Second thoughts on picking up the phone...

How sad is it when you have second thoughts on picking up the phone to call Animal Control. If it is one of the 10% who live it is one more you will have to fight next year. If you don't call that will be one less to fight off next year.

One of the adults had been hit and was dead in the middle of the road. Someone asked how do you miss such a big bird. I told them you don't. After you have had to live in a situation like this for months it really changes your attitude.

28 days over 100 and counting

We have officially hit 28 days of over 100 degrees! There are more to come. The official temperature on Wens is suppose to be 107.

What kind of impact is this having on the birds? What kind of impact is this having on the debris the birds have created?

It pretty much bakes the droppings on anything they are on. It is also prime weather for some bacteria and fungus cooking.

How is this not a public health risk?

A problem for 30 years...

In doing some more research I have found out that the birds have been a problem in residential areas for over 30 years. US Fish and Wildlife Services have let these birds reside in residential neighborhoods for years uncontested. This has been costing US Tax Payers thousands of dollars in cleaning supplies, water bills, medical cost and some individuals their homes, businesses and lives.

A few birds show up in a suburban neighborhood and the residents have no clue what is about to happen next. Then more birds show up, then a few more birds show up until the trees are full. The residents plead to the City and County for help only to be told "the birds are protected." The residents reach out to the State Wildlife Services only to be told "the birds are protected."

Then you reach out to USFWS only to find out since they have laid eggs you are to late. You might be one of the lucky ones who finds out early enough to file a permit. However by the time it gets approved it is to late since they have already laid eggs.

Next you get to hear about how they won't be there for that long. It will feel like a extremely long summer because as the days wear on and the debris accumulates you will no longer be able to go outside. You will also hear that they will be gone in August. According to all the documentation I can find from reliable sources they will not leave until late September or early October.

You will also be told to consider the birds they do add a benefit to the environment or they lost their natural habitat. This is all a lie to try and make them feel better about putting you in a bad situation. A majority of the birds will be Cattle Egrets. They are from Africa and have no natural predator in the United States. In some states they have become the predator endangering natural species.

The law and regulations need to be changed so no one else needs has to suffer through this ever again.

The City's that I know have been impacted by the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918:

Carrollton, TX 1998, 2005, 2011
Royse City, TX 2011
Ennis, TX 2011
North Dallas, TX 2011
San Antonio, TX 2011
Taylor, TX 2010
Cedar Hill, TX 2010
Pleasant Grove, TX 2010
Wichita Falls, TX 2009
The Woodlands, TX
Van Buren, AR

How is this right?

Everyone keeps tell me it is up to my City and County to help me out. All they are doing is picking up the dead and injured birds. The City Manager has gone from being "committed to clean the streets" to "he might clean the streets".

Don't the citizens pay his check? Isn't he suppose to do what is best for the citizens of the city he works for? Isn't he given his post by the Mayor and Council? Aren't the Mayor and Council citizens? Aren't the Mayor and Council elected by citizens?

Falling from the trees...

I just called Animal Control to pick up two birds, one live baby and one dead juvenile. Two more babies fell while he was en route. Then we noticed another one that was running around in the alley.

He picked up the dead one out of the street, two more out of the grass we didn't see and four live birds.

Now I just looked out front and there is another dead one on the sidewalk and a live one that fell while I was looking.

How is this a good situation for the birds? How is this a good situation for people? Is it because it is out of site and out of mind? They get to go home to nice, clean, quite neighborhoods and we get to live in the bottom of an aviary.

Sounds of the neighborhood

Here is a video my husband did at dusk. This is after most of the birds have returned for the night. Take a listen to what we have had to hear every night since March. Take note of the spots in the trees that look like webs - each one is a nest. The white stuff floating is not bugs it is feathers. Wouldn't you like to wake up to this everyday? We have two to three more months of this to go...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsH4t6kaxWI

Why do the birds have more rights than the people?

Why do the birds have more rights than the people? I am asking this question because this year my neighborhood was invaded by Heron and Egrets. The beautiful 37 year old oak trees that canopy our streets are infested with several hundred birds. We have been prisoners in our own homes since May and the birds are not supposed to leave until late September or October.

