To be sure, the harbor itself is still safe-it’s the parking area that is alive with hazards.
Have you visited the parking area of TVA’s Safety Harbor below Wheeler Dam on Wilson Lake lately? If not, let me describe what you will most likely see. Many of the boat-pulling vehicles in the parking area will have tarps draped over the top and windshield. This is not a tactic to keep the interior cooler. The tarp is a protective device. You will also see big birds perched on the roofs of most of the vehicles. The big birds are vultures/buzzards. Pickwick Lake has a “Buzzard Roost” and now Wilson Lake has a “Buzzard Harbor”.
Buzzards at Safety Harbor playing “king of the can”.
SFN photo
A quick look around will reveal that three to five of these unattractive birds are perched on most every rooftop and hood available. There have not been any reports of these vultures attacking any individual. However, the birds seem to have an affinity for rubber.
A buzzard deciding which wiper blade to eat first.
SFN photo
A personal encounter with the mange-looking critters resulted in half of the rubber from a windshield wiper being ripped-away by the large fowls. One fisherman returned to his truck after a day of fishing and discovered all the rubber seal around his windshield was missing.
The birds also provide mementos of their visit with droppings the size of a paint gun round. The creatures also provide autographs scratched into the paint.
Why are these birds there? Well, one attraction is the easy-access garbage cans that ring the parking lot. The natural refuse cleaners are happy to help empty the cans. But, why the rubber on cars and trucks. No answer here.
On a recent fishing trip we headed to Safety Harbor to fish the east end of Wilson Lake. Coming into the parking lot we noticed several of the buzzards gathered around one of the trash cans. Pulling closer to the ramp we could see scores of the birds sitting on vehicles. One bird was even trying to get under a tarp on a truck to get at the wiper blades or windshield seal.
Practically every automobile and truck in the parking area was loaded with the
Tag teaming the tarp.
SFN photo
unwanted visitors. A quick decision was made. We wanted no part of this gathering and re-routed our outing to First Creek on Wheeler Lake.
Admittedly, no attempt has been made to contact TVA about the infestation of the buzzards at Safety Harbor. However, reportedly, one individual did contact TVA and was told the agency could do nothing about the problem. Our first thought was, “Ever try a shotgun”?
So evidently, until the garbage and rubber is gone you can expect a feathered welcoming committee sizing-up what your vehicle has to offer for lunch. Our advice is to simply avoid that ramp even if doing so adds several miles to your intended fishing area (unless you have good rubber insurance).
