'There's no perfect solution.' Pontiac City Council talking turkey

Erich Murphy, Pontiac Daily Leader
Updated ·3 min read

Residents of Pontiac have been dealing with the seasonal occupancy of turkey vultures for at least two decades, and once again, it has become an issue that has drawn the ire of residents in a particular neighborhood.

The matter was brought up at the city council meeting Monday. It came about after a phone call from Hanna Lane to City Administrator Jim Woolford.

At issue is the mess being created by the birds in the 300 block of West Moulton Street, particularly in front of Lane's residence at 319 W. Moulton and at the residence at the corner of Moulton and Oak streets.

“Back when I was with the police department, we discussed how to mitigate these vultures,” Woolford, a former chief and officer for Pontiac Police, said. “The research showed using lasers. We came up with a program where we loaned out lasers to residents to try and harass the birds. A problem with Moulton Street is that they are so high up and the leaves block the lasers from getting to them.”

Five turkey vultures sit in a sycamore tree on West Moulton Street in Pontiac. The birds have been causing problems for residents in the neighborhood.
Five turkey vultures sit in a sycamore tree on West Moulton Street in Pontiac. The birds have been causing problems for residents in the neighborhood.

There are five sycamore trees where these birds are nesting. Four of the trees are on Moulton in front of the residences at 319 and 323 W. Moulton. The fifth is around the corner at the 323 Moulton residence on Oak Street. All are on city right-of-way property.

Woolford told the council Monday that this has been an issue for 20 years and Streets Superintendent Chris Brock said a problem was noted in a Daily Leader article in 2009.

Lane explained the primary problem she has dealt with has been the droppings produced by the large birds. She included having to miss work a number of times because her children would be hit by droppings and she needed to clean them cleaned up.

“We're putting a lot into our home,” Lane said. “We have an upcoming neighborhood. We have young kids all over our block, and they're just continuing to pile in.

Two other residents of the neighborhood also commented.

“We've dealt with these since '09 and before,” Nick Lauritsen, a Moulton Street resident, said. “You're not going to get rid of them. We've tried decoys. We've tried everything. … They aren't going anywhere.

“Please, by all means, take your next city council down to Moulton Street and sit there and have to deal with the smell we deal with on a daily basis.”

Turkey vultures soar over the 300 block of West Moulton Street in Pontiac. The birds have been causing issues in the neighborhood.
Turkey vultures soar over the 300 block of West Moulton Street in Pontiac. The birds have been causing issues in the neighborhood.

Among the options the council looked at included cutting down the trees, but it was pointed out at various times by Woolford, City Attorney Alan Schrock and Mayor Bill Alvey that taking down the trees did not mean the birds would go away.

He pointed out that one way is to get the birds to perch elsewhere by cutting down the trees or putting up decoys, which would be effigies of dead turkey vultures. One problem with the effigies is that the sycamores are too tall for the city to be able to hang decoys. It would be rather costly to do this, and it would likely have to be done annually.

The decoys, or effigies, can be purchased through the USDA at approximately $400 apiece, Schrock said. They are constructed with some actual turkey vulture parts, such as feathers.

“The financial implications are what they are,” Woolford said. “Mitigating the problem creates a problem somewhere else, and we're rolling the dice on where that would be.

“There's no perfect solution.”

Other options simply are not viable. Woolford pointed out that these options include sprinklers, lasers, loud noise and pyrotechnics.

In the end, council decided to vote to remove the trees to see if that helps with the issue of the birds. The city will then replace the trees one-by-one.

The five sycamore trees along West Moulton Street in Pontiac are the home to a number of turkey vultures. The vultures have been wreaking havoc on the neighborhood, which was brought to the attention of the city council at its meeting on Monday.
The five sycamore trees along West Moulton Street in Pontiac are the home to a number of turkey vultures. The vultures have been wreaking havoc on the neighborhood, which was brought to the attention of the city council at its meeting on Monday.

This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Pontiac City Council votes to remove trees to get vultures to leave