The City of Allen is racing against the clock to stop the third cattle egret nesting season in a row within city limits. Last year, parks officials say the birds caused $20,000 in damages at Stacy Ridge Park.
City officials say they're in the final push to keep cattle egrets from nesting in their city for the third straight year.
Brian Bristow, Assistant Director of Allen Parks and Recreation, says residents have spotted "scouting groups" of birds, which is a sign more will be coming.
"It only takes two to three days for these birds to establish a nest – and that's not a lot of time," he said.
In 2014, birds took over an area near Stacy Ridge Park in Allen.
When they left, the city spent more than $20,000 cleaning up damage, like bird feces and feathers.
In 2013, cattle egrets also set up nesting grounds at Allen's Celebration Park, forcing the city to fence off an area to protect the habitat.
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The birds are federally protected once they nest and cannot be moved.
However, the city is actively working to stop nesting before it starts.
Parks department employees are periodically deploying sound cannons and loud pyrotechnics from flare guns to scare away the birds.
They've also installed noisemakers at Stacy Ridge and Celebration Parks that mimic egret distress calls, even the sounds of predators.
All the efforts are meant to make the area less desirable and send the birds somewhere more rural.
