June 13, 2007
Nothing says "you may not make it through your work day" like having vultures perched above your office door.
Our most current nemeses at work are this pair of mating vultures that are nesting against our office building. (I first mistook one for a cat; fortunately I had an optometrist appointment that very evening.) We have been rotating through a plethora of ridiculous looking options to try to encourage them to move on*. These options have included mylar streamers, foil covered serving platters, blow up pool toys, and Bobby’s wooden owls (which, pictured below, the vultures first tried to intimidate but later decided that they could all coexist).
Aside from the vulture issues, our management company has also received the following complaints over the last two weeks:
1. Baby ducks have been abandoned by their mother and you should take them to a wildlife refuge.
2. (The next day) the baby ducks’ parents returned but now they cannot get out of the pond and you should rescue them with a net.
3. The water is too low in the retention pond and I can see the fish struggling to breathe.
4. Your landscape contractor will try to kill me because I voiced concern over the carcinogens in their weed spray.
Seriously folks, I’m sure it’s just the heat. My advice; drink plenty of water and wear a hat when you go outside.
* Pigeons and house sparrows are the only two birds not protected by law in the U.S. so shooting one and hanging it off the building, though we’re assured would be effective, is not a feasible option.