Owl decoys seen roosting in Powell Street BART station

Owl decoys keep watch over the Powell Street BART station on February 12, 2018. Owl decoys keep watch over the Powell Street BART station on February 12, 2018. Photo: Graph Massara/SFGATE Photo: Graph Massara/SFGATE Image 1 of / 22 Caption Close Owl decoys seen roosting in Powell Street BART station 1 / 22 Back to Gallery

Next time you find yourself on the entrance level of the Powell Street BART station, a pair of eerie yellow eyes might be watching you.

A small flock of fake owls were installed a few months ago on the station's ceiling. They were not purchased by BART, according to spokesperson Chris Filippi, but were instead put in place by a contractor working on the station's ongoing ceiling and light fixture renovations.

ALSO READ: 'I'm not a bathroom': BART posters promote etiquette on trains

Though they look a bit like Halloween decorations, the owls probably aren't meant to scare humans. Instead, they're meant to deter the station's endemic pigeon population. BART officials have tried similar tactics – including using recorded predatory bird sounds to shoo the pests away – to no avail.

Other anti-pigeon infrastructure is also in the works. As part of the ceiling improvements, metal screens will be used to permanently seal off spots where pigeons like to congregate. That project, set to be completed this year, will cost about $240,000. Canopies will also be erected over station entrances to discourage birds from flying underground, thought they won't be ready until fall 2019.

Can plastic owls compete? Filippi said BART can't attest to the scare-owls' effectiveness, but as of this writing, pigeons can still be observed milling about the station. They don't seem to mind the company.

Drew Costley contributed to this report.