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'I just want them to go away': Vultures swarming in some Midlands communities

Vultures by the dozens are swarming in parts of the Midlands, including in Forest Acres and Cayce.

CAYCE, S.C. — Residents in parts of the Midlands have reported a large number of vultures in their yards. 

One Cayce resident said more than a dozen vultures sit on her roof and in her yard every morning. 

"There’s been a whole bunch of them. They’ve been everywhere," said Cayce resident Amanda Bracy. "One time I came out and they were underneath the carport, on the roof, outside in the yard and on the roof of the house next door."

Bracy only recalls seeing a few, typically during winter, but this year, the numbers are much higher. She said the birds have been around for a few weeks, and have already destroyed some of her property. 

"I am almost positive they’ve been destroying the roof on this house," Bracy said. "They’ve also chewed the rubber off of my daughter's scooter that’s usually outside, and some of the rubber that’s on top of my truck."

RELATED: Florida vacation home invaded by vomiting vultures

Bracy said she's walked around her home and her neighbor's home looking for reasons why there are so many buzzards, like dead animals, but she hasn't found anything. 

Bracy said, at one time, she thought her trash cans were attracting them to her home.

"They'll just be sitting on top of the trash can," Bracy said. "So, I started keeping the trash in the house until it was time for them to pick it up on Mondays, and then I would bring it out. Last week, the trash people actually couldn't even pick up my trash because the birds had it all over the yard. So, I had to come out, pick up the trash, and then it had to wait until this week for them to pick it up." 

The winged invaders have also shown up in the Forest Acres community. 

"I’ve had residents call, they’ve had anywhere between 10 to 50," said Forest Acres Police Chief Gene Sealy. 

Sealy said they have a solution to get rid of the buzzards. 

"Bird Bangers, so to speak, kind of like a blank or a firecracker, and we can shoot them around the roost areas in the evening and morning, to scare the buzzards away."

RELATED: Forest Acres using 'loud bangs' in effort to drive out buzzards

ALERT 🚨 Buzzards are gathering around homes along Ponte Vedra Drive. 💥In an effort to divert them out of town, the...

Posted by City of Forest Acres on Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Starting on Thursday, residents of Forest Acres can expect to hear loud pops around 7:00 p.m. 

Sealy explains people are not allowed to kill them, because they are federally protected. 

RELATED: North Carolina scientist tells chilling vulture stories, efforts to save critically endangered species

If vultures start to appear in your yard, you are encouraged to reach out to your local natural wildlife center.

To learn more about vultures and how you can remove them from your home, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources has created an information sheet for the public. CLICK HERE.

RELATED: Researchers investigating why black vultures are killing cattle in Indiana

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