The Birds are Turkey Vultures

Remember The Birds,directed by Alfred Hitchcock, 1963? Well, Chatham, a small town in southern Virginia, not far from the North Carolina border, has a bird problem too. The birds are buzzards (turkey vultures, Spanish (Mexico): el Zopilote, Cherokee: Suli) [Link]
About 300 of the critters have taken up residence in the little village, to the discomfort of the human inhabitants.

Shooting a turkey vulture is out of the question as they are protected by United States Code Title 16, Chapter 7, Subchapter I , International Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.

Chatham Police Chief Floyd Poindexter: “The buzzards are nothing new here. They’ve just never been this close to residential areas. We don’t want them that close to residential areas.

"Why they like Chatham, I don't know."

Facts about turkey vultures you may not want to know (courtesy,TURKEY VULTURE FACTS, MAPS, and STATISTICS:

There is an important purpose to the vulture's bald head. When the vulture is eating carrion, it must often stick its head inside the carcass to reach the meat. A feathery head would capture unwanted pieces of the vulture's meal, along with all the bacteria it hosts. After mealtime, the turkey vulture perches in the heat of the sun. Here, whatever has managed to cling to the few bits of fuzz on their head will be baked off once and for all.

The turkey vulture is one of the only birds in North America with a sense of smell. This vulture relies both on its keen eyesight and powerful nose to search out food.

The Turkey Vulture, contrary to popular belief, does not feed strictly on carrion.
This bird enjoys plant matter as well, including shoreline vegetation, pumpkin, and bits of other crops. The Turkey Vulture soars above the ground for most of the day, searching for food with its excellent eyesight and highly developed sense of smell.

Non aggressive and non-confrontational, the Turkey vulture will not feed on live prey.

p.s. [Link]
to "Buzzards take over cell tower" at BoingBoing.


Watch for buzzards on bridge (click photo for larger view) courtesy Flickr