In February and early March there were just a few. Then in April the numbers grew as well as the neighbors’ concerns. We started calling the City of Carrollton asking for help with the birds. We were told there was nothing that could be done the birds are protected. One neighbor was told to “get a hose and have a good time.” Another neighbor told a City representative he could not go out and check his mail barefoot anymore. He was told “go get some shoes”.

The neighborhood kept calling asking for help and the response was a pamphlet from Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPW) titled Nuisance Heronries and a letter left on our doors. In the pamphlet the last sentence of the first paragraph states: “However, this beauty and concern for population well-being cannot completely over shadow other management needs in certain circumstances where these birds strongly conflict with human needs.” This sentence is also quoted in the letter from the City and on their website.

The second paragraph in the pamphlet list several diseases the birds are known carriers of such as psittacosisornithosis, histoplasmosis, encephalitis and arbovirus. We then contacted the Denton County Health Department concerned for our health. An Epidemiologist was then sent out to evaluate our neighborhood. We were advised by Dr Bing Burton the Director for Denton County Health that our neighborhood was not a public health risk. It is “considered a personal health risk like smoking or being overweight. “

We were asking the City to clean the streets if there was nothing we could do about the birds. They told us they could not clean the streets due to the high level of nitrates in the bird’s droppings. They said if the droppings went into the storm drains which emptied into the pond it would kill the fish. They would be fined by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). So I called TCEQ and spoke with a representative who contacted the City on our behalf. They advised the City on how they could safely clean the streets. I did ask what the difference was between the rains washing the nitrates into the pond vs. a person. It is considered a natural occurrence so no one would be fined.

The City then said they could not clean the streets because if a bird fell out of the trees they would be fined. I contacted TPW who advised me what I could do next year and to call the County Game Warden. The County Game Warden then advised me what I could do next year and to contact the local office for US Fish and Wildlife Services (USFW).  I contacted the local office for USFW and spoke to Adam Henry.  He advised me what I can do next year. He called the City on our behalf to advise them it was okay to clean the streets. The intent is to clean the streets not to harm the birds. If they were really concerned they could file for a depredation permit or ask for him to be around when they cleaned the streets.

A majority of the birds are Cattle Egrets which are considered a parasitic bird. This means they will push the eggs of another out of the nest to lay their own. The siblings will also push each other out of the nest to get more food. Our streets and yards are littered with broken eggs. Animal Services have picked up over 500 birds in our neighborhood that have fallen from the nest. A majority of these birds have been dead and out of the live ones only 10% survive. This is only the birds that have been found. It does not take into account the ones that are decaying hidden in yards and landscaping. Nor does it take into account the ones that have been carried off by local strays or wildlife. The birds are also known carriers of salmonella which they spread to each other in close contact. According to the document from USGS National Wildlife Health Center they are showing the classic signs for this disease. It also helps contribute to the high chick mortality rate.

Due to the high number of birds the dander and feathers in the air make it look like the neighborhood is filled with Cottonwood trees. Yards, roofs, pools and anything outside is covered with the dander and feathers. The ammonia levels due to the bird droppings are overwhelming. It burns your eyes, sinus and throat in both the front and back yards. I contacted the Texas State Department of Health Services regarding my concern. Several of the residents are having respiratory issues that are not normal for them. I received a call back from Juan Rodriquez the Epidemiologist with Denton County that had evaluated our neighborhood. I advised him I was going to the Doctor for my sinuses over the weekend. He said he would call me back and follow up, which has never happened. I then called TCEQ regarding the air quality in our neighborhood. I received a call back and was told since the problem is being created by a federally protected bird I needed to reach out to my City or County for help. There was nothing they could do for us.

We were told by the City that several others communities have dealt with the very difficult conditions our neighborhood is experiencing. A news article we were sent by a City official talked about a home in Oklahoma and a business in Waco that had to be abandoned because of the birds. There are currently Heronries or Rookeries in our front yard, Ennis, Royse City and San Antonio, TX. Last year they were in the cities of Pleasant Grove and Taylor, TX. OSHA has a specific document for cleaning bird droppings and the proper gear to wear. There are CDC documents regarding the diseases the birds carry. In Oklahoma there is a document advising the proper gear to wear when in a rookery. The agents for USFW are tested yearly for histoplasmosis. There is documentation of people falling ill or dying from being in or near rookeries.

