 Hi, I'm Fort Worth Councilmember Jared Williams, and I think most of you know how important the environment and the Fort Worth prairie is to me. Over the past few years, some of our neighborhoods have been negatively impacted by the migratory seasons of egrets who sometimes nest in our residential and commercial areas. Due to support of the City of Fort Worth's animal care and control team, we're offering proactive education to residents on how to do your part to deter these birds from nesting in our residential and commercial areas while also helping them migrate to more suitable habitats. Remember, once they've nested, they're federally protected by federal law and cannot be disturbed. Take a look at this video produced by Texas Parks and Wildlife and share it with your neighbors. Now it's time to take action. Texas is a major route for migratory birds and serves as a breeding site for egrets and herons. During nesting season, most egrets and herons gather in large colonies known as rookeries to nest. These rookeries include species such as cattle egrets, little blue herons, snowy egrets, great egrets, and yellow-crown night herons. In Texas, cattle egrets are typically the most abundant species. Different species arrive, nest, and leave at various times throughout the nesting season, which typically lasts from mid-February to late October. Adult birds in their offspring often return to the same location every year. Over time, rookeries can increase in size. Nesting egrets and herons prefer areas with mature trees and at least 75% closed canopy with overlapping branches. This allows the birds to easily walk among the branches from tree to tree. Most rookeries are located near water where there is plenty of food available for them to eat, but rookeries can easily exist away from water in urban areas. When egrets and herons establish rookeries in an urban setting, it can become a nuisance. The noise, odor, regurgitated food, large amounts of feces, and even deceased birds at the rookeries site can be a challenge. When located adjacent to airports, rookeries can potentially interfere with aircraft. Egrets and herons are protected by state and federal laws. It is illegal to kill, harass, or disturb the birds in any way that could cause nest abandonment or the death of eggs or hatchlings. Once the first bird lays an egg, all harassment and scare techniques must stop. Up to that point, it is legal to harass or scare the birds to deter them from an undesired location. Once a rookerie is established, complete removal is not possible. However, you can prevent a rookerie from establishing or returning the next year. Habitat modification is most effective and produces the longest lasting prevention of rookerie establishment. In the winter months, when the birds are gone, modify habitat by creating openings within the canopy and removing overlapping branches, making the area less desirable for the birds. Dramatic changes are not necessary. Remove dead wood and thin the tree canopy to allow sunlight between limbs and other trees. Also, remove excessive undergrowth vegetation and old abandoned nest. At the beginning of nesting season, remove early nesting material daily, using long poles or water hoses after verifying that no eggs are present. For maximum impact, habitat modification should be combined with noise and visual deterrents. When birds first arrive in early spring, they are somewhat nervous and easily scared away. Noise deterrents such as pyrotechnics, cracker shells, propping cannons, and predator calls work effectively. Local residents can be encouraged to use noisemakers, air horns, clackers, and even pots and pans to deter the birds from undesired nesting sites. Visual deterrents such as scare eye balloons, mylar streamers, and hawker owl silhouettes can be effective when put in the trees of potential nesting sites. To be most effective, combine several of these methods so that the birds do not become accustomed to them. Public awareness and early detection are critical to prevent nuisance recrees. The more residents participating in early detection and deterrent techniques, the better the chance of getting the birds to go elsewhere. It is important to remember that once the first bird lays an egg, all harassment and scare techniques must stop. It is illegal to kill, harass, move, or disturb the birds or nests when they are actively nesting. If a rookery is established in an urban area and the birds are nesting, residents may continue normal maintenance of their property such as mowing, weed eating, edging, and watering. To keep feces from accumulating, power washers spray down sidewalks, lawns, landscaping, and buildings on a regular basis. Residents should be advised not to handle the birds or specifically disturb the birds while nesting. Fallen eggs, injured, or dead birds should be reported to the local municipality. When trying to prevent a rookery from developing, it is possible that the birds will move to another location that is just as undesirable. Municipalities should develop a contingency plan in anticipation of actions to be taken should the need arise. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Urban Program provides assistance to municipalities dealing with urban rookries. We want to thank you for watching this video and we hope it was useful information to help prevent egress from nesting in our neighborhoods. As you can see, we need our neighborhoods to work together. No one wants to harm or injure any birds. We just want them to nest in a more suitable habitat. If you have any questions or want to report an egress sighting, please contact us so we can assist.