Thousands of birds have swooped down on a St. Catharines apartment complex and global warming could be the reason why.
About 100,000 starlings fly into the area each night at sundown. It's believed they have settled in the area rather than fly south because of the mild winter weather.
Mild temperatures are just part of the reason. Bird watchers agree the area's large selection of evergreen trees provide a perfect nightly nesting ground. Others say an abundance of vineyards in the area harvesting ice wine grapes is also a reason for the birds to stay.
However, residents living in the apartment complex say the birds have become a nightly nuisance.
"They don't really sleep," one resident told CTV Toronto. "They just stay up all night screaming away."
One child said the birds are scary.
"When I see the birds I have to run away really fast," she said.
Bird droppings have become more of a nuisance than the noise, another resident said.
"When you have to wash your car four or five times because of the birds, that's pretty bad," he said.
Yet others said they were pleased to witness nature at work.
"They do put on a good show," he said. "They go into a fish and then (the group forms) a different design (in the air)."
Many suggestions have been made to residents to get rid of the birds once and for all.
Some have suggested putting up owl decoys to scare away the birds. Others recommended more extreme measures like firing small cannons, bringing in falcons and cutting down the evergreens, replacing them with trees that are less inviting to birds.