These birds roosting in or near neighborhoods have been a problem for well over 30 years. The Cattle Egrets are originally from Africa. Since they flew from South America to North America they are considered naturalized by USFW. There are no natural predators for the birds so there numbers keep growing. There is even an article in Berkley California regarding Cattle Egrets eating a native species where its status is now listed as threatened. The other Herons and Egrets that are natural species are losing out on valuable natural habitats in having to share with a species that does not belong.

I have written the our State Representatives, the Governor, Senators, Congressman, Directors only to get letters back stating sorry the birds are protected. I do not understand why hard working Americans are expected to sacrifice their health, business and homes for the birds. It is extremely hard to watch all you have worked so hard for being damaged. I do not think the intention of law by our forefathers was to put citizens at risk.

Why are you expected to put your families’ health at risk daily with diseases that are not curable and sometimes fatal? Why is it okay to leave a roost in the middle of a residential neighborhood? I have been unable to get answers to these questions. This situation should not be allowed to happen to anyone. I am amazed that the problem has been allowed to go on for so long that it is considered the “norm”. There is nothing that is the “norm” about have several hundred birds out your front door.

Emails from the City Manager

We keep getting reply emails back from the City Manager that they are doing everything they can for the residence of our neighborhood. We do appreciate the representatives from Animal Control putting their health at risk daily in picking up the dead birds. We really would appreciate our streets to be cleaned to give us some relief. Since we were misinformed by individuals who know what the federal laws are from dealing with the birds in 1998, 2005 and on their own personal property. The least they could do is clean the streets to give us some relief from the ammonia.

We keep getting told that many other citizens in different cities have endured this hardship before. That doesn't make it right or mean that we should have to suffer too.

This City Manager is more worried about his paycheck and raises than the Citizens of the City he is suppose to serve. Just my opinion...I am sure there are others who would agree with me though.

DFW Urban Wildlife

This article was written on our neighborhood. We did not solicit this, it is very well written and the pictures speak for themselves.

http://dfwurbanwildlife.com/2011/07/18/journal/july-18-2011-chamberlain-drive-rookery-death-toll/

Street Cleaning

Turns out the City of Carrollton did have a Power washing Company hired to clean our streets. They cancelled them though when they found out a City Employee/Vendor became ill two years ago cleaning bird droppings.

I had a feeling the letter they left on our doors early June with the Haz Mat instructions was prompted by someone falling ill. My suspicions have been confirmed.

Question: If it is not okay to put City Employees/Vendors in harms way why is it OK to put us?

So far 16 days of over 100 Degree Heat

The birds started showing up late February early March. The numbers grew in April and have continued to grow. They are now on round two of babies.

Keep in mind a majority of them are gone during the day and return at night. Think about it we have 5 months worth of accumulation of droppings, regurgitation, broken eggs, dead fish, dead frogs, dead snakes and the occasional missed bird by Animal Services. Now add in 16 days of over 100 degree Texas heat.

You can't go out front, you can't go out back, you are a prisoner in your own home. You just hope the seals on your home hold so it does not come inside.

But remember boys and girls, according to Dr Bing Burton from Denton County Health this is a choice - like smoking or being overweight.

Email from the Office for Migratory Birds

Please tell me what sense this makes - I have to take the birds into consideration for loosing their natural habitat. Really! The Cattle Egrets have not lost their natural habitat - they don't belong. They were either brought over by a Rancher who thought it was a good idea or they hitched a ride on a Transatlantic Ship. They have no natural predators here - as a matter of fact they are preying on a natural bird species in California which is being threatened. They are also pushing out the Heron and Egrets that do belong here.

Here's a thought - there might be enough natural habitat for the species that do belong if the Cattle Egret was not here. Just saying...

Animal Control

This is too funny not to post...the Animal Control Officer was called out tonight to pick up some stragglers that have fallen out of the nest. Since the Egrets come back at night to roost there are alot of them in the trees. He is on our street in a rain slicker with the hood up!

