Can We Outsmart Trickster Crow and Make Benches Useable Again? "Yes!"

UPDATE 0CT 2025/ A BETTER SOLUTION THAN DUCT TAPE:
Wrap some "deer protective webbing" around the top slat on the back of the bench. That frustrates the crows' attempts to use that slat as a perch. Secure the webbing with a few cable ties. People waiting for the bus can still lean against the back rest, and they do not notice the webbing. I'll take a photo and post it here. -SL

Crows perched on the back of a bench at a RideOn bus stop on Quail Valley Blvd near Grackle Way. They cawed (that's okay) and pooped onto the slats (that's not okay). Nobody wants to wait for the bus while sitting on bird droppings. This is a solvable problem, and the kind of challenge that an HOA can engage and fix, residents and property management working together. In fact, our HOA is planning to install a few more benches at bus stops, so we could act preemptively, as well as retrofit the existing benches with the best solution that we discover together. (The problem pictured above is on a bench made of recycled plastic. The new metal benches might not be attractive to crows. We can study the metal benches already in the neighborhood and see whether the problem is present there.)

This morning, one resident installed a temporary work-around to the problem. They placed duct tape sticky-side up along the top ridge of the backrest. That will probably deter the crows from perching. But the hot sun will soon degrade the tape. Can you think of a better solution? Perhaps Google "Prevent Birds Perching." Or ask our local animal rescue center what they might recommend: SECOND CHANCE WILDLIFE CENTER, 7101 Barcellona Drive, Gaithersburg, MD, www.scwc.org/.

To voice your idea, come to a Quail Valley HOA Community Meeting, second Monday of each month, sometimes in person and sometimes on Zoom, at 7:00 PM, as noted, always, on the home page of the HOA. That's more powerful than just sending an email to the property management, which is also an option.

Possible solutions:

* A ridge of PVC molding, slightly offset from the top slat of the backrest, screwed to it, would not hurt people or crows, but would make it uncomfortable for any bird to perch.

* Your suggestion goes here: ________________________ .

* Another person's suggestion goes here: __________________ .

It's a solvable problem, but it ain't no COVID problem. It's a CORVID problem! (Dad joke. Sorry.)

Steven Sellers Lapham is a 24-year resident of Quail Valley and author of the blogs at tinyurl.com/CuckooCourt