U.S. Department of Agriculture biologists counted about 25,000 crows still calling Auburn home.

Wildlife biologist Ken Preusser was surveying the crows' favorite haunts Thursday night and Friday morning and found that less than 500 birds were using downtown trees as nighttime roosting spots. Last week, biologists counted 800 in the downtown area.

"The birds are very mobile this time of year," Preusser said. "We're getting close to the end of their roosting period, so they're hopping around the city a lot."

Two weeks ago, USDA biologists counted 26,700 crows throughout the city, and last week, they found 28,000.

The majority have been spotted in trees near the Owasco Outlet, along Clark Street and Miller Street.

"We counted 14,255 in the trees along the water," Preusser said.

Most of these birds, he said, were not bothering residents. The USDA will game plan next week with city manager John Salomone to decide what steps to take next.

"We're still in the post-treatment monitoring phase," Preusser said. "It's been a success so far. But we want to see it through till the end."

USDA director Richard Chipman has said that biologists might conduct one last hazing stint before the roost leaves the city, which is anticipated to be sometime in mid-March. He said the non-lethal methods (pyrotechnics, distress calls and lasers) would be employed for a short time, about two or three days.