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Vulture Problem Returns To Walnut Cove

Black vultures like this one are causing damage to some properties in Walnut Cove. Photo credit: Public Domain Images/Nat Edwards

A small town in the Triad is dealing with some unwanted visitors. Last year, around a thousand vultures invaded the town of Walnut Cove. The problem was getting better after some unusual measures were put in place, but now they're back – and this time it's personal.

Large flocks of vultures are taking up residence near people's homes. Before the birds were targeting local businesses, causing damage to roofs and historic structures. The USDA then hung birds that died in captivity around the town, in hopes of scaring them away. The so-called effigy program was doing the trick. But town manager Bobby Miller says now homeowners are calling him with complaints.

“That's money out of people's pockets when they have to fix their roofs,” says Miller. “We had one gentleman who had his camper torn by them and those things are expensive to have to replace.” 

Miller says he plans to include notices in resident's water bills, reminding them to keep pet food out of sight and to secure their trash bins.

It isn't clear why the birds are choosing Walnut Cove to hang out. But wildlife experts say the town has some attractive characteristics.

"The Walnut Cove area is an ideal roosting habitat for the birds. It has a lot of natural woodlands along the creek there and high transmission towers and other man-made structures," says Andy Moore, district manager with USDA Wildlife Services in Statesville.

Mathias Engelmann, with the Carolina Raptor Center, says the birds are federally protected, but residents can continue using harassment techniques to scare the birds, which can keep them from coming back. Those include using sound horns, playing music, and spraying them with a hose.

He says it takes a lot of persistence from everyone in the community to deal with it.

“These vultures tend to be pretty smart and they can figure out if somebody's only out there for a half of an hour one evening. They might fly off but they're probably going to come back for roosting again, so it's going to take some effort. It's not a quick and easy fix.”

 

*You can follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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