Effigy Hung to Scare Vultures in Martinsville

With a vulture effigy now hanging from a tree on the corner of Perrine and Eastbrook roads in Martinsville, residents have reported seeing fewer birds flying overhead.

But resident Tom Friar said they still need to wait a little longer to determine if the hundreds of vultures making an appearance in the Martinsville community between November and April will be deterred.

“It’s too early to tell,” he said.

Friar has said he has counted up to 130 vultures perched on houses and trees in the areas of Perrine, Bittle, Davis Court and Weaver Drive.

But now, the residents have taken steps to get rid of these unwanted guests.

Nicole Rein, a wildlife biologist with the United States Department of Agriculture, visited the Martinsville section of town Monday to hang a vulture carcass, or effigy, from a tree in the area.

“It acts as a visual deterrent,” she said. “It’s hung by fishing line high up in the tree so it’s visible to birds as they are flying in.”

Rein said the carcass is hung at an unnatural position, usually upside down by its feet.

“When the vultures see it, it acts as a warning to them so they don’t want to use the area,” she said. “They feel uncomfortable.”

Residents from the Martinsville area originally reached out to the agency in January, Rein said, and she offered some techniques, including a form of noise harassment to scare them off the property. In addition, she said, she advised that they could put specific devices on their rooftops to keep the birds from perching there.

When those techniques didn’t work, Rein said, she offered the option of the effigy, which could be done with either a real vulture carcass or an artificial likeness.

The residents chose the real carcass, Rein said, which costs between $400 and $450.

As for the birds themselves, Rein said, they seem to be using the pine trees in the area, which is typical of vultures between November and April.

“They gather in large groups, and they are attracted to Evergreens because they offer protection from the elements,” she said. “From the feces underneath the pine trees and by the residences, they are definitely utilizing them as a night roost.”

“And during the daytime, they are on rooftops nearby,” she added.

Rein said it is usually a few days before the effigy takes effect and keeps the vultures away.

“I spoke to some of the residents since Monday, and they have noticed some vultures flying around,” she said. “But they haven’t noticed them on the rooftops like they had been.”

It usually takes about one to three days for them to disappear, with the numbers decreasing each day, Rein said.

The residents, Rein said, have been advised to leave the effigy in the tree until the end of the season in April, and they can simply cut down the fishing line in May.

Until then, Rein said, they should just ignore the effigy and monitor the situation.

“On other properties, sometimes the birds don’t come back in the immediate following year,” she said. “Sometimes they come back at another point in the future.”

“It does deter the vultures for this season,” she added. “They may just return in the future potentially.”