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Re: Black Vultures as preditors




We raise sheep on our farm south of Monroe, NC and have black vultures that hang around year round. During lambing ( March of 2001) I came home from work about 4 PM to see a ring of approximately 20 black vultures around a ewe that had just given birth to twins. The ewe was trying to protect her lambs. When I got to her I saw that the vultures had attached and had begun to eat one of the lambs. I was able to save the other lamb. This was the first attack like this that I had witnessed in 10 years. It was a pretty gruesome sight. We probably don't have more problems because we are out in the pasture checking on lambs fairly frequently during lambing and most of our ewes tend to lamb at night. Vultures do not hang around when people are present and they are roosting at night.


I am not sure what sources to check but there may be something written on this in Bent's books on the natural history of birds or the state agricultural agency may have information on vultures as predators

Anne Olsen.

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Blayne & Anne Olsen
Monroe, NC
bolsen@trellis.net