FELTON, Del. (WBOC) - It's a story that's for the birds - a whole lot of birds.
The Chimney Hill Development in Felton has a big, bad bird situation. It's turned into not just a home for people but also turkey vultures. And the uninvited guests are there in numbers that have to be seen to be believed.
James Sullivan has his eyes to the skies in the mid-morning Thursday as turkey vultures circle above.
"It looks like a scene from the movie The Birds," Sullivan said.
And Sullivan says their numbers have been growing in recent months.
"I lost track," he said. "There are at least 100 birds."
The vultures have no natural predators, and their primary defense is vomiting - a vomit that smells terrible.
They often land on the neighborhood roofs. Many of them can be on one roof at a time. That makes them more than just a nuisance.
"There are several people in my neighborhood that have said that they have had property damage to their roofs they've had to call out to get repaired," said Sullivan.
"I've had my roof fixed at least three times because of the birds," said Carol Peterson, who lives next to Sullivan.
Peterson said she wants to get rid of the turkey vultures and during a neighborhood meeting wildlife experts suggested shining a laser pointer at them, among other techniques. But so far nothing has worked. Sullivan said that includes air horns.
"It doesn't make them leave the neighborhood. It makes them leave from one roof to another roof," he said. "We were told that if you harass the birds eventually they'll go away. They'll get tired of being harassed. That hasn't been the case."
Harassing may be all these neighbors can do. Turkey vultures are a protected species. They're listed in the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
"You can't harm them in any way. But they can harm us," Peterson said.
For now the birds remain and so does this neighborhood's frustration.
