Vultures cluster around school

NORTH CANAAN — Like a scene from the Alfred Hitchock film, “The Birds.� That’s how the situation at North Canaan Elementary School was described by some onlookers.

About 70 large, black vultures have taken up residence for months now on school grounds. They congregate in one particular tree, and appear to be seeking the heat that comes in from air handlers and chimneys on the roof. They also perch on the playground swing sets, sitting in rows across the top bars (The expert opinion on this? Perhaps that birds just want to have fun?)

The latter location has prompted action, with the planned installation of bird spikes, which are V-shaped rods that keep the avians from perching.

“It’s become a health issue,� Principal Rosemary Keilty told the school board at a meeting last month. “It’s very messy. We have to hose down the swing sets.�

As school board members shuddered, she went on to tell of attempts to learn about and deal with the birds.

The black vultures appeared one day around the beginning of winter.

Wendy Miller, the education program director at  Sharon Audubon, surmised the birds may have been attracted by the relatively large amount of heat given off by the building. They also like evergreen trees, which are plentiful in the wooded area behind the school. They are migratory, and may have decided to spend the winter here, choosing North Canaan as their roost.

They are likely to just up and leave suddenly on their own. But that’s the only way it appears the school will be able to get rid of them.

Miller advised the school that the birds are protected by law. The same word came from the state Department of Environmental Protection: Nothing can be done that might harm them.

Black vultures are close to, but not the same as their cousins, the turkey vultures that are so well-known in these parts. Both have a wingspan of around 5 feet. They can weigh up to 5 pounds, making them imposing creatures (especially with their menacing stares).

They are scavengers, seeking out small, dead game and road kill. But when easy pickings, such as garbage, are available, they are willing to set up close quarters with humans.

Black vultures usually inhabit the southern United States and down through South America. But their population is expanding, and so is their range.

School staff are now being diligent about keeping outdoor garbage bins closed. Keilty will never forget the day the side door on a Dumpster was left open and she happened to be the one to discover the vulture enjoying lunch inside. Up close and at eye level, she said, they are truly frightening.

Keilty said parents have been sending all sorts of information to the school, in an attempt to help remedy the situation.

So far, there have been no incidents, and no reason to expect the vultures pose any threat beyond the mess from their droppings. Generally, they fly back and forth between the trees and the roof, but have shown curiosity toward humans at the school.

“When children go out for recess, they seem to be attracted by the activity,� Keilty said. “It’s obvious they are watching.�

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