Good morning, Welcome to the Big Outdoors News Radio seven hundred WLW Cincinnati, the home of the best Bengals coverage and of course the Cincinnati Reds and basketball basketball basketball. I'm not even a basketball fan. I don't even understand the game, but there are a lot of people to do, and we have a lot of it around this town, which is great to carry people through.
At least the first quarter of the year.
So recently in the news in this neck of the woods down here in Cincinnati, we had a die off of the black vultures and Amelia at I forget the name of the Catholic school, but nonetheless, it's just coincidentally. It already scheduled this gentleman to be with me to talk about the black vulture, which I guess it has
now an very expanded range. But nonetheless, it was just something I wanted to get to because it's been affecting There's a lot of issues with the livestock industry and various other sundry other I guess groups are out there that are out there and they're much more noticeable of course on our roadways, cleaning up the deer we hit and the possum we hit the raccoons, we hit the rabbits, we hit and everything else. And you got to have a breakfast club out there, quite frankly, to you know, clean.
Up the mass. So but I bring in Tommy Butler.
He is an assistant direct to a District Supervisor with the USDA Wildlife Services here in the Southern District, Ohio. Tommy, Welcome to the big outdoors. And how are you.
Well? How are you?
I'm doing fantastic.
So we met at the Farm Science Review, which is big agricultural events sponsored by OSU up.
In the London, Ohio.
And and you were there with the USDA, and you had a couple of brochures out on the table. One that caught my eye was on the black vulture damage. So if you could, and I think I had some me on from University of Kentucky a couple of years ago we talked about the black vulture. But they certainly have become more apparent, or maybe it's because I've gotten a different appreciation for our breakfast club out there. But nonetheless, they were they were never I guess native to this area.
They they I guess had their range has expanded from South America, and I guess the southern States into into this part of Ohio.
Yes, sir, So you know, black vultures weren't necessarily super concentrate here in state of.
Ohio for a long time.
They're there's been sightings of black vultures in Ohio for one hundred years or so. Okay, in the last in the last twenty years or so is when we started to, you know, see that population really expand. And now here in the state of Ohio you can find black vultures basically in any county in the state. I'll say, you know, Southwest Ohio certainly had probably has the most, but nobody's out there, you know, counting them. We don't have an exact number or anything like that. That's just kind of
observation on my part. But yeah, right, there's a ton of black vultures in Ohio. Now.
So the turkey vulture, which was our prevalent vulture since I mean since I can remember, and they apparently do migrate south and when does that kind of start. But you know, even this past summer or in the last fifteen years, I've not seen the numbers of turkey vultures that we used to. And it's like they were overtaken by the by the black vulture.
Yeah, I don't. So he reports that, you know, theory that maybe black vultures are displacing turkey vultures, and I don't see a whole lot of evidence of it. I think what really happens is is black vultures are.
Here in Ohio year round.
So it seems like there's more of them because we see them year round, where the turkey vulture in Ohio is pretty pretty like clockwork with with their migration here. So they usually migrate out of the state right around Halloween, first week in November, depending on where you're at, and they usually come back in you know, late February, early March, so they're gone for several months and then we were left with black vultures.
And so a pair.
But is was climate change the reason for their range expansion or is there really no reason that anybody could put a finger on.
There's there's a few theories, and there's kind of a several theories on why they've expanded. Warmer winners could certainly, you know, you could point that direction. They're a southern bird, it's a little bit warmer, you know. You one would think that would be helpful for them, but I think more importantly would be habitat So they are a woodland
edge species. They do like the forest. They roost in trees, so over time, you know, Ohio has become more forested after you know, initial European settlement and then the fanning of DDT. Yeah, the infect side was bad for birds, and so you know, they can play on eggs now and have successful nests. And of course they are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, so they are afforded some protection by the US Fish.
And Wildlife, but not in all instances. And we'll get to that after the break. But I also want to just bring in a little discussion about the die off of Amelia, and we'll do that at the end, but I want to want to talk about, actually, you know what what kind of damage the black vultures do and you know, I guess what communities it really affects. Chip Hard The Big Outdoors News Radio seven hundred WLW Cincinnati back in a moment.
Hey, we're back the.
Big Outdoors News Radio seven hundred l W Cincinnati, home and the best Bengals coverage in the Cincinnati Reds And with me this morning is Tommy Butler, Assistant District super for the us DA under Wildlife Services. And so Tommy, for those out there, we'll get to the Amelia die off in a bit, but for those out there, what kinds of problems uh that you know, do does the
black vulture create? Which I guess the turkey vulture was never much of a problem in that in that same respect, So and then that involves you guys with the USDA under Wildlife Services. So so what what issues are they you know, do they create for the various communities out there?
