Some of the blame for this weekends crude crow shoot can be assigned to City Hall inaction. City leaders, and county health officials as well, have given a low priority to the clouds of crows that provide so much annoyance and so many punch lines.

Crows have darkened the skies over other cities, but other cities have dealt with their problems more aggressively. Utica for example, requested the help of a special U.S. Department of Agriculture team in 2002. So did Albany when crows had bedeviled not the entire city, mind you, but a couple of neighborhoods. The USDA also worked to shoo the flock in neighboring Troy by employing lasers, amplified distress calls, noisy flares.

In each case, the nuisance flocks were fractions of the size of Auburns, which has been estimated at 50,000. Crows dominate the downtown area at daybreak and nightfall. Many residents grin and bear them and accept the jokes. (Long may they caw, congregate and crap, said one letter to this newspaper.) But the crows also plunder curbside trash and spoil sidewalks, windows, hats. They are a health hazard.

Its difficult to seize on a significant City Hall accomplishment in dealing with the problem. Government officials put up helium-filled balloons resembling owls to scares crows away from City Hall. Crows at this point seem jaded to the long-used recording of bird calls near the police station. It doesnt seem to be working anymore.

So Auburn is forced to accept an image that includes a stubborn crow population, one which has annually inspired two hunters to organize a two-day mass shoot of the birds to raise money for charity. Since there are so many crows it does seem, well, un-sporting akin to shooting fish in a barrel. (Last years winner bagged 43.) With this years event the first that has been advertised, animal rights organizers are converging on what they sees as a looming massacre. This area is again the fulcrum for an unwanted imbroglio.

We cant say that city leaders have been indifferent to the crow problem, its that they have accomplished so little. Bill Jacobs has told other city councilors about citizen complaints that have reached him. So has Councilor Tom McNabb, who in visits to the Albany area assessed the USDAs work. But there has been no concerted effort and no progress to speak of.

By the way, McNabb in early December became chairman of a new city committee assigned to examine nuisance animal problems and urge solutions. The committee might be able to draw on $10,000 set aside to deal with Auburns animal issues, wild cats among them.

Some seven weeks after it was authorized, the panel lacks a full roster of five members. It has yet to meet.