Chatham-Kent's crows have been getting a lot of hate lately, but a local crow advocate has a different take on the situation.
John Cryderman says he's known to some as "the bird-man of Chatham-Kent."
Cryderman will be meeting with a few members of the municipality's administrative team Wednesday afternoon in order to give them better understanding of the birds.
One of his goals is to clear up some misconceptions that were brought up when the crow issue came before Chatham-Kent Council earlier this month. During that meeting, council concluded that a they need a plan in place that will solve crow problem for good.
Cryderman says some of the information presented to council during that meeting was incorrect. For example, he says the number of crows living in Chatham-Kent isn't as high as Councillor David VanDamme claims it is.
"Our flock still hasn't accelerated any larger from 12,000-14,000 bird units," says Cryderman. "So the information out there about two to 20-million is incorrect."
Cryderman says he came to that number by spending several weeks counting flocks at night along the Thames River. He says that's a more accurate way to keep track of the birds, because they're easier to count when they're roosting.
In addition to clearing up some of those grey areas, Cryderman says he'll also focus on why shooting the birds is not the solution.
Council didn't vote on killing the crows, but the idea was brought up at council. Mayor Randy Hope even suggested that "we gotta blast some of [the crows] out of the sky."
"A mass cull or mass shooting is by far not the answer," says Cryderman. "I don't want to duplicate what we went through for many, many years wasting taxpayer's dollars."
Generally, crows carry a bad reputation in the municipality, but Cryderman says they're one of his favorite birds, having raised a few himself.
"Their social abilities and the way they adapt is far more reaching than any of the other birds," says Cryderman. "They're good in the field for destroying grubs and various insects."
However, he does agree that Chatham-Kent Council has some legitimate concerns.
"The droppings from these birds contain a high level of uric acid and when they land on cars and things of that nature [the droppings] will eat through paint," he says.
Nevertheless, Cryderman says it's a complex situation with many variables, so his goal is to educate municipal staff about the birds.
Chatham-Kent Council is expected to receive a detailed report on how to approach the crow situation on December 12.