Buzzards are pests

[Egon]

Rig up a motion operated sprinkler system?

Or

Motion operated Rap noise?? Can't call it music.

 

[Alan L.]

Buzzards are not pests. They perform a valuable free service. You need to determine why they are roosting near your house then eliminate the cause rather than the symptom.

Easy. They are roosting near my house because I have a 50 foot tower with an antenna on it, and I have a ridge about 20 feet in the air. I'm not sure how anyone can look at all the Buzzard %&^$ on the cooking equipment and not call them a pest????? Find out why they are here? I guess I'll ask before I shoot next time.

 

[Alan L.]

If this is the right bird, they don't eat just dead stuff.

Black Vulture - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) also known as the American Black Vulture, is a bird in the New World vulture family whose range extends from the southeastern United States to Central Chile and Uruguay in South America. Although a common and widespread species, it has a somewhat more restricted distribution than its compatriot, the Turkey Vulture, which breeds well into Canada and south to Tierra del Fuego. Despite the similar name and appearance, this species is unrelated to the Eurasian Black Vulture. The latter species is an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae (which includes eagles, hawks, kites and harriers), whereas the American species is a New World vulture.

It is the only extant member of the genus Coragyps, which is in the family Cathartidae. It inhabits relatively open areas which provide scattered forests or shrublands.[2] With a wingspan of 1.5 m (4.9 ft), the Black Vulture is a large bird though relatively small for a vulture. It has black plumage, a featherless, grayish-black head and neck, and a short, hooked beak.

The Black Vulture is a scavenger and feeds on carrion, but will also eat eggs or kill newborn animals. In areas populated by humans, it also feeds at garbage dumps. It finds its meals either by using its keen eyesight or by following other (New World) vultures, which possess a keen sense of smell. Lacking a syrinx葉he vocal organ of birds擁ts only vocalizations are grunts or low hisses.[3] It lays its eggs in caves or hollow trees or on the bare ground, and generally raises two chicks each year, which it feeds by regurgitation. In the United States, the vulture receives legal protection under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.[4] This vulture also appeared in Mayan codices.

That looks like them. And they are huge - much bigger than the turkey buzzards we used to have around here (who never roost around here).

 

[Bigfoot62]

I did not know that. What kind/size of animal are they able to kill? They are in my county but we have not had an issue .... yet.

Several times, I've lost newborn goats to buzzards. Once, I lost a new calf.

 

[Alan L.]

I will be willing to try the effigy thing, problem is getting a dead bird without going to jail, and then one of you need to climb my 50 foot tower to install it. I know a guy that does taxidermy on the side, maybe he can make a dead vulture out of something.

 

[bcp]

Maybe repaint a goose decoy. Make a plastic "wing" to hang down.

Bruce

 

[TomSeller]

Several times, I've lost newborn goats to buzzards. Once, I lost a new calf.

Wow. Now that I think about it, they probably flock in multiples and intimidate the mother?

 

[Western]

Alan, we have both the Turkey vultures and Black vulture in Texas. Turkey vulture has the white to grey (seen from below) that runs the length of the wings. The black vulture has white/grey at the wing tips. Black is also a bit smaller.

Alan, a dead crow (easy to get) might work.

 

[tom4018]

The black buzzards are predators I'm told by local cattlemen. They will attempt to eat a newborn calf live as its being delivered. I haven't seen this for myself. but more one person has told me this. The farmers kill them. The brown buzzards are harmless and are left alone. The blacks do congregate in large numbers. One bunch of about 100 used an abandoned school as a roost and made the neighborhood a mess.

Last year buzzards were attacking a live newborn here. Several people here have had that happen here, some are getting permits to kill them.

 

[dmccarty]

We are members of a pool in town. The pool is at least 30-40 years old and not the best facility but it is the only pool the kids can go too. There are only one or two pools in the county so while it may be old, it is the only choice in town. Literally.

One of the major problems that pool has had for years is vultures crapping all over the pool. The vultures roost in some nearby trees which are on a higher point of land which makes it perfect for the birds. They love the pool because of the water and they like to eat the any furniture with sun tan lotion. And by eat, I mean eat. They destroy certain types of pool furniture. The vultures crap all over the pool furniture, pool deck and in the pool itself. The life guards would spend hours each morning cleaning up vulture crap but they could not always get it perfectly clean. Eventually, the pool association got a sign off from the state and/or Feds to shoot some vultures. They then HUNG the dead vultures from existing poles and trees around the pool! :shocked: By the time I visited the pool I had forgot about the vulture treatment and I got a slight whiff of something dead. I looked around and saw the dead vultures hanging hear and there. :laughing::laughing::laughing: It kinds looked like a scene from a horror movie but the kids did not care.

Dead vultures hanging in trees made the vultures move on. :thumbsup: The vultures still soar above town and they never leave though they are supposed to migrate but they have left the pool alone. The vultures were also eating window gaskets on nearby government buildings as well as windshield wipers! :shocked: Tis absurd that such obvious pests could not be controlled without taking years of paperwork.

Later,
Dan