Va's Vulture Fest now includes all wild birds

Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — An event once dedicated to celebrating Radford's black vulture population has expanded to cover more than 200 types of wild birds.

The gathering formerly known as Vulture Fest now highlights a variety of Virginia wildlife, particularly birds. In the event's fifth year, organizers have renamed it the Radford Roosting Festival.

Radford tourism staff as well as Radford University students put on the weekend festival to help educate area residents about conservation and preservation efforts.

Davis Rogers of the Wildlife Center of Virginia tells The Roanoke Times (http://bit.ly/y0tFwd ) that his center is encouraging hunters to use non-lead ammunition. Rogers says that ingesting animals that are killed with lead ammunition can be more lethal for birds than being shot.

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Information from: The Roanoke Times, http://www.roanoke.com