Turkey Buzzards Influx
I am very concerned about the hundreds of big black Turkey Buzzardsthat are roosting in the trees in the area west of High Street, near 5th Street, and can be seen mornings setting on rooftops, in trees, on fences, and in the air. These animals droppings are toxic to vegetation, and may contain disease, and in the least, are frightening. I encourage anyone who has seen these nuisance birds to call the Warren County Board of Health at (908)-475-7960 (Office hours: 8:30 am to 4:30pm) to report where and when they were seen, and to ask for help to disburse the birds to some other location. The birds are a "protected species" so you cannot do anything much other than to try to "shoo" them away, but they return to roost where they wish, quickly, because they are not timid animals. Please take pictures of them to document your sightings, if possible, to show the Board of Health inspector, if he tells you he will be there to inspect. The birds fly off to feed during the day, and it is possible none will be in evidence if he makes an inspection during the middle of the day.
E. Richards 
I see them all the time throughout Warren Co. I had no idea that they should be reported if they are hanging around in groups. For those not familiar with the species, here is a pic.
Calico696 Just don't go knock on someones door and tell them about the birds. It didn't end well for that other guy...and you sound a lot like him. ;)
Josh I have seen them near my home for years and years here in town. While creepy looking up close, I think they are kind of cool.
Is the health department requesting residents to call when these sighting occur or are you suggesting it?
Greg these birds have been in the neighborhood for years and roost in many of the larger trees. They may be a bit creepy but have been harmless and certainly not a nuisance. How about we just leave them alone and let them do what nature selected them to do.
pumpkin43 Maybe E. Richards should move someplace urban where he/she will not have to worry about interaction with wildlife.
I believe the birds are black vultures.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black_Vulture/id
Interesting - they are commonly referred to as buzzards, but their correct identification is vulture although the two names are commonly interchanged.
I once rescued (and was able to release) an injured black vulture. Raptor Trust warned me that when startled, the vulture will spit up what's in their gut....and it is NASTY. Luckily, we did not experience that.
Instead of being so damn fearful - get out your camera and take some amazing photos of this majestic clean-up crew when they perch up high and spread their wings in the morning sun!
honey badger Greg - Good question. I hope the OP answers.
pumpkin - I agree, unless what the OP says is true and the health dept. wants them reported.
I have seen many of them in the pine trees at the curve of 4th St. Very noisy too! Also in general seem to be more crows or grackles around than there used to be.
hktownie I've had them landing in my backyard and neighboring trees for the first time this year and quite simply I go outside make loud noises (clapping, etc) and they fly away.
Bonv These birds are in their natural habitat why call animal services? That's terrible.
Htown987 What is the source of concern about these birds? Are they doing damage to the homes? Or are they simply roosting at night?.If you shoo them they will only return. I have tried it and it doesn't work.
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pampurr Plus if you shoo them and they get scared they will regurgitate what is in their stomachs and we all know they eat roadkill so that would be gross.
Be thankful they are there to dispose of animal carcasses. They do a very important job of devouring decomposing animals. Thats why God created them.
LVres Leave them alone. They are part of what should be enjoyed in Warren county- the natural world. What is left of it. :) That is why many of us live here.
A good dayI tend to agree with most of you about leaving them alone. but if there's "hundreds" of them, that's a lot of poop to deal with on your property. not sure many of us would want that. if you want to call me a city folk go ahead but I wouldn't want to deal with that in my backyard. :(
"The vultures kill trees in roosts by breaking branches and defecating and the smell can be overwhelming. "The birds defecate at night," Seamans continued. "They defecate in the morning. They can coat areas with excrement. When they get upset, they'll vomit, so all the garbage they're eating comes out.""
https://web.archive.org/web/20070808025828/ http://lib.colostate.edu/research/agnic/birds/vultures/roostspropertydestruction.html
darwin 
Flapjack Lol Flapjack :) I have only seen them around my house when there is a source of food. They clean it up and then they are gone again. I agree, we live in Warren County and should be used to seeing these things. Maybe it is a fact that their excrement could be dangerous and cause disease. Isn't it the same for many other things such as mice, bats, roaches, etc? I know we have plenty of those in our town some of which live inside many of the homes. I have yet to hear a story where people have gotten sick or died from it. Of course I'm not saying it's not possible or shouldn't be a concern. I am just wondering if we need to go as far as removing these birds from the area entirely?
JRT Vultures are both highly social and intelligent. They flock. Like geese or starlings, it's part of their normal behavior. They will roost together at night. It is not uncommon to see them in groups, especially in the morning and early evening hours.
