Crews in Sioux Falls will use sound cannons to scare away geese starting this week.
Sioux Falls Animal Control is trying to scare off thousands of geese migrating into the area, agency Supervisor Julie DeJong said.
The birds start searching for new open water areas as ponds and lakes in rural South Dakota freeze over. Geese flock to the Big Sioux River in Sioux Falls during the winter.
Crews will use sound cannons to scare geese from areas near the Sioux Falls Regional Airport, the Sioux Empire Fairgrounds and at a golf course. Flying geese can cause damage to airplanes by striking windshields or being sucked into engines.
This year, people around the fairgrounds will hear sounds similar to fireworks or shotguns, DeJong said. The sounds come from "crackle shells" and screamer pistols that officers will be using this year.
The cannons will go off several times a day to scare the estimated 6,000 to 8,000 geese that migrate into the Sioux Falls area each winter, DeJong said. That's a steep increase from the summer count of around 1,000 geese, the Argus Leader reported.
Past use of the sound cannons has been successful, with no bird strikes at Joe Foss Field so far this year, DeJong said.
