ARLINGTON, Texas -- Thousands of grackles are flocking to a tree or two in a south Arlington parking lot.

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act makes it illegal to trap and kill grackles.

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Some North Texas cities use fog, lasers, hawks and noise to scare the birds away, but then they flock to untreated areas, including near Interstate 20 and Little Road.

"I think they're really noisy and really dirty," Arlington resident April Hill said.

"We were hoping they didn't poop on the car," Arlington resident Lori Jensen said.

The grackles swarm to the trees, power lines, and parking lights at sunset at the corner of Little Road and Green Oaks in Arlington.

"It's like we took their land from them and they are not going anywhere," Hill said.

The birds cackle and screech.

"We like to laugh and say, 'They are having meetings,' so they are very noisy and disturbing, though," Hill said.

"They're loud, they make a big mess. They just are everywhere and I think everybody is sort of tired of them," Arlington resident Claire Howell said.

The grackles' roosting season starts at the end of August. The colonies can be seen until the end of March in North Texas.

"It's kind of eerie and they are kind of annoying. Even though just a few at a time, they are pretty, but this many of them is kind of icky," Arlington resident Lori Jensen said.

The grackles are still getting through the netting on trees in downtown Fort Worth, but lasers and flying hawks around Sundance Square have helped chase many of the birds away. Now, Arlington seems to be the new gathering place.

"We kind of avoid coming this way sometimes because once you've cleaned your car, you don't want it to get all dirty," Arlington resident Phyllis Meyer said.

"It's kind of interesting that they are all here but I can see it might be a problem with disease and stuff, possibly," Arlington resident Stan Gibson said.

After this month, the grackles start nesting and they don't tolerate each other in large numbers, so the population will thin out for the spring and summer.