Spotted this yesterday, in the neighborhood,

[mahatmakanejeeves]

7. Vultures take over Leesburg neighborhood

Vultures take over Leesburg neighborhood

Crystal Owens Jan 9, 2013

For weeks Leesburg resident Allyson Camp would drive through Tyson's Corner on her way home from work and see vultures soaring in the air. ... Not an uncommon sight in Northern Virginia. ... But Camp had another thought: ...
"They reminded me of the flying monkeys in the "Wizard of Oz" and I thought 'they're going to my house,'" she said.

Truth be told, they very well could have been. ... For weeks, Allyson Camp and her husband John Camp watched as dozens of black and turkey vultures roosted in the trees behind their Mayfair Drive home. The results weren't pretty to say the least. ... Ivy along the couples home is now white from the birds defecating in their yard and their fence needs repairs.

These vultures, up to 250 a night, have taken over this southeast portion of Leesburg – stripping bark off trees, eating rubber off roofs, cars, hot tub, pool and boat covers and destroying grills. Lawn furniture tends to be a favorite treat as well. And their excrement is acidic – enough to eat the paint off cars.

Vultures have highly acidic stomach liquids and urine which helps in their role as scavengers but contributes to the damage they can cause, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. ... "At night you can hear them up on the roof. They've stripped the bark off the pine trees. The sound is bad … and the drippings, they're just horrible," said Sarah Corde, who lives in the home behind the Camps. "We have people that just drive up and down the street each night to look at them."

The Camps finally got enough of the vultures shenanigans and called in the feds. ... On Jan. 7 a large crowd gathered along the street to watch officials with the USDA scare off the birds, firing blanks, pyrotechnics, lasers and other devices into the air as the vultures came home to roost.

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