The dynamics of magnetic vortices in thin Permalloy disks having artificial defects in the form of small holes at different locations within the disk has been investigated by means of frequency-domain spatially resolved ferromagnetic resonance. It is found that the vortex can be effectively captured by such a defect. Consequently the commonly observed gyrotropic vortex motion in an applied microwave field of 1 mT is suppressed. However, if in addition a static magnetic field of at least 4.3 mT is applied, the vortex core is nucleated from the artificial defect and a modified gyrotropic motion starts again. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.