 2010, with the unanimous passing of Resolution 1006, Bergen County Freeholder Chairman James Carroll said the gassing and shooting of Canadian geese in Bergen County public parks had come to a close. 

I hope this is true.  I’m still wondering why I see so few geese.