Wichita Falls and officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture are on a mission beginning today.  They are scaring off a large flock of birds.  The birds are Great Tailed Grackles, about a foot tall, and they’re roosting around a pond located between Kirby Junior High School and Adrian Avenue (next to the Linwood West Neighborhood).  The birds are flying across the runways located at Sheppard Air Force Base in the morning and late afternoon.

These birds can cause serious damage to aircraft, even causing a plane to crash. City crews will be using pyrotechnics called “Screamers” and “Bangers” beginning today, to scare the birds away. The pyrotechnics will be used for four to five days this week, one hour before dark each day.

These are the same birds that converge on the Sikes Senter area and in the trees near Kemp and Callfield Road every evening.  The messy and extremely noisy critters are also federally protected, meaning there is no ‘season’ to hunt them; they get to do as they please.

More From 106.3 The Buzz