BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP): City crews in Bloomington have built metal shields to protect several downtown parking meters from crow droppings.
 
Hundreds of crows have been causing havoc around the Monroe County Courthouse square for the past few weeks as they've settled into the trees and coated the area with droppings.
 
Bloomington police Capt. Joe Qualters tells The Herald-Times that the coverings made from old street signs were added this week to protect the meters from some of the droppings and make cleaning easier.
 
Qualters says parking enforcement manager Raye Ann Cox came up with the inexpensive way to address the unsanitary situation.
 
A metal strap is used to attach the shields, and the cost is less than $15 per meter. Crews identified 16 meters as routine targets for the birds.