Staff photo by REID SILVERMAN
Black vultures are roosting in the trees behind the Wildewood shopping center in California, posing a potential threat to the pilots flying in and out of the nearby St. Mary’s County Regional Airport.
No planes have struck any buzzards around the St. Mary’s County Regional Airport, but the large scavengers are roosting nearby. That poses a potential threat to pilots.
So the St. Mary’s County Department of Public Works and Transportation is seeking to shoo the buzzards away. The vultures have been hanging around in back of the Wildewood shopping center in California where trash bins have been left open and are attracting the birds, said director George Erichsen.
There are plenty of trees around for the birds to roost in during the mornings and evenings. During the day, they ride thermal waves to glide around looking for carrion.
Their proximity to the airport, and the risk of collision, could endanger pilots who are flying small, single-engine plans in and out of the airport, Erichsen said. “They’re protected species, too. You just can’t shoot them.”
So the county agency is asking the businesses in the Wildewood shopping center to keep trash containers closed. The businesses are tenants. The shopping center itself is owned by SJS-Wildewood SC, based in Cherry Hill, N.J., according to the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation.
The hope is that if there is no easy food supply available from the trash bins, maybe the vultures will move off.
In addition, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources told county public works and transportation to hang a decoy bird near where the vultures roost, Erichsen said.
If they perceived that a large bird like an owl is infringing on their territory, the buzzards might move, the theory goes. There are other humane ways to encourage the vultures to move, Erichsen said, including loud sounds.
Black vultures have a wing span of 5 feet and have black faces.
Turkey vultures have a wing span of 6 feet and have red faces.
A 2006 newsletter from DNR said, “Contrary to myth, neither species of bird circle over dying animals. Instead, the birds soar for hours on thermals of warm air to conserve energy in flight. They will glide until reaching the altitude they need for observation of food.”
jbabcock@somdnews.com