The Streets and Sidewalks are cleaned

The City came out today and cleaned the streets and sidewalk today. The sidewalks look good but the streets are stained.

The news was out in force today documenting the process.

Here are some scarey numbers...

Bird	Average Eggs	Breeding Cycle	Chicks	Adults	Total per Nest
Cattle Egret	4	2	4	2	8
Snowy Egret	4	2	4	2	8
Great Egret	4	2	4	2	8
Great Blue Heron	4	2	4	2	8
Little Blue Heron	4	2	4	2	8
Little Green Heron	4	2	4	2	8
Yellow Crowned Night Heron	4	2	4	2	8
Black Crowned Night Heron	4	2	4	2	8

Going off the norm that the birds have two breeding cycles this means there was an average of 8 birds per nest. Only 1/2 the eggs will hatch and the remainder will end up on the ground.

Tony said he has 50 nest per tree which is a total of 150 nest. This means he had 1,200 birds in his trees this year and 600 eggs in his yard. We did however have what are called "late comers" which would add another 600 birds and another 300 eggs.

So if the numbers work out right here is what Tony had in just his yard:

   150 Nest

1,800 Birds

   900 Eggs

What was the total of the neighborhood?

Animal Services

Well Animal Services said they have only picked up three adult birds this week - no babies!

They have picked up over 700 birds out of our neighborhood. This is just what they have found not what lies decaying in yards or in the trees. The neighborhood strays are all fat and sassy from the free meals that have been running around the neighborhood.

These guys and gals deserve a commendation for the hard work they have put in for our neighborhood. They put themselves at risk daily picking up the fallen.

The cleaning begins...

Well since the number of birds has  lowered we can start cleaning up after them. Everything has been covered with droppings, regurgitation, feathers and dead things.

It will be nice to get back to some semblance of a normal life. There has been no outdoor activities since March due to the birds.

There was another news article on the neighborhood regarding the infestation:
http://www.scntx.com/articles/2011/08/27/carrollton_leader/news/985.txt

The city's Neighborhood Advisory Committee is putting on a information session regarding the birds in November. I don't want all the responsibility for preventing this from happening again to fall to the residents. The City needs to step up and assist with prevention as well. They can train their employees to start looking and warn residents.

We are going to have a fight on our hands next year to make sure we do not go through this again...

Only a few left...

There are only a few birds left in the trees at night. Once they are gone we can clean up the streets. We still need to get the City to agree to let USFW to deter the birds from the entire city.

Wait...what is that...

Is that what I think it is? The sweet sounds of silence? I don't hear a thousand birds in the trees anymore. You don't feel like you have hit a brick wall of odor when you go outside. You can park your car out front again. We are nearing the end and the clean up can begin.

The dead are starting to fall...

Well at least some of them. Did you know that dead birds break apart when they hit the ground? I didn't, but I do now...

The Weather Channel and Washington DC

Well we made it to Washington DC or at least on a blog about our neighborhood.

http://www.wjla.com/blogs/weather/2011/08/texas-city-losing-the-battle-of-the-egrets-video--12398.html

Where are the bird lovers???

We have heard so many times that everyone is afraid to do anything because of the out cry of the bird lovers. So where have they been?

Have they been coming to the neighborhood to rescue the many fallen? The answer to this question would be a resounding NO.

Have they shown up at any City Council meetings to make sure they do nothing to endanger the birds? The answer to this question would also be a resounding NO.

Have they answered any emails in our pleas for help not only for ourselves but for the birds? The answer to this question would also be a resounding NO.

The only negative comments I have seen are from the individuals who are sitting in their nice clean neighborhood surfing the net. They have no idea what it is like to live in a rookery, the smell, the disease, the dead things everywhere. They have no right to comment as far as I am concerned.

I have not seen any true bird lovers come to the rescue of the fallen...I have not seen them at all.

In honor of school starting again...What I learned this summer

I have learned how to tell the difference between all the Heron and Egret species that have taken roost in our neighborhood.

I have learned the nesting habits of the Heron and Egrets.

I have learned that a nesting area of Heron and Egrets is called a rookery.

I have learned the definition of rookery is also what the slums of London were called in Victorian times. Living in a rookery is like living in a slum.

I have learned about all the debris that comes with a Rookery such as droppings, regurgitation, broken eggs, dead fish, dead frogs, dead snakes, dead birds, twigs and insects.

I have learned about the different stages of decay of the debris in a rookery.

I have learned that dead birds will hang and decay in the trees.

I have learned the impact of over 40 days of 100 degree temperatures on a rookery. It bakes everything.

I have learned the impact of constant traffic on the debris in a rookery. It creates a powder that becomes airborne and coats everything.

I have learned about all the diseases associated with a rookery.

I have learned about the environmental impact of a rookery. It kills all vegetation under the nest and the air is un-breathable.

I have learned where Denton County Health stands in regards to the health of their residents. They deemed it a personal heath risk. They have no concern for the safety or health of the residents.

I have learned that the CDC is a regulatory agency. They will happily send you documents regarding the diseases.

I have learned that TCEQ will not get involved if there is a federally protected bird creating the problem.

I have learned that FEMA will not get involved if there is a federally protected bird creating the problem.

I have learned that the EPA Environmental Justice will not get involved if there is a federally protected bird creating the problem.

I have learned that TPW is not the agency that handles the Federally Protected Birds. They will refer you to USFW

I have learned that USFW is the agency that is responsible for the birds but can only follow policies and issue permits.

I have learned that USDOI is the agency that sets the policies regarding the birds. There stance is to let the individuals suffer and tell you to consider the birds.

I have learned that this has been allowed to go on for over 30 years which is to long.