Yeah, here in Ohio we kind of split it into two categories of black vulture damage. The first being property damage. So black vultures when they congregate in these large roofs and stuff, they can they can cause damage to things like rubber roofs, vehicles, whether they're stripping on windows, whether it be cars or houses.
Things like that.
Soft things they like picking it rubber and plastic and that can cause roof damage and people can get you know, pretty big damage bills for for black vulture damage.
So that's one.
Category and which I help people with often.
The other category is livestock.
So black vultures will kill young livestock basically while they're being born or shortly thereafter. So it's a it's a it can be a big hit to you know, local farmers livestock industry when we're you know, while livestock's prices are high right now, so it's a big loss to lose like a calf for example.
Yep.
That's how we split it up in the in the livestock and property. And we do have a unique situation with the livestock program and that we can help people give them you know what we call technical assistance, give them advice on what they can do.
On the farm to help prevent the black.
Vultures, but also that can get elevated at the point where we can help them get permits to lethally remove some vultures.
Are you getting more call? Are the calls coming?
Say, the number of calls vary depending on where what part of the state you might be in, or I guess, in that case of livestock, depending on you know, what counties are heavily born into livestock than crops.
In twenty twenty five, I think we've done you know, livestock permits for people in over.
Half of ohioest counties real heavy.
I think the most permits we've had are not too far from Cincinnati there in Highland County is kind of ground zero for a lot of permits, and it's kind of due to there's a lot of vultures in Highland County and there's a lot of livestock in Highland County, so when you put those two things together, it leads to conflict. Adams County is another one, kind of down the area that the kind of same boat as Highland County move over to the eastern part of the state.
Jackson is another one, and then I think Guernsey County would kind of be that top four, top five counties here in the state.
But anywhere from the Ohio River clear up to.
Lake Erie, we've helped people get permits.
I guess.
I guess being more living, I live more rurally these days than anything else, and I'm seeing more and more And maybe that's because of obviously I'm out with the lot where the livestock are contrary when I grew up or even up to fifteen years ago, so maybe that's why I'm noticing more. But nonetheless, the flock seemed to be fairly large size in comparison to what the turkey vultures used to be. I mean, these things flock in huge numbers.
They do flock in larger numbers than turkey vultures do a lot of times when people see turkey vultures, they do flock, but you know, you might see something like six or ten turkey ballltures where black vultures will congregate up into the hundreds. And in fact, this time of year is when we do see those big, you know,
congregations and flocks here in the wintertime. Often they're in municipalities around the state, so kind of the county seat that the town county seat tends to have a big flock of them, And those are those when they get together like that, and those big flocks, damage can happen.
Well, I would imagine the heat from a particular town, like take Batavia for instance, or or hillsbro does the does the heat off of town attract them? I just kind of just looks like because they're on the buildings and you know in cold weather, is that I'm just.
Nuts now, I don't know if that's a I don't know. I think the things that I see of that are roost attributes for for black vultures are kind of high points.
They like being on cell.
Phone towers, water towers, large buildings. Often we'll see them in reachedon pine trees, like on top of the hill for example. So you know there's a there's a patch of pine trees in a town that's on you know, on a high point. Often that's a good area to find them. God.
Well, you know here I thought they were keeping an eye on all the politicians in the communities. You know, just just the thought. That's my thought, Tommy, not yours, I know. Anyway, Sit tight, We got more to come. The Big Outdoors News Radio seven hundred WLW, Cincinnati back in the Mommy.
The iHeartRadio app seven hundred WLW.
Hey, we're back the Big Outdoors News Radio, seven hundred WLW, Cincinnati, Chippark. My guest is Tommy Butler, and he is with the us DA under their Wildlife Services Division here in southwest Ohio. Been talking to black vulture and so Tommy, uh, just to recap your responsibility is is what as far as you're out there, you're working with the people that have issues with this particular bird.
Yeah, well, big picture with USDA Wildlife Services here in Ohio is our our you know, mission or goal is is to help you know, we provide federal leadership in human wildlife conflict resolution. So we're out there just trying to help people are having conflict with wildlife. As far as black vultures go. You know, we're doing just that
in southern Ohio and the rest of the state. You know, when conflict arises, one of the things we do is is we provide advice on you know, how to how to help resolve these problems, how to lessen damage is kind of.
