anti-crow measure

How to collect the city's garbage depends on each area. Some areas use dumpsters,some areas use garbage cans. In many areas of Tokyo we leave the garbage in translucent garbage bags, but because of this we have to be annoyed with the issue involving kitchen refuse and crows. Actually Tokyo Metropolitan Government has a page for an anti crow measure.

Do you have the same problem? In Japan the common solution is using a net or a cage for garbege.  Some use CD disk and Tiger strip pattern. For crows they seem to be enemiese (birds of prey?). There are some special items likethis, this, and this. Some towns use their unique item. Shinagawa use yellow bags. In Yamaguchi pref. they use this "Wig-kun". Hmm it's a head on public display. I knew they are used in rice fields sometimes, but in the city? on the road?

Comments

[Mari]

Hi There
One day befor I saw a crow was enjoying slide. I felt as if he was laughing for joy. They are so smart.

[Charles]

Japanese crows are crazy, I saw a video about how they steal coat hangers from yards and balconies and build nests out of the wire hangers on the top of electrical poles, which shorts out the lines and starts fires. Yow!

But there is only one way to deal with crows. I will tell you a funny story I read. Long ago, the Emperor made a visit to Hakodate, the first time the Emperor had ever gone to Hokkaido. As he was riding with the Governor in an open carriage, a crow flew over and crapped on the Emperor. The Governor was so mortified, he decided to offer a bounty on crows. For every dead crow, the Government would pay 2 sen. Little boys especially loved the reward, they would hunt crows with a slingshot. In only a few years, crows were extinct in Hakodate. The Governor stopped the reward because there were no more crows to catch. Everyone stopped hunting crows, and within a couple of years, the crows returned as strong as ever.

[Dave77]

Here in the countryside where I live, crows aren't much an issue (I used to live in the city and they weren't a problem at all, there) though I have heard tales from neighbors of them attacking trash bags left out, but then so will dogs, raccoons and other small creatures. I'm not sure why the political reasons were to do so, but I think one of the major mistakes done there in Tokyo would be the changing of types of trash bag. Crows are visual creatures. Their sight is as good as if not better than ours so a clear plastic bag full of scraps is just begging to be ripped open by their beaks. When they spot food, they will go for it. Its nature. They've adapted to living with and off our society and have learned to make good use of us. As such, I'd suggest move back to black, opaque trash bags and institute the use of closed dumpsters and/or trashcans. Curbside dumping without a garbage can is just a bad idea anyhow as it might not just be the crows, stray dogs and cats love trash bags too. ;)

And that MJ dummy head on a stick won't work for long. I'm going off my experience with the American species of crow but, they adapt fast and they'll soon be using that head as a perch while feeding. LOL. Nonmoving scarecrows only work on the young ones, adults know better. Randy's suggestion of a dead crow will work too. If you don't wish to kill one yourself just drive around a bit. There is always one of two dead on the roadside, hit while eating roadkill. Morbid yes, but it will work.

[Redruin]

We don't have a real crow problem in the DC area. Many places are dumpster regulated, and there just don't seem to be that many crows around. Oh yeah, does the rice field head look like Micheal Jackson to anyone else?

[Randy]

My parents have used the CD trick to keep deer and birds out of their garden. They have also had some success with plastic snakes which they place in fruit trees.
This may sound a bit morbid but you if you can get a dead crow and hang it from say a tree then the other crows will not come near it. Putting up a scarecrow seems to have almost no affect on crows around here. The local crows seems to understand what they are and pay little attention to them.