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Vultures Roost Riles Bartow Neighborhood

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By NATALIE SHEPHERD News Channel 8

Published: February 25, 2008

BARTOW - BARTOW - BARTOW - Southwest Bartow residents have been in a buzz ever since hundreds of vultures took up roost in their neighborhood.

Everyday, resident James Bruce sprays water on his roof and shouts in an effort to keep the birds away. The federally protected birds sit in groups in his trees, circle his house, and have even destroyed his property.

"They vomit all over the car and then they slip and slide all over the car and their claws just scratched the entire paint job to pieces," Bruce said.

The vultures are federally protected because they help eliminate dead carcasses from roadsides, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

To make things more complicated for residents, the entire city of Bartow is a bird sanctuary.

The city's code prohibits anyone from killing, maiming or annoying the birds, according to city attorney Sean Parker.

The 20-pound birds sunbathe outside of Erma McDonald's house.

"You can yell at them, but they don't care," she said.

McDonald has turned the hose on them too.

"It runs them away, but part of the time they wait a little while and a lot of them do come back," she said.

Then there's the smell.

"Pretty much all they eat is road kill, so that goes without saying," Bruce said.

The city will continue to look into various solutions, like getting a health, safety, and welfare exemption, Parker said.

Until then, you can say this Bartow neighborhood has gone to the birds.

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