Vulture swarms in NC neighborhood escalates to town lawsuit against couple in Hillsborough

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Complaints about swarms of vultures in one Hillsborough neighborhood have escalated into a lawsuit, with town officials accusing a couple of attracting the birds to their street.

People who live on Queen Street say the problem has persisted for years. "They're a little spooky to be frank," Holden Richards said. "Everybody thinks they're ugly and stuff but they're not good neighbors," he said.

According to Richards, the birds have caused property damage and created sanitation issues.

"They tend to mark their territory with their excrement and they have long sharp talons, so they're not great animals to have perching on your house," Richards said. He said he has had to repair his roof after seeing the birds pull tiles loose. "I watched them pick tiles off my neighbors roof and then tiles came off my roof and in my yard so I have a feeling that's exactly where they came from," he said.

Photos submitted to the court show dozens of vultures circling a home Richards believes belongs to neighbors Ken and Linda Ostrand. He said complaints to the town have been widespread. "I'm pretty sure every one of my neighbors has probably called," Richards said.

The Town of Hillsborough has since filed a complaint against the Ostrands, alleging they fed scraps to the vultures and even named some of the birds.

The town is seeking an injunction to stop the alleged feeding, which officials say has created a safety concern.

Linda Ostrand disputes the accusations, saying she is being unfairly targeted and that the birds were present before she moved into the neighborhood.

"It's sort of, it's, it's ridiculous is what it is. But I guess. When somebody complains. They have to respond to it," she said. After initial complaints, the town updated its ordinance to restrict feeding wildlife beyond traditional bird feeders. "And they passed a rule.

They said, you can't feed birds unless the feeders are hung five feet off the ground. So nobody in town anymore. is allowed to throw seed on the ground," Ostrand said.

In a response filed in court, the Ostrands denied feeding the vultures and argued that the presence of birds alone does not prove their involvement, "any more than tennis shoes demonstrate the wearer is Wimbledon player."

Ostrand, a longtime wildlife rescuer, also defended the role vultures play in the ecosystem.

"If people didn't have vultures around you would hear them screaming bloody murder about the animals that have been hit by cars, because they are natures garbage disposals," she said. As the dispute moves forward, neighbors, town officials and the Ostrands now await the outcome in court. "I don't know what. I'm supposed to do. Tell the vultures that this is a no feed zone. I just don't know," she said.

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No court date has been scheduled in Orange County for the civil case, and town officials declined to comment to ABC11 while the litigation is ongoing.