The fall-out from a federal program specifically designed to control an overpopulation of starlings could be seen all over front lawns in Council Bluffs Wednesday.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture began setting out poison designed to kill the birds several months ago.

But Tim Clemons came home from work Wednesday and discovered his yard covered with dead birds -- all starlings.

"There's gotta be at least 50," he said. "You kind of freak out…thinking about the Alfred Hitchcock movie."

The USDA leaves the toxin in places where the starlings are most likely to eat such as near the Council Bluffs railroad yards where starlings eat spilled grain.

The USDA believes the starlings picked Clemons' large pine tree as a place to hang around.

The USDA says poisoning the birds is necessary to manage the starling population before it becomes unmanageable.

Wildlife technicians are also tracking about 50 starlings with radio transmitters as part of the largest bird research project in the nation.

Ultimately, the USDA would like to find ways to modify the environment to make it less attractive for the birds.

The USDA says the poison is harmless to humans and other animals.