I have learned that this is not happening just in Texas but Oklahoma and Arkansas. Why have the states not banned together to get this resolved for their residents?

I have learned people have lost their business and homes because of the birds.

I have learned that people have lost their lives and health because of the birds.

I have learned that the Cattle Egret is not from this continent. Why is it listed as a protected species?

I have learned that it is endangering species from this continent by eating them. It is creating this problem in Hawaii and California. Why has no one reached out to these states to get the law changed and protect the native species?

I have learned the Cattle Egret is a problem at commercial as well as military airports. Why has no one reached out to get assistance in getting the law changed?

I have learned that it is listed globally as an invasive species. It is causing problems on all the continents it has spread to.

I have learned that USDA\APHIS made recommendations in July 1991 to USFW regarding changing the status of the Cattle Egret. The recommendations were for population control to be conducted and laws and treaties changed.

I have learned about the Mute Swan which is another species that is not from this continent. It was removed from being a protected species due to the environmental and economic impact it was creating.

75% of the birds in our trees were Cattle Egrets. If they were not protected we would not have had as many birds. The native species might not have even roosted in our neighborhood if they would have had space in their natural habitat.

This is what I have learned this summer…

Follow up story by NBC 5

The news came out and did a follow up story regarding our neighborhood.


http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Carrollton-Plans-Egret-Clean-Up-127903118.html

Friends were in the area

Some friends of ours were in the neighborhood and wanted to stop by and visit. Unfortunately due to their immune system and the current conditions in the neighborhood I had to tell them no. I did not feel comfortable having them over knowing what disease are in our neighborhood.

The decomposing birds in the yards and trees. The fact the birds are not tested for salmonella since they are known carriers. The fact it has all baked in over 40 days of over 100 degree heat. Pulverized by constant traffic down the street daily. As one neighbor put it "powdered chicks".

I could not in good conscience have anyone come over to our home on purpose. I have not had any friends or family over since March/April. How sad is that...

The streets have been cleaned...

Only by God...we finally have gotten rain! After 40 days of over 100 degree heat, several months of accumulation of debris we get a little break. There is still droppings on everything since it was baked on from the heat. It is just not as much right now. We still have birds in the nest so we can't do anything until they are gone. Hopefully by the end of September they will be gone and the clean up can begin.

The dead aren't falling...

There are currently 5 dead birds in the trees just on our street. This is what we can see from the ground. How many more are decaying up in the trees that can't be seen? Once again how is this not a health risk?

Is the Goverment Slum Lords?

Is the goverment slum lords? If you look up the defination of rookery it is what the slums were called in Victorian London. The Rookery that has been out my front door makes my neighborhood feel like we are living in a slum. The noise from the birds at dusk is loud. The odor from the droppings, regurgitation, dead birds, dead fish, dead snakes, dead frogs and broken eggs. The yards, sidewalks and streets are covered with it and have been since March. We have also had 39 days of over 100 degree weather to add to all of it.

Documents from Goverment Agencies regarding Cattle Egrets

This was writer is from the US Department of Agriculture / Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service / ADC - which is who USFW report to. Their own officers states: The USFWS needs to recognized the economic, health and nuisance problems created by this invading species and consider management operation including population reduction as well as changes in treaties, laws and polices. It was written in 1991!

http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1177&context=icwdmprobe

Here is another one written by USDA regarding invasive species

 

12 Invasive Predators: a synthesis of the past,

present, and future

“…if all the animals and plants of Great Britain were set free in New

Zealand, a multitude of British forms would over the course of time

become thoroughly naturalized there, and would exterminate many of the

natives.” Darwin 1872

William C. Pitt

1

Station, P.O. Box 10880, Hilo, Hawaii 96721;

National Wildlife Research Center, 4101 LaPorte Avenue, Fort Collins,

Colorado 80521

12.3.2 Birds - Cattle Egrets

1 and Gary W. Witmer2USDA/APHIS/WS, National Wildlife Research Center, Hawaii Field2USDA/APHIS/WS,

Poor dumb people...

Poor dumb people who care more for the birds than the humans. They think because of what the City of Carrollton did in 1998 that the birds had to find another place to roost.

Here's a question - where have they been since 1999? It was not in my neighborhood so this is not their natural habitat.

The Cattle Egret is an INVASIVE species World-wide. Why is it classified as naturalized and allowed to destroy our Continent? What a bright idea from USFW/DOI.

The birds do not belong in a residential area - it's not good for humans or birds.

Another neighborhood is hit...

Here is another neighborhood that has been impacted by the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/A-Dallas-Neighborhoods-Fowl-Problem-126938813.html

The neighborhood has gone to the birds...

I wish I would have had a video camera last night. There were so many babies running around the neighborhood Animal Services came out three times. They bagged six in net on one of the neighbors entryway. When they caught all the ones they could the see and pulled down the street all the ones that were hiding came out.

Some of the other neighbors have been calling Animal Control to pick up the birds.

The fallen have taken to the streets

Well since the neighbor quit calling Animal Services for every fallen bird they are now wandering the streets and alley's. There are a few dead on the streets as well as in the canopy. Email's have been sent to the Audubon Society with no response.

Found out the City Attorney told the Council not to vote to help us or they would be liable. No one is going to do anything until the birds are gone.

The trees look deceiving...

Well the experts think the birds will only be in the trees another 2 to 4 weeks. I think the experts are wrong there are still babies. The young in the trees that are falling out still have down on them.

They all come out and look at the nest during the day. To get the full impact they really need to come out in the evening. That is when they have all come back for the evening to roost.

The neighbor who had been calling Animal Control to pick up the fallen birds has thrown in the towel. He will no longer be calling so there are several young wandering the neighborhood. It really changes your perspective when you are forced to live in this situation.