Had about a half dozen of these guys show up a few minutes ago, don't normally see Turkey Vultures in this neck of the woods. As suddenly as they appeared they vanished, shortly after this photo was taken. I'm thinking they were blown here by a gust front that moved through the state.

I had one sitting on a fence post out in front of the house a couple of years ago. Had no idea what it was, but damn those things are ugly! He hung around for a few days, but I haven't seen any since.

Actually, I just looked out the window and they're back. And I was wrong, there are at least a dozen, maybe two dozen. Man, they're big!

How old are you? What is your health like?

I am covered up with them here.
The smaller Mexican Buzzards are more aggressive. Calves have been lost to on neighboring ranches.

quote:

Originally posted by olfuzzy:
How old are you? What is your health like?

I'm in good health, thank you. I tried to get them interested in one or all of the neighbor's cats, to no avail.

We are covered up by turkey vulture around here. They are everywhere and eat good to. Mostly on venison, but anything will do.

ARman

Strange they are not common in your area.

Where I live, they are seen every day. And 2 varieties, Turkey and SC buzzards.

Must not be many trees in your neck of the woods.

Don't be endangering them cats, ya hear?

quote:

Originally posted by ARman:
We are covered up by turkey vulture around here.

Me too, I see them literally every day in my area.

always amazed me how ugly they are on the ground yet how amazing to watch in the air.

Better hope they don't choose to roost in trees in your yard. They produce a very powerful smelling manure.

We have a lot of them here.
When I was in the water/sewer utility field, my new boss and I were driving around checking out our sewer pump stations. Typically, if a station has a strong odor liquid sodium hypochlorite is introduced into the system. As we pulled up to a pump station, the trees were filled with Turkey Buzzards. It seems they can smell the methane gas and think it is dead carrion, and congregate to the area to find it.
We upped the dosage of the hypo and the birds disappeared within a day.

Ours used to fly south in the winter.

This winter they all stayed around here. Not sure what that means. Maybe they knew the winter would not be so bad, or they got used to eating all the dead deer along the roads.

Seen a lot of them doing that, too.

They are all over northern Virginia. We have a deer overpopulation versus human overpopulation problem up here that results in a ton of roadkill. Which allows them to eat and eat

I came very close to reducing their population by one about two weeks ago here in Georgia.

They do look big when they're about to bounce off your windshield!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmjdRL6Tmes

P.S. Watch it at 720 HD.

quote:

Originally posted by clubleaf206:

quote:

Originally posted by olfuzzy:
How old are you? What is your health like?

I'm in good health, thank you. I tried to get them interested in one or all of the neighbor's cats, to no avail.

According to the Wikipedia article on Turkey Vultures, they don't attack live animals. They feed on dead creatures only (unlike some of their relatives).

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:

quote:

Originally posted by clubleaf206:

quote:

Originally posted by olfuzzy:
How old are you? What is your health like?

I'm in good health, thank you. I tried to get them interested in one or all of the neighbor's cats, to no avail.

According to the Wikipedia article on Turkey Vultures, they don't attack live animals. They feed on dead creatures only (unlike some of their relatives).

flashguy

Unfortunately., my neighbor, who raises cattle, tells me, the vultures are bad for going after newborn calves

Hmm. Two posts about people who claim vultures will go after, or kill calves. I don't believe it for a minute. There's a reason for the old cartoon, "Patience Hell, I'm gonna kill somethin'." Because it's a joke

I know of two vultures in the U.S. and their common names are Turkey vulture and Black vulture. What does "SC" stand for.

The thread reminds me of Ed Abbey. He wrote about vultures soaring on "indolent wings."

BTW, see a bird big enough that you're not sure if it's a vulture or an eagle? An eagle soars on flat wings, a vulture with their wings set on a dihedral.

quote:

Originally posted by ARman:
We are covered up by turkey vulture around here. ...

Tried it one Thanksgiving.

They don't call them "Turkey" vultures for the reason one might think...

Them eatin' good and good eatin' ain't the same, same.

Taught my son when he was little that they were natures pit crew.