How we're driven.
So that goes you know to like I said with the livestock stuff, is helping farmers you know, make decisions on farming practices that can help produce that. For example, parcass management's very important with with black vultures. You know, on the farm, things die and what they do, they need to be disposed up properly so we don't make the farm attractive to our scavenger black vultures.
Husbandry issues too.
Yeah, I'm just gonna say that that could be. That could be tough.
Yeah, it can be tough. It's it's it can be difficult to man. It's but it's important. You know, you kind of you can branch that out to you know, having carcasses on the farm there can be attractive to other predators like coyotes things like that. So it's an important aspect of of of of what they do on the farm. The other thing is husbandry stuff with you know, the way they cave so a lot and I'm kind of you know, heavy on the cattle here because a lot of.
This stuff there is cattle driven.
But uh, you know, heifer cabin for the first time that you know, they don't know what they're doing. It's their first time doing it.
It can take a long time.
They can have a calf and kind of walk away and when that happens, predators key in on that and black valters do as well. So you know, keeping those those first time you know us or or heifer's that are you know, layman or cabin the first time. Putting those things in the barn is a really good way to kind of head off your vaulture damage.
Yeah.
Yeah, Well, and so people can just go to you uh just just uh, I guess doing uh internet search for us d A Wildlife Services for a particular area and up you guys will come right, Yeah, you can.
You can do Google search US. If you call one eight six six for U. S. D A W S. That phone number will route you to to our state office and then we can get you get you in touch with the right person depending on the subject matter you're dealing with. All Right, that number work, go ahead, that number of work throughout the country, the whole country.
That number will get you where you need to go for the state you're in.
Fantastic, Okay, now we gotta we'll switch gears a little bit.
Talk about Amelia and the die off at uh.
It was a Catholic school I think a week ago thereabouts of what like seventy black vultures, which being a flock bird. Where what is the current status on that as as you know it to be.
Yeah, as far as I know, I think the Division of Wildlife kind of took the lead on sampling those. I think the samples were taken and I think they're sent up to the Higher Department of Agriculture up in Reynoldsburg and they were tested for hypatha Avian influenza. Uh. It turned out to be a non negative is what they call it. So then that that then those samples then get forwarded to uh NVSL, which is kind of a feed USDA apist our our lab that just tests
samples like this. So I think we haven't heard back if it's been confirmed by NVSL, but it.
Presumed it was high path avian influenza.
We had a die off in a couple of lakes that like East Fork Lake and Caesar's Creek earlier. I guess reports from fishermen and so forth to I guess it. Apparently something went through the population.
Yeah, Avian influenza is out in the environment.
Wild birds carry it.
Yeah, and then of course sometimes it turns high path and people are not people, but it spreads through wild population affects them and there can be die offs.
We see it.
We see it when this high path a eye flares up, kind of this time of year.
Well, Tommy Butler, reappreciate your time this morning, and we'll hopefully get a follow up and not too distant future on everything.
Vulture appreciate it. Good talking to you, all right, thanks for that.
We got to hit a break the Big Outdoors News Radio seven hundred WLW Cincinnati back in the morning and Gary Jeff of course we'll be up at the bottom of the hour and him and the cast of characters and every other Nitwick we can take care of everything throughout the day along with all the sports. Gerbils just going crazy around here, and it's it's kind of fun to watch. It is their time of year, you know, and their kind of sour pusses, you know. But then
there's good reason. Okay, I'll leave it at that. Here we are with the numbers for everybody that's got to know how much how many week killed? So Ohio hunters took twenty three and forty nine an opening day. The season total for the week of gunn was at eighty seven thousand, one hundred and ninety one total. Harveston, Ohio is currently as of earlier in the week, one hundred and eighty eight thousand, two hundred and ninety one.
White Tails.
Kentucky, you guys did pretty good one hundred and thirty thousand and nine hundred as of earlier this week.
And in Indiana, you.
Guys over here, you Hoosiers, are at one hundred and nineteen thousand, nine hundred and twenty two.
So in some total we're almost.
Nearer a half million deer taken, and that's a lot of innocent, gonna be a lot of sausage, a lot of jerky, and maybe some good old Pennsylvania bologney. So with that, everybody be safe out there, and uh, you know, fill that freezer with whatever it is. Duck rabbit, I don't care, Chip Hart, the Big Outdoors News Radio, seven hundred WLW, Cincinnati.
Be safe in the woods, safe on the water, and safe in that trees.