Q: What a mess! For some reason, a flock some kind of black bird has chosen one of my Bradford pear trees to roost in. There is a huge mass of droppings under the tree. What can I do?

A: Flocks of birds like Bradford pear trees because the leaves protect them at night. But, as you have found, the birds leave their calling cards when they visit! You have to find a way to scare them off each night when they return to the tree. In the movie “Steel Magnolias”, Tom Skerritt shot fireworks into his trees to scare the birds. Professional wildlife managers use this technique frequently. If you’d rather not explain why you are in possession of illegal fireworks, ask if someone could hang a car horn in the tree. When the birds arrive, give them a big honk to send them elsewhere.