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Re: Black Vultures as preditors
- To: carolinabirds@duke.edu
- Subject: Re: Black Vultures as preditors
- From: Blayne & Anne Olsen <bolsen@trellis.net>
- Date: Sun, 26 Oct 2003 14:23:24 -0500
- Delivered-to: pardo@metalab.unc.edu
- Organization: Trellis Technologies, Inc
- References: <LAW12-F58oC7DSM6UkE00012040@hotmail.com>
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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.
--
Blayne & Anne Olsen
Monroe, NC
bolsen@trellis.net