ORANGE COUNTY, Fla — An Orange County neighborhood has been dealing with an invasion of vultures and the damage the scavenger birds are leaving behind.
Hundreds of black vultures have been circling the Tudor Grove at Timber Springs gated community, walking on the roofs of homes and blocking sidewalks with their extended wings, CBS affiliate WKMG reports.
Residents told WKMG they think the vulture invasion is due to development encroaching on the birds' previous habitat.
"It sounds like there are rocks being dropped on our rooftop," a resident of the neighborhood told WKMG. He estimates 200 to 300 vultures live around the small subdivision.
Residents say the birds have been very destructive. A neighborhood couple says they've spent more than $1,000 replacing pool screen enclosures torn by the vultures' sharp talons and damaged by the weight of the birds, according to WKMG.
According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials, Black vultures are protected as federal migratory birds. A permit is necessary to kill or capture them, though one is not necessary to "'harass' or otherwise disperse or discourage vultures from using areas where they may be a potential threat to livestock."
WKMG reports wildlife control service contacted by residents quoted a $1,050 remedy. The couple reportedly proposed the remedy to the homeowners' association management company. The HOA announced two months later it wouldn't be addressing the vulture issue, according to WKMG.
"We certainly sympathize with the homeowners most adversely impacted by this phenomenon as these folks are our fellow neighbors, and began investigating options to address the problem," officials with the Tudor Grove at Timber Springs Homeowners Association said in a statement to the news outlet.
The HOA board members claim they contacted a biologist and after learning decoy deterrents might not be a guaranteed solution, decided against the effort.
The board president also told WKMG the HOA is "not responsible for the removal of any natural nuisances."
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