TX: Turkey Vulture invasion ... "puking and crapping all over" (Nice title)

[Donna]

Invasion of the turkey vulture


Turkey vultures have invaded Graham, and Michelle Johnston has just about had enough of the birds.
Johnston, the owner of the Kiddie Kottage day care center, said the vultures have created havoc at the day care.
“They are puking and crapping all over my vehicles and van and all over my play yard,� Johnston said. “They’re roosting all over my yard. I’m worried about the kids. This stuff they’re puking up is disgusting. It’s very unsanitary.�
Some of the turkey vultures in the city have made their home on a cell phone tower directly behind Kiddie Kottage. As a result, all of their waste is being dropped onto the day care center.
“The main thing I worry about is the sanitary issues for my kids,� Johnston said. “We’re afraid to go outside with all of them out there. They’re a pain in our side. Our play yard is a mess.�
Game Warden Brent Isom said turkey vultures are nothing new to Graham, but he said there does seem to be an increase in the number of birds.
“I think they’ve built some new antennas where they roost easier than they used to,� Isom said. “They have to roost around town. They look for high structures, the higher the better. When they take off to fly, they’re already up high and can just take off. They’re also incredibly good smellers. Being high, anything that’s dying, they can smell.�
Isom said while the vultures may be a nuisance, there is little area residents can do to stop the birds.
“They’re federally protected,� Isom said. “They’re considered migratory because they will come and go. There’s always going to be some that have established this area as their home turf. Some will move south as far as Mexico and most will go north to stay cool.�
Isom said the increase in vultures in Graham is directly linked to an increase in food in the area. He said massive numbers of fish dying off in recent years at Possum Kingdom Lake has made the area a popular stop for the vultures. An increase in wildlife has also added to the lure of the area.
“There is an increase across the whole county,� Isom said. “There’s probably as many vultures here as there ever have been. Some of the conditions have changed through the year. The amount of wildlife has increased which leads to more animals dying.�
The good news, Isom said, is the fish die-off at Possum Kingdom has not materialized this year. Without that food source, the vultures are likely to leave the area.
“Over the last several years, we’ve had a die-off of fish, and they gorge themselves,� he said. “We haven’t had a die off of fish this year. As summer approaches and it gets hotter, some of them will head north for cooler weather.�
For the average person in Graham, the vultures are an interesting development. For Johnston, they are a real pain.
“They’re not a nuisance to the normal community, but to those individuals where they roost, they’re definitely a nuisance,� Isom said. “Probably the biggest nuisance is they’re excrementing all that stuff.�
Isom said the nuisance would likely continue for the near future.
“As long as there are reasons here for them, they’ll be here,� Isom said. “If the reasons end, they’ll go away. Once they determine the fish kill won’t happen this year, they’ll have to move on because there won’t be food.�
Finding a method to get the vultures to go away is something Scott Johnston has been looking at for over three weeks, ever since the birds arrived near Kiddie Kottage. He has made numerous phone calls and finally feels like there is hope. Johnston explained that by working with the Brazos River Authority, there is a chance the vultures might be forced to leave.
“The Brazos River Authority is the one we’d have to get with to get this done,� Scott said. “He said normally he has to kill two or three of them and then they’ll get the message and go away.�
Scott said whatever has to be done to make the vultures move is fine with him.
“They’re just making a mess,� he said. “We’ve had to start parking out almost on the street to keep their mess away. It’s a health hazard, especially being right there next to the day care. The kids don’t need to be into that.