Fort Worth neighbors helpless as noisy, smelly egrets invade their street
Fort Worth neighbors helpless as egrets invade
People living in a North Fort Worth community are upset over a noisy and smelly invasion of egrets. About 500 of the federally protected migratory birds have taken over the Park Glen neighborhood, leaving behind toxic waste.
FORT WORTH, Texas - People living in a North Fort Worth community are upset over a noisy and smelly invasion of egrets.
About 500 of the federally protected migratory birds have taken over the Park Glen neighborhood, leaving behind toxic waste.
Fort Worth Egret Invasion
What we know:
Egrets are again causing familiar problems in the north Fort Worth community of Park Glen.
Teal Drive is a main thoroughfare. Several large trees that line the street are now home to hundreds of egret nests.
The species is federally protected. So once the birds build nests, removing them is strictly limited and regulated by municipal permits.
What they're saying:
Neighbors called the birds noisy and disgusting.
"I wouldn’t go through here at all, new truck, even as a person. I definitely wouldn’t let me kids go through here," said Scott Klever, who lives in the neighborhood. "Lots of bird poop, lots of noise. Lots of honking. That’s another thing. People come through and honk."
Klever said the street smells terrible.
He said that city sanitation crews occasionally come through and sweep, but the mess returns within a day or two.
Sophie Johnson and her family bought their home in the neighborhood a year ago. Her 1-year-old daughter’s backyard playtime is now limited and strategic if at all.
"We can’t go under there. It’s so yucky," she said. "Not only do you get the sound of the birds but any time somebody drives through, they honk really loud. So that’s going on during naptime, during bedtime."
Dig deeper:
The Johnsons and other neighbors started petitioning the city of Fort Worth for help five weeks ago. However, they didn’t make much progress.
"They were currently working on an infestation in south Fort Worth, and they used all their permits to remove nests in south Fort Worth. And at this time, there’s nothing they can do about what’s going on here," she said.
A spokesperson for the city of Fort Worth told FOX 4 that the city’s permit allows only limited action and applies to a specific subspecies of egret.
"When an egret colony is reported, our licensed staff member will assess whether intervention is permissible without exceeding the scope of the federal permit," the city said in a statement.
The homeowners are upset that the city didn’t trim trees this year, something they believe might have prevented such a big colony.
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What's next:
"To quote animal control, ‘Nature just has to run its course at this point.’ So, it might be October until all the chicks are gone, and they fly away. So, we’ll be dealing with it the whole summer," Klever said.
The city said it will support the neighborhood as best as it can.
Fort Worth has tips on its website to prevent nesting next year.
The Source: FOX 4's Dionne Anglin talked to residents in Fort Worth's Park Glen neighborhood for this story. Other details come from statements from the city of Fort Worth.