Dr Tuggle's Office with USFWS

I received a call today from Jerry at Dr. Tuggles office. He said they need our address so they could send a letter. I asked him if it was another "sorry sucks for you there is nothing we can do letter". It is...

I told him about the number of birds that have been picked up off the street. This was cruel and unusual punishment. The fact we can't go outside with mask - we are prisoners in our own homes.
I told him I knew there was a grant to pay for the USFWS Agent to come out and scare them off next year. Why is there no grant to clean up after them? If we are forced to live with them which is not our choice why do we have to pay to clean up after them? Why do we have to absorb the cost for something that has been forced on us??

and the numbers are...

Did I mention we are about to hit the 500 mark? That is the number of birds that have been picked up off the streets. We are currently at 476 birds - a majority of them were dead. It really is 477 because now there is a dead one in the alley. I am unsure if he fell out of the tree in back or wandered into the alley.

Isn't it great what we are currently living with? This is just the babies that have fallen out of the trees - there are still several more up in the trees.

FEMA

I tried calling FEMA today to see if they could provide any assistance. Well it is a Federally protected bird that is creating the disaster in my neighborhood.

Guess what answer I got...there is another law that makes this outside their jurisdiction.

What a surprise...NOT!

On to the next goverment agency to see what other kind of answer I can get.

City Council Meeting 07/12/11

Here's what I said tonight...

Good Evening Mayor, Council and City Staff. I am here again tonight to speak about the bird infestation of our neighborhood. We have spent yet another summer outdoor holiday prisoners in our own homes.

I emailed the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality regarding the air quality in our neighborhood. The ammonia levels due to the bird droppings are overwhelming. High levels of ammonia are hazardous to humans, especially with prolonged exposure. It can cause nausea, headaches, eye and skin irritation, fatigue, breathing issues and trigger migraines. Alisa Taylor called me back and stated because the problem was created by a federally protected bird it would fall to the City or our County Health Department to assist us.

I also left a message for Dr. Shelly Stonecipher with the Texas Department of State Health Services regarding the air quality issue in our neighborhood. I then received a call back from Juan Rodriguez with the Denton County Health Department. I advised him several of the residence are experiencing respiratory problems. The dander and feathers in the air from the birds make it look like we have Cottonwood trees. I advised him I was going to see my Doctor Saturday due to my sinuses. He told me he would call me back Monday to follow up.

I have a sinus infection with a sore inside my nose which I have never had before. I have also had a migraine for over a week. I never received a call back from Mr. Rodriguez which only confirms again that our cries and pleas for help are falling on deaf ears.

I am quite frankly amazed at the lack of help or concern for the residence of our neighborhood. Everyone seems to be more concerned with the bird's rights over the tax paying citizens rights. Most of the birds aren't even supposed to be here - they are and invasive species. Everyone keeps hiding behind a law that was not intended to cause harm to humans.

In the pamphlet you left on our doors from Texas Parks and Wildlife the last sentence of the first paragraph states: However, this beauty and concern for population well being cannot completely overshadow other management needs in certain circumstances where these birds strongly conflict with human needs.

I still don't understand how our current situation does not strongly conflict with human needs. How is extreme amount of droppings, regurgitation, broken eggs, fish, frogs, snakes, dead birds and insects not conflicting? Our current living situation is quite frankly cruel and unusual punishment.

I want to leave you with a quote from Edmund Burke to think about tonight when you go home to your nice clean and quite neighborhood. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

Punishment...

Our current living situation is cruel and unusual punishment.

We are being punished since our neighborhood doesn't have the $250k and up homes.

We are being punished since our neighborhood doesn't have high voter turn out for Municipal Elections.

We are being punished due to the income demographics for the neighborhood.

We are being punished for being hard working, tax paying citizens.

We are being punished for being foolish enough to believe our City or Goverment officals would help us.

Baby Heron

Well we have two of the baby Heron who keep trying to fish in the pool. Good thing they can fly or they would be dog toys. The pool and yard look horrible with all the feathers.

A friend told me with out me saying it "you guys are prisoners in your own homes". Why are our rights being overlooked for a bird that is an invasive species?

