Wildlife mystery: Over 40 dead vultures surround water tower in Fuquay-Varina

The dozens of dead birds were found mostly within a 100 yard radius around the tower, where the town hangs stuffed vulture effigies to ward off the living birds that were roosting and dropping waste on the tower.

The carcasses were scattered about -- like they dropped right out of the sky.

Paul MacKinnon, who works for American Wildlife Refuge, believes the birds appear to have been poisoned.

If the deaths are caused by Avian flu, however, experts say it seems strange only vultures would have been impacted.

It's illegal to poison or kill a vulture in North Carolina.

"We found about 50 vultures dead yesterday," he said.

He says the deaths of these scavengers will lead to bigger problems in town. Vultures, he says, clean up around 39,000 pounds of dead animals each year.

"I think a little bit of poop on your windshield is worth that," he says.

The town wants to remind people that it is illegal to shoot or poison buzzards or turkey vultures.

They say let the effigies do the job of scaring the vultures away.

The State Wildlife Resources Commission told WRAL News the vulture deaths were "almost certainly" caused by avian influenza. The commission says it's documented other bird flu deaths in this general area since November.

Stone is sending two of the dead vultures to Rollins Lab in Raleigh for testing to help determine whether it was poison or bird flu that killed the vultures.