I also would love to know if the health department recommends calling when you see a flock of turkey vultures.
Aquarius There is a large fine if you try to shoot them...They are there to do a job. Yes, they freak me out, have nests and roost in my barn. Some mornings there are 12 or more on the roof, then they go over to the church across the street. I toss food out for the wayward cats...kind of enjoy watching these huge birds have conversations over it...
Jo Anne Turkey Buzzards aka Turkey Vultures do damage homes and property; these vultures will peck on roofing shingles and rubber gaskets around car windows, or any other rubbery type products they find around. One of my neighbors was told yesterday by a roofer who was giving them an estimate for a roof that he saw evidence of shingles being chewed. The birds' droppings can kill trees and other vegetation. They do carry bacteria, and do willfully regurgitate as a defense mechanism when disrupted.
The Board of Health supplied the following numbers to call, to report animal nuisances (including vultures): NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife @ (609)-646-9310 and the USDA Office for NJ @ (866)-487-3297.
Having lived in NJ for nearly 60 years, I can honestly say this year is the worst for the increased number of vultures in this neighborhood, way out of proportion to the few that would be necessary to clean up carrion in this neighborhood.
Just leave the poor birds alone. They were here way before we were. They don't bother anyone. I think they are pretty neat to watch.
Gurtie Enough already. Vultures, bears, fox,coyote.....
Let 's kill 'em all off to please the humans. Friend, your time will come as the planet gets more and more f'ed up by humans. Leave the vultures alone.
Could have been squirrels that chewed the shingles too..They are all over the neighborhood, this year more so than ever, and I live in the same area you do. And what exactly are the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife supposed to do? Fire a cannon off?
The buzzards will not even be here much longer. They never stay year round. They normally show up around October, do their thing and will move on shortly.
E. Richards is entirely wrong about the droppings:
Turkey Vultures have a terrific digestive system, which kills any bacteria or disease from the carrion they eat. Their droppings (poop) and pellets (thrown up bones and fur) are disease-free. Vultures are very important to the environment, because they clean up dead animals and make it so diseases are not spread.
I have never seen them pick at roofs or cars, they just sit on high places, clean themselves, then sleep.
MK Is Alfred Hitchcock Filming another Movie......but in Hackettstown? Birds 2 !!!.
LittleRascal mis information makes for panic , fear and confusion.
Read before you post ill informed comments about animals and negative things you think they do..
Gods creatures all have their own beauty and purpose ...
Steven I don't have all the answers, but here goes. This is the same flock of black vultures, about 150 that roost on the metal high tension pole in the fish hatchery spring through fall near home depot. Seems they change roosting locals when the cold weather hits. I had some complaints this fall from residents along Lawrence and Mitchell worrying about pets and awnings. I spoke with the USDA reps and they had some suggestions. I attempted to haze them with little success trying to move them along. I will touch base with them again and see what their thoughts are coming into the Spring. Numbers have been growing and they don't seem to have a predator. Everything needs to be managed. We do have a federal depredation permit and if deemed necessary by USDA we can remove a few from the flock. I will run through the neighborhood this week and see if we can move them along.
Fishmaker1 
Took this last year at the Washington Township municipal building on a cold day. Guess they were keeping warm:)
Blackcat How do you know it is the same flock of Vultures, Fishmaker 1? How do you plan on removing a few of the flock? And what method do you plan to use to "move them along".
For goodness sake leave them alone. Please don't do anything Fishmaker. Many of us appreciate the presence of wildlife.
yeah, remove some deer on hatchery property before you worry about birds! Defoliation, car accidents, and Lyme's disease threats from deer concern me much more than the vultures.
They roost in my neighbor's big evergreen trees on Fifth Street and Stiger Street..They are not bothering anyone.
I find it rather interesting seeing them all collected in the one tree on Prospect. Very Harry Potter, Whomping Willow.
ladeevee A good day - That's spooky, right there. LOL
I love animals as much as the next person, but if a population of anything gets too out of control it needs to be managed or there can be serious side effects.
Anyway, I hope pumpkin43 is right and they move on shortly without the need for intervention.
Waiting for the games to start at the HS field. Couldn't capture the trees above where the rest of them were watching.
They come every year in the winter and move on early spring. Never any issues with them and it is a sight to see when they are in the sun stretching their wings out and basking.
If you have a few minutes check out Wikipedia for black vulture information. There are some interesting facts.
Gadfly I like buzzards.
Always a pleasure watching them in their 100s riding the thermals over Mt Lake in the summer.
There are two kinds of Vultures here in NJ. There are the ones commonly referred to as Turkey Buzzards and the American Vulture. The Turkey variety is in the photo above and have red skin around the eyes. The American vulture is a bit smaller and has blue/black skin around the eyes.
