Vultures are a nuisance, but a protected one
I had seen a few black vultures around and I knew I did not want to keep company with them. I contacted my nephew, a county extension agent, about how to deter their presence. The first thing would be to harass them to discourage them from staying.
Then one morning in October, I counted 40 black vultures on our barn roof, the old silo and the grain bins. It was kind of spooky. I hollered and waved my arms and they flew away. The next morning there were only about half that number so I repeated my harassment and they left again. Now, I am not naïve enough to believe this will be a permanent fix, but for now they are not here.
You are likely more familiar with the turkey vulture, commonly known as the buzzard. Turkey vultures are a large black bird with a bald red neck and head and are valuable to the ecosystem to clean up dead animals. Turkey vultures soar through the air and have a keen sense of smell to locate dead animals. Black vultures also have a black body, a bald dark grey head and are a stockier bird. They flap their wings as they fly and do not have a keen sense of smell so they follow the turkey vultures to feed on dead animals.
Black vultures are native to South and Central America and southern United States. They have a long-life span. The oldest on record was a 25-year-old bird found in 1965 in Louisiana that had been banded in 1940. The black vulture population has increased in Ohio in recent years. They are aggressive and attack and kill newborn farm animals in fields. They have been very destructive in some cattle farms in southern Ohio.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services states, "Harassment and husbandry practices can prevent damages before they occur and should be implemented as soon as vultures are observed on your property. The goal is to discourage the birds until they decide to move to another area." This statement continues on with further information on how to deal with black vultures.
Black vultures are federally protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty of 1918. They cannot be killed nor eggs or nests destroyed without a Migratory Bird Depredation Permit. These permits are free for the first year and can be obtained from Wildlife Services. A dead bird or a fake bird hung in effigy will deter the birds from coming around. It is legal to harass black vultures with loud noises or other methods to make them feel unsafe or uncomfortable.
Iris Eppley is a member of the Farm Bureau Council.
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Vultures are a nuisance, but a protected one
