Hundreds of vultures won’t leave this neighborhood alone

Odd News continues on its righteous mission to let you know all about the latest bird news. Last week we told you about the bird attack that knocked a tooth out of a Texas man’s mouth. The week prior we told you about the birds congregating in the house of a California woman . Let’s go for three weeks of strange bird happenings in a row. WSET ABC 13 News is reporting that packs of vultures won’t leave a neighborhood in Lynchburg, Virginia alone.

West Princeton Circle, the neighborhood in question, is where Michelle Ewing-Karega lives. She told WSET that the vultures started coming by two weeks ago, and that they definitely make their presence known, saying, “We woke up to what sounded like dogs on the roof, ‘cause they’re so large.” It’s not just a few of the birds, either. Ms. Ewing-Karega says, “I counted 40 on [my] roof as well as the neighbor's roof…and then again like 20 and 30 plus down, I mean I can't stand down and count them all, there's literally hundreds of them.” The scavengers go after garbage, peck at roof shingles, are terribly loud, and simply won’t go away.

So what can the residents of West Princeton Circle do? The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Wildlife Services Program says that while the migrating birds cannot be harmed, they certainly should be hassled. Virginia Wildlife Services State Director Scott C. Barras told WSET, “It's perfectly legal to harass these birds, to disperse these birds.” Mr. Barras also pointed out that the birds are not normally aggressive, but that small pets should be kept away.

Mr. Barras says the birds are there because they have determined it’s a good place to warm up in the morning. He said that if the community makes a concerted effort to harass the birds, they will learn to go elsewhere.