I can't imagine how bad the smell would be if we didn't have these natural garbage, (carrion) disposal units!
4paws 
This was on my neighbor's balcony last Halloween. So cool and her cats sit on balcony with door open. The vulture just hung out and the cat made the sound of wanting to eat the bird. LOL
Natari They are certainly making a mess at this guy's place in Belvidere.
http://www.wfmz.com/news/news-regional-newjersey/bird-is-the-annoying-word-for-belvidere-man/41442722#.V8Y13QDGQsc.facebook
Counted around 8 in and around Washington and Moore. One is spread out on top of the Episcopal Church. From what I can tell, they are trying to stay warm. Mostly sitting on chimneys. Never seen them in large numbers unless they are feeding.
Mikeve They are Nature's Garbage disposal units! Just think of the mess and stench if they didn't do their jobs!
jennymc They are all over the area around M&M's on Rt 5l7 then back into the development across the street.
Make all the noise you want but they come back to their favorite trees.
Our neighbor had a professional come and they hung a stuffed vulcher in the tree. We have not seen one settle in our trees but they fly thru the tree and leave. Also, If you top off the trees they sit in, they will leave also. Anything is expensive.
They make a real mess wherever they settle. Last year I had to throw out the cover over my utility trailer when Spring came. The tree overhung this and I could not keep this tarp for another time.
Bernie You are right 4paws. They really do a good job cleaning up anything dead. They are to lazy to hunt.
Old Gent Our property is a mess. Fence, ground, deck, and roof are all white washed from their vomit and it smells badly. I will gladly call Warren County.
Countryside All vulture species perform very important ecosystem services and actually PREVENT the spread of disease. As another commenter stated, vultures have very sophisticated digestive systems which eliminate any disease spreading bacteria. If you get rid of the vultures, crows and other animals which feed on dead animals would take their place in eating those dead animals however, crows and other birds etc cannot eliminate bacteria as vultures do and could in turn increase the risk for certain infectious diseases including rabies. I have done extensive peer review literary research on the ecosystem services that vultures perform and the consequences to public health as many vulture species across the world have been threatened or endangered.. A status which has been created due to misconceptions about these important species like the ones stated falsely in the creation of this post.
Envsci They sit on all the chimneys by our house to keep warm. Never had a problem. They are protected birds so leave them alone. We threw some old steak and ham out there and watched them feed - quite impressive. For the record, when a group feeds together they are called a "wake", when sitting in the trees they are called a "committee" or a "volt", and when a group are circling they are called a "kettle".
There are lots of them over on Mansfield village if you want to see a large flock. They'really creepy and cool. You
They are all over the trees and parking lots in the back of the complex.
Laughalittle Well maybe some of you can do some more research! You can't shoot them because they are birds of prey.. it's illegal! BUT you don't want them roosting in you back yard or on your house... Their feces(poop) contains bacteria and parasites that can be harmful to your pets and children. When you have 50+ birds roosting near your home they should be reported. It can be an environment concern. For all of you tree huggers who think you should leave them alone ... Maybe do some research before being rude to the individuals who have to deal with them on their property.
Steve33 Steve33- you're right.. SOME people should do more research. Here's a link from a wildlife conservancy which states how their feces actually does NOT contain bacteria.
http://www.loudounwildlife.org/blog/2013/09/vultures-myth-buster/
I have a few that I feed. Table scraps will attract them. There are two youngsters that come within 10 feet of me; as I wiggle expired lunch meat for them to eat.
I love to watch them go through their pecking order, whilst they peck and tear at the turkey carcass I always throw to them. They pick it clean, and sometimes they eat the bones.
They have a powerful sense of smell too! One day, I cleaned some fish, and threw the scales and heads and some skin, out in the back of my yard, and within 3 minutes, I had 30 or so Vultures cleaning up the mess. When they were done, there was not a fish scale or fin to be found. Everyone was happy, and I didn't have one maggot in my garbage cans.
Embryodad Embryodad: I don't want the Vultures on my property. And I am not alone on this thought
Do all the research one might want to do BUT they are a "dirty" bird.
Get a Life. Take up a different hobby than feeding these birds your garbage!!!!!!
"Some" get all smoked up. Aye?
That bird, is cleaner than "SOME" humans. After doing some research! !!!!!!!! "How's zat!"
Remember, its the early ( or is it the Dirty Bird, ) that gets the worm?
Jcann1 
I thought there was a murder at Mountain Lake this morning.....
turns out it was just a wake. ;)
SueR 
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