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.