Photo Album: Bird control in Seaside Heights, NJ
Vultures in New Jersey
When I arrived on the scene, I observed three vultures sitting on the peak of the roof. Both turkey and black vultures are a protected migratory bird species and they cannot be killed. With bird control, the objective is to make your property inhospitable to birds, so they move elsewhere. We change their behavior by installing a variety of deterrents depending on the type of bird infestation and the specifics of the property. There is no single bird solution that is right all of the time. Yes, there are vultures alive and well in New Jersey! In fact, we have two types - turkey vultures and black vultures. Turkey vultures, whose bald red head and dark plumage resembles wild turkeys, are historic residents of the state. Black vultures are a more recent arrival from the southern states. Vultures do a lot of good. They help our ecosystem by feeding on dead, decomposing animal carcasses (carrion), and reduce the risk of disease and contamination from rotting animals. If our road maintenance crews don't quickly remove roadkill left behind on our busy New Jersey roadways, these birds are an effective clean-up crew. A group of these scavenging birds can make quick work out of even a 200-lb deer. Interestingly, because a group of vultures feeding on a dead animal look like they are holding vigil beside someone who has recently died, the group is called a "wake" of vultures. With their highly developed sense of smell, vultures can smell rotting carrion from over a mile away. They have exceptionally strong beaks to tear away flesh and create a pathway inside the body cavity to access all of the "goodies" inside. They can eat decomposing flesh and organs that would make most other animals sick because of their highly acidic stomach acids. These acids are also their primary defense mechanism. If threatened, vultures will regurgitate its rancid stomach acids, not to mention its stomach contents, onto an intruder (and you thought skunk spray was bad!). A vulture's bald head allows it to get in the body cavity without having animal pieces stick to and mat down its feathers. Afterwards, these birds urinate on their legs and feet to kill any bacteria from the dead animal. (When around potential health hazards, wildlife technicians prefer to use personal protective gear. Also, just because urine is good for vultures, contrary to what you may read on the Internet, urinating on a wound or a jellyfish sting is not helpful.)
Shock Track installed in Seaside Heights, NJ
I installed shock track along the entire peak of the roof. These tracks gives off a low-volt shock. It does not take too many shocks to "encourage" the birds to no longer can use that area to rest.
This roof will be vulture-free after installation of our deterrents.
After I finished, I spoke with the client. He was so excited for these birds to be gone. Vultures are bad for business. Customers coming and going don't like to see something so closely associated with death. It's like being greeted in a store by the neighborhood mortician! With these deterrents in place, this business owner will no longer have to worry about these unattractive birds hanging around and causing damage to his roof or scaring away potential customers.
Dadi Long Legs installed in Seaside Heights
I also installed a "daddy long leg" to the chimney area. Bids are attracted to chimneys (and dryer vents for that matter) because they are attracted to the warmth. This device spins around with the wind and discourages birds from landing.