They’ve tried pyrotechnics, lasers and even fake vultures.
But Gwinnett County’s 18-month bid to shoo away a flock of 250 vultures at Rhodes Jordan Park in Lawrenceville has proved fruitless. Now the county will close the park, and possibly the Briscoe Field airport, for three days this week as federal officials launch a more sustained effort to get rid of the birds, which pose a safety hazard to aircraft taking off and landing nearby.
They say they will kill at least five of the birds in the process.
The plan has ruffled feathers among some bird lovers. Sherry Rhodes of Loganville wishes there were an easier way to relocate the birds. She has lunch at the park three or four days a week and enjoys watching them.
“They are just interesting to watch. They circle in the sky over the park at times, and they will circle for hours like they are really enjoying it,” she said. “They have never tried to attack anyone. They are just there hanging out, basking in the sun around the lake.”
But Gwinnett officials say the birds have got to go.
“Our goal, first and foremost, is stewardship of public lands,” said Mark Patterson, conservation parks operation coordinator for the Gwinnett Parks and Recreation Department. “The idea behind this was not just something that was cooked up overnight. We’ve spent well over 18 months trying different alternatives. It really boils down to the need for creating a safer flight zone for the airport.”
The problem became noticeable 18 months ago: dozens of vultures roosting in the park, near the eastern end of the Briscoe Field runway.
The park covers 162 acres off East Crogan Street. Patterson said the birds – which are known for feasting on dead animals – likely found a steady supply of garbage, dead fish or dead animals to eat in the area, maybe in the park, maybe just close by.
About 15 of the birds perched on lights above the tennis courts Monday morning, black, ugly and unflinching in a steady light rain. Flying from pole to pole, they kept watch over the lake, the trails, the playground, an eye out for their next meal.
The vultures “have been designated and identified as a potential safety issue for the airport,” Patterson said. He was not aware of any specific incidents that have occurred, but he said they could cause serious damage to aircraft.
Gwinnett contacted the U.S. Department of Agriculture and asked the agency for help.
From 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday – just as the birds are settling in to roost – the USDA will use pyrotechnics in an attempt to scare them away. The county will close the park during the operation and at times may close the airport.
“Animals find a niche, and a niche is essentially a place where they can meet their requirements for food, shelter and space,” Patterson said.
Unless conditions become too uncomfortable, they’re not likely to leave the park, he said.
The birds are protected under federal law, but the county has a permit to kill up to five birds. The USDA could kill more, if it deems it necessary.
Some residents wish there was another way.
Karen Zimmerman Burkenpas of Lawrenceville loves to photograph the vultures, geese and other birds at Rhodes Jordan.
“It is upsetting to me that up to five of the birds have to die,” she said. “I know they tried hanging fake vultures to the trees in order to get them to leave, and it was unsuccessful. I don’t have the answers.”
But not everyone will be sad to see the birds go. Lawrenceville resident Jai Jordan said she’s been walking at the park with her Yorkie for the last two weeks or so. She was surprised to hear of the park’s new avian squatters.
“I’d be lying if I told you that I’ve seen them out here, because I haven’t,” she said. “But that’s kind of shocking, only because their fecal matter carries some type of disease. So I don’t really want to be around all that. Not with my dog.”
About the Author
