A few years back when walking the property I noticed a turkey vulture fly from an abandoned tree stand. I climbed up and saw two eggs. Every week or so I'd check on them and watched them grow to be able to fly off. They returned (likely the same parents) 2 more years always laying 2 eggs, but last year they didn't.



But they're back, I took this about 10 days ago.



And yesterday.



I'll make a point to photo them every week or so.

you need to get a live cam up there, could be u toob famous! Or at least a trail cam..

That Chick has a face only a mother could love.

I've thought about that HRK, but don't have one. I may buy one to place in there next Spring.

That's 2 chicks huddled together, Jupiter. LOL when they get a little larger they'll spread their wings to make themselves appear larger and hiss and growl at me to leave which is cute! If I can figure how to post a video I'll do so in a couple weeks or so. Otherwise I'll update this thread with photos.

quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:
I've thought about that HRK, but don't have one. I may buy one to place in there next Spring.

.

Oh, do it!

Money for nothin' and your chicks for free!

They look like black vulture babies.

Mars I don't recall seeing any black vultures around here? Although it was from the rear when I saw the parent fly off I'm pretty sure it was a turkey vulture.

That is really cool ... ! Agree if you could put up a live cam.

quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:
I've thought about that HRK, but don't have one. I may buy one to place in there next Spring.

That's 2 chicks huddled together, Jupiter. LOL when they get a little larger they'll spread their wings to make themselves appear larger and hiss and growl at me to leave which is cute! If I can figure how to post a video I'll do so in a couple weeks or so. Otherwise I'll update this thread with photos.

They’ll also puke as a defense mechanism. Trust me, you don’t want to get vulture puke on you.

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:

They’ll also puke as a defense mechanism. Trust me, you don’t want to get vulture puke on you.

Thanks, I was made aware of that a couple years ago in a Master Naturalist program I was taking. Since then I'm a little more hesitant to get too close to them, I don't know how far the young ones can vomit though.

That is SO COOL! Thank you for sharing. Is it possible it could be a previous baby now nesting there? I don’t know the age of maturity in vultures, but know that crows and other birds return to the nesting site yearly..

Thanks irreverent! It could be one of the previous offspring but from what I've learned it's likely the same pair which can live up to 20 years or longer in the wild. Both parents generally mate for life and both tend to the chicks. The pair separate when migrating and Wintering then meet up again in Spring near where they nested prior, often using the same nest. LOL can't really call this a nest she simply plopped her eggs on the floor but it works for them.

 
I've never seen a nest, but that is a neat pic, ridewv.
 
Our turkey vultures migrate south around November, and return in February-March. They roost up on Yarnell Hill (4800ft elevation), and spend the days cruising the lower elevations (Congress, 3000ft, where we live, 2500ft, and Wickenburg, 2000ft). Taking a break in our front yard:
 

 
We also see black vultures, but in much smaller numbers.

How long until they fledge?

Cool.

That IS really cool!

henryaz’s post reminds me of Ed Abbey talking about vultures soaring “on indolent wings.” Poetic.

I believe it was also Abbey who talked about the phenomenon of vultures seemingly appearing in numbers out of nowhere. He would say that they soar up so high that they’re largely invisible to the naked eye. When one spots carrion and descends down, the others follow. Fascinating.

There are a few around here, but not like the numbers henryaz speaks of in the Arizona desert country. I miss that.

quote:

Originally posted by TMats:
That IS really cool!

henryaz’s post reminds me of Ed Abbey talking about vultures soaring “on indolent wings.” Poetic.

I believe it was also Abbey who talked about the phenomenon of vultures seemingly appearing in numbers out of nowhere. He would say that they soar up so high that they’re largely invisible to the naked eye. When one spots carrion and descends down, the others follow. Fascinating.

There are a few around here, but not like the numbers henryaz speaks of in the Arizona desert country. I miss that.

I have seen that many times. In what was, a few minutes ago, an empty sky, there are all of a sudden a dozen or more vultures. Then twenty or thirty.

Kind of a sloppy place for them to lay their eggs henryaz, and they didn't even bother to lay twigs or leaves on the floor! But that's what they've done each time I've seen them in that stand.

Large numbers of turkey vultures swarm in a huge tree in my friends yard each Spring at dusk for 3 weeks or so then stop. I guess when they pair back up and leave together to mate.

I'm not sure how long til they fledge but it's a while. They grow larger with their soft white feathers then the dark flight feathers start. I was there three years ago when one did, it was in the opening in the stand flapping its wings then jumped off and flew/glided to the ground. It sat there a minute or two then flew up to a limb maybe 12' high for safety.

We are loaded with them here in central Florida farm country. They can get way up there.

quote:

Originally posted by Jupiter:
That Chick has a face only a mother could love.

It's not just the chicks, you should see the mother. Those are the ugliest dang bird ever invented.

Here they are today. They are quite vocal growling and hissing now.