Black vultures terrorizing Pennsylvania town

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Scores of pesky black vultures are ruling the roost in one unlucky Pennsylvania town — harassing residents, wrecking homes and coating entire trees with their droppings.

The birds, with wing spans up to five feet, have terrorized the town of Marietta in the past, but one resident told LNP that this year is the most extreme.

“This is the worst year,” John Enterline told the newspaper. “There are many more of them.”

In colder weather, the vultures prefer to roost atop dark roofs, leaving a mark in their wake.

Residents in the town, located on the Susquehanna River outside of Lancaster, have reported the birds have pecked at their roofs, porch furniture and garbage cans.

Trees are also almost being completely covered with their white droppings.

“I mean pure, pure white,” one resident told the paper.

Deterrence options are limited as the black vulture is protected under federal law.

But Harris Glass, the Pennsylvania director with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services department, told the newspaper that the best way to rid the area of birds is to harass them back.

Residents seem to be heeding that advice, banging on pots and pans, as well as lighting fireworks, to clear the birds.