Making A Home At Fairfield Hills—

Norwalk House Appeals To Southern

Guests

By Kendra Bobowick

Unlikely guests have fashioned a home amid the disrepair and empty space inside one vacant building at Fairfield Hills. Resident Tammy Marks noticed the occupants during walks through the campus, and is surprised that no one from the Fairfield Hills Authority has spotted “the family inhabiting one building.”

“We’ve seen one or two members of the family,” she said. The recognition was not welcomed, however.

“They tried to scare us away,” she said. “The female glared at us.”

Who were they?

Often perching on the flaking white paint of window frames at Norwalk House is one of a family of confirmed black vultures that Ms Marks has observed entering through the high crescent-shaped windows in the building’s eves. Local raptor researcher, consultant, and bird bander Larry Fischer, among members from the state’s Department of Environmental Protection, had no trouble believing the primarily southern bird in Ms Marks’s photos was a black vulture. “They’re expanding northward rapidly,” he said.

The vacant former state hospital rooms beckoned. “They typically nest in buildings,” Mr Fischer said. Ms Marks may have made a significant discovery regarding the bird’s habits. Although “they’re year-round recently,” Mr Fischer wondered, “If they are nesting, it may be only the second confirmed nesting in Connecticut.” Offering what he admitted was speculation, he said, “This is their time to nest, everything seems right.”

Intrigued, he said, “We know they are here, but observing them is rare.” He also stated in a recent e-mail, “It would be interesting to get into the building to confirm that the vultures are indeed nesting.”

Spotting them locally, however, is “not all that rare,” Mr Fischer said. “They are recently confirmed as breeding in the state. Their population is proliferating. Since the late 1980s and 1990s they have been confirmed to breed in Connecticut,” he said.

“For birders, it’s still exciting,” he said. He offering his educated guess as to one primary reason why they have come this far north. “It’s the deer,” Mr Fischer said. He believes that the birds are following their food source. “They’re carrion feeders,” he said.

Whether they are nesting or just perusing the empty attic space, the birds have drawn attention.

The vultures favor a spot above the main entrance at Norwalk House where Ms Marks has noticed the birds several times. “The window is broken out and [one vulture] sits in the window. It’s quite a sight to see if you’re up there,” she said. Ms Marks and her daughter Ashley, 9, have witnessed the birds’ activities. “They have disappeared into the building and flown away while we were there.”

Black vultures are not necessarily harmful to humans, but have one effective defense, Mr Fischer said. “They’re not dangerous, but if you disturb the nest they will vomit on you; it’s the only natural defense,” he said.

Fairfield Hills Authority Chairman Robert Geckle said, “There is always something interesting going on at Fairfield Hills.” Norwalk House, which is slated for eventual demolition “has no reuse,” Mr Geckle said. Unfamiliar with the bird’s habits, he is concerned that the occupancy may become an issue. “We’re not in the business of harming wildlife,” he said.

Mr Fischer is licensed by the US Department of the Interior, US Geological Survey, and has a research permit from the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. The black vulture is one of 12 raptor species that he profiled for a manual for environmental consulting firms, he said. The black vulture is protected under the Federal Migratory Bird Species Act. The act decrees that all migratory birds and their parts (including eggs, nests, and feathers) were fully protected.