Egrets behaving themselves in Cedar Hill—so far

CEDAR HILL, Texas-It's breakfast time at a tranquil, wooded area on the grounds of the Church on the Hill. In a grove surrounded by mossy trees, dozens of egrets poke at the ground and take flight when a visitor gets too close.
Over the past month or so, thousands of egrets have descended upon an area of Cedar Hill near Bradford Park and the church, near Wintergreen and New Clark roads.

The birds, which include cattle egrets (white with some orange markings), snowy egrets (all white), yellow-crowned night herons and great blue herons, appear to have settled in forested areas near the park, which is in the High Pointe neighborhood.
So far, few residents have complained, said Corky Brown, the city's public relations manager.
"We've had a smattering of calls about them, but not very many," he told The Dallas Morning News.
Egrets, among the species protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, can be messy if they get too close to residential areas. Their presence has caused problems in cities such as Carrollton and Coppell. But Brown said that although the birds are gathering close to houses, they seem to be keeping to the woods.
Adam McCain, pastor of Church on the Hill, welcomes the winged visitors.
"We think the egrets are wonderful," he said. "We are happy that they are here."
The birds are performing a valuable service on church grounds, McCain said: pest control.
"We've been trying to clear out a space for people (outdoors), and the trees there are infested with red bugs," McCain said. "(The egrets) have gone in there and cleared the bugs out and haven't hurt anything."
Residents have several legal options in dealing with egrets before they establish nests. Some cities employ noisemakers or "scare eye balloons"-large circular balloons with giant eyes that birds interpret as predators.
In anticipating the arrival of egrets, some cities have pared back tree branches to let more light in because the birds tend to like shaded and secluded areas, Brown said.
But once nests have been confirmed, the birds or their habitat can't be disturbed until the birds leave and all the eggs have hatched, said Sam Kieschnick, an urban biologist based at Cedar Hill State Park.
"If a rookery or herony is somewhat of a public nuisance in housing areas, you are allowed to harass these birds until they have an egg or you see a chick," said Kieshnick.
"One of the things that egrets and herons can do is create rookeries, and they can be noisy, smelly and unattractive," he said. "Honestly, we don't get a lot of calls from people who say, 'Ooh, look at these beautiful herons!' "
Egrets, though they can be a nuisance, offer several beneficial services, Kieschnick said, including eating mosquitoes that carry viruses, protecting farm crops by eating grasshoppers and crickets, and improving the health of livestock by eating fleas, flies and ticks.
"They truly are magnificent to look at, just beautiful birds," he said. "As a wildlife biologist, I think that it is great that they have found these wildlife areas that are somewhat isolated."
Brown said the birds appear to be confined to the Bradford Park area and haven't been reported in other neighborhoods, although he's seen plenty flying over his office at the Cedar Hill Government Center a couple of miles away.
He said the city is working on a flier to educate residents about the birds.
"We're concerned that we might have a problem in the future, but as long as they aren't hurting anything, we're just going to enjoy them," Brown said.

 

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