AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) - Officials say the use of airboats to repel redwing blackbirds from Augusta wetlands appears to be working as intended.
The Augusta Chronicle reports that the effort is aimed at keeping the birds from wetlands at Phinizy Swamp Nature Park after large numbers of the birds created safety concerns at nearby Augusta Regional Airport.
Augusta Utilities Department officials say the solution has included the use of airboats to knock down the standing vegetation that the birds prefer. Other tactics include using whistles and noisemakers to keep the birds away.
A Louisiana-based crew is using two boats to flatten about 360 acres of vegetation this month.
Officials say crushing the plants in the fall keeps the area nearly bird-free through winter, and the plants regrow in spring.
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