Residents in Somerset County'sFranklin Township said hundreds of dead birds fell onto people's homes and cars across the southern part of the township Sunday.

Homeowner Andrea Kipec told the Courier News of Bridgewater that she counted more than 150 dead birds on her property. She was told by local officials it's her responsibility to clean them up.

Ray and Colette Kiveris spent their Sunday picking up more than 200 dead starlings on their property.

"We collected 210 so far and there's still quite a bit to go," Kiveris says.

Kipec told the newspaper that local police informed her they had received an e-mail from the U.S. Department of Agriculture about a program to poison blackbirds and starlings, a fact that News 12 New Jersey has confirmed. The e-mail was sent Friday warning of the possibility of dead birds and explaining that they pose no harm to humans or pets.

Calls to the Health Department, New Jersey Department of Agriculture and the Somerset County Communications Department were repeatedly directed back to the USDA. Calls to the USDA have not been returned.

AP wire reports contributed to this article.