TCEQ's position on the Air Quality in our neighborhood

Well I received a call today from a woman at the TCEQ in charge of air quality. Guess what they are hiding behind? You guessed it - the birds! Because the problem is being generated by birds which are federally protected it is out of their hands. She had spoke with Scott Hudson and they are doing everything they can for us. I told her they City is not helping us they keep hiding behind the law that protects the birds. She said I could appeal to our County Health Officials. I advised her they are not helping us either they are stating this is a personal health risk not a public (like smoking or being overweight per the director). I am so frustrated that everyone keeps hiding behind this law.

What about the people? The @#$% birds are not even from here, they don't belong. Why are they protected? There are articles about people having to abandon their homes because of these birds. When is it going to be enough?

A little light reading on the effects of Ammonia on Humans

Inhalation of large quantities of ammonia causes immediate burning of the throat, respiratory tract and nose. As a person is exposed to larger quantities of ammonia, he or she may start to feel lightheaded and faint. Ammonia levels less than 1ppm (part per million) are deemed harmless. Levels greater than 25ppm cause nausea and headaches. Breathing in concentrations of ammonia greater than 300ppm can lead to death.

Excessive exposure to ammonia causes eye and skin irritation

 

Individuals with weak immune systems, allergies, asthma and other health conditions--such as migraines--are especially susceptible to the risks associated with ammonia inhalation. Low concentrations of ammonia (50ppm) also cause rapid eye and skin irritation. Prolonged exposure to a higher concentration of ammonia may cause permanent eye damage--or blindness--and skin burns. Children are most at risk for eye and skin problems resulting from ammonia inhalation due to their lower body-weight ratio as compared to adults.

Inhalation ammonia causes tracheal burns, nasopharyngeal, alveolar edema, bronchiolar edema and airway damage--leading to respiratory distress or malfunction. Continual ammonia inhalation causes olfactory adaptation and fatigue. Presence of low levels of ammonia is difficult to detect accurately, delaying corrective action and medical care till serious damage has set in. Asphyxiation results in enclosed areas or those that are poorly ventilated.

Inhaling small to medium quantities of ammonia causes cough, phlegm and leads to shortness of breath. Inhalation of ammonia irritates the airways of the lungs, making it difficult for an individual to breathe easily. Coughs that bring up phlegm are an indication of a respiratory infection.

I wonder what the levels are outside???

Happy 4th of July

I called the non-emergency line due to the fact there were 3 dead and 1 live bird. The operator tells me that no one will be out due to the holiday. Really! So we get to spend the holiday with dead birds out front. She said yes. I fired off a email to the City Staff and Council regarding my call to the non emergency line.

I went out front to take pictures of the birds and the Animal Control Officer showed up. He said the operator was wrong he is one of the officers who is scheduled to come down the street twice a day. He picked up the dead birds and the live one too. There is already another one who has fallen from the tree...

Ammonia...

Here's something I am unsure if anyone has thought about. What effect is the ammonia in the bird droppings having on air quality? From what I am reading it can burn your eyes, sinus and esophagus.

The white part of the bird droppings is the ammonia. It is how their digestion works. Once again how is this not a public health threat?

Round two of babies...

I do not care what the "experts" say about the @#$% birds only have one set of babies. They are working on round two and they have started falling again. I told them they were still building nest.

What is it going to take to get someone to realize the people are more important than the birds? I truly believe it is because of our income level, municipal voter turn out and the neighborhood demographic.

4th of July Weekend

This is the 4th of July weekend. A national holiday to celebrate our independence. Everyone gets together, swims, BB Q's and several other outdoor activities. For my family it has always been a big celebration.

Not so much this year...we can't go out front. We can barley go out in the back yard. The pool has a nice layer of feathers. The yard is covered in feathers. I have to wear a mask when I am outside. The stench from the birds can be smelled in the back yard. I am terrified my dogs are going to get sick but they have to go to the bathroom.

The City of Carrollton should be ashamed of themselves for forcing us to live like this...it is hazardous to our health and property. I will not be someone who goes away quietly and they will be reminded of this for years to come.