From the Yahoo Newsroom
MUNCIE, Ind. - Turkey vultures have taken over Gwendolyn Griem's backyard and made a mess of it.
Around 50 of the soaring, carrion-consuming birds have flocked to Griem's yard in a gated subdivision in Muncie. They have ruined her patio furniture, stressed the shrubbery and even damaged the roof of her home, Griem told the Muncie Star Press for a story Monday.
"Droppings are everywhere," Griem said. "They've made the patio unusable. The lawn people don't even like to mow it."
The birds have a 6-foot wingspan and can grow to be 32 inches tall, said Roger Hedge, an ecologist with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
Most of the birds should head south for the winter, he said.
"To have turkey vultures flock like that in town, that's beyond me," Hedge said.
Karen Gibson, a supervisor in Muncie's animal control office, said the birds are federally protected.
"You can't even trap them," she said.
Tim Dale, who operates a Critter Control franchise in Portland, has reduced the size of the flock by shooting fireworks into the air, but not all of them have been shooed away.
"They feel safe here, and now we're taking that safety away from them," he said. "They will be back to check it out next year, and we may have to chase them off once or twice. But they'll get discouraged and go."
The birds probably lost their previous roosting place due to development, Dale said.
MUNCIE, Ind. - Turkey vultures have taken over Gwendolyn Griem's backyard and made a mess of it.
Around 50 of the soaring, carrion-consuming birds have flocked to Griem's yard in a gated subdivision in Muncie. They have ruined her patio furniture, stressed the shrubbery and even damaged the roof of her home, Griem told the Muncie Star Press for a story Monday.
"Droppings are everywhere," Griem said. "They've made the patio unusable. The lawn people don't even like to mow it."
The birds have a 6-foot wingspan and can grow to be 32 inches tall, said Roger Hedge, an ecologist with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
Most of the birds should head south for the winter, he said.
"To have turkey vultures flock like that in town, that's beyond me," Hedge said.
Karen Gibson, a supervisor in Muncie's animal control office, said the birds are federally protected.
"You can't even trap them," she said.
Tim Dale, who operates a Critter Control franchise in Portland, has reduced the size of the flock by shooting fireworks into the air, but not all of them have been shooed away.
"They feel safe here, and now we're taking that safety away from them," he said. "They will be back to check it out next year, and we may have to chase them off once or twice. But they'll get discouraged and go."
The birds probably lost their previous roosting place due to development, Dale said.
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