James L. Soules

"If it happened to you, you won't ever like a bird again," says James L. Soules, who turns 85 in June. A lifetime of bad experiences helped Soules, owner of Decatur-based Bird Repellent Co., become one of the region's most sought-after bird-removal experts. In November, Soules was awarded a $164,000 contract by the city of Springfield to rid downtown of pigeons and starlings by the spring of 2009.The contract was approved without dissent by the City Council.According to the ordinance awarding the contract, bird removal is "in the best interest of public health and safety in the downtown area." Soules got the job because Mayor Tim Davlin was tired of the mess the birds were leaving and tired of public employees' having to clean up after them, says Ernie Slottag, city communications director.
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Pigeons, Soules says, take a little longer, but he appears to be making progress on that front as well.
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In addition to not using pesticides, smells, lights, or sounds, Soules says he doesn't train the birds (for instance, in the way one would train a homing pigeon), either. Under his contract, which Mayor Tim Davlin signed on Dec. 5, Soules received $72,000 between Nov. 30 and March 31.
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Soules says the amount, his standard, is well deserved because he employs five to seven workers who work three days per week for about 10 hours each day. Despite the seven-month payment gap, Soules says, his crew's work schedule won't change.The length of the contract, he explains, is needed because the offspring of the banished birds might find their way back to the city.He's found that after three years the birds stay gone. On any given day, Soules says, there's one company-owned truck and several vans at work."After a little while I take the signs off of the truck so I can get around a little better," he says, "because people like to stop and talk."Each member of his team, he adds, is licensed by and registered with the Illinois Department of Public Health as a pest-control technician. Although he doesn't use poison on the birds, Soules himself is a certified pesticide technician because a small portion of his business is devoted to rats - known by some as featherless pigeons without wings. Soules isn't as nice to the rodents as he is to the birds: "You have to use pesticides.

DECATUR, Ill. - Dense flocks of starlings, crows and blackbirds have proven little match over the decades for James Soules, a bird-control specialist who rids cities of winged invaders.

The birdman of central Illinois may be even better, though, at fending off humans who want to know his secrets.

The 83-year-old Soules has been chasing away birds from Bloomington, Springfield, Joliet and dozens of other towns for a half-century.The mystery surrounding his tactics has made him a local legend around Decatur, where he has been called a shaman and even the "crow whisperer."

Whether it's communicating with the birds or some other strategy, Soules isn't talking about his techniques - at least to people.The owner of Bird Repellent Co. says only that he does not shoot, poison or trap the birds or use lights, sounds or smells.
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Soules was often seen working long after midnight two years ago in a park in Galesburg, where he had a contract.As he moved from tree to tree, witnesses said the birds seemed to lift up.
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Soules joined his father's successful family business in the early 1950s.He said that's when he developed his current foolproof method, and that's all he'll say about it.

Wild, sometimes half-serious speculation about his tactics involves everything from black mystery boxes to trained pigeons to hiring someone to dress in an owl suit.

"You're not even close," Soules said gleefully.

DECATUR (AP)-Dense flocks of starlings, crows and blackbirds have proven little match over the decades for James Soules, a bird-control specialist who rids cities of winged invaders. The birdman of central Illinois may be even better, though, at fending off humans who want to know his secrets. The 83-year-old Soules has been chasing away birds from Bloomington, Springfield, Joliet and dozens of other towns for a half-century.The mystery surrounding his tactics has made him a local legend around Decatur, where he has been called a shaman and even the "crow whisperer." Whether it's communicating with the birds or some other strategy, Soules isn't talking about his techniques at least to people.The owner of Bird Repellent Co. says only that he does not shoot, poison or trap the birds or use lights, sounds or smells.

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DECATUR, Ill. (AP) -- Dense flocks of starlings, crows and blackbirds have proven little match over the decades for James Soules, a bird-control specialist who rids cities of winged invaders.

The birdman of central Illinois may be even better, though, at fending off humans who want to know his secrets.

The 83-year-old Soules has been chasing away birds from Bloomington, Springfield, Joliet and dozens of other towns for a half-century.The mystery surrounding his tactics has made him a local legend around Decatur, where he has been called a shaman and even the "crow whisperer."

Whether it's communicating with the birds or some other strategy, Soules isn't talking about his techniques -- at least to people.The owner of Bird Repellent Co. says only that he does not shoot, poison or trap the birds or use lights, sounds or smells.
...
Soules was often seen working long after midnight two years ago in a park in Galesburg, where he had a contract.As he moved from tree to tree, witnesses said the birds seemed to lift up.
...
Soules joined his father's successful family business in the early 1950s.He said that's when he developed his current foolproof method, and that's all he'll say about it.

Wild, sometimes half-serious speculation about his tactics involves everything from black mystery boxes to trained pigeons to hiring someone to dress in an owl suit.

"You're not even close," Soules said gleefully.