I was out for a walk this pleasant afternoon, me, my dog and a friend with her dog. Both dogs are somewhat reactive - mine to other dogs, hers to, well, changes in the color of landscaping mulch, deer, skunks, strangers running on the road, the usual stuff, so we walk in an area where we are unlikely to encounter other dogs, although all of the other aforementioned critters show up at one time or another.
So there we were, on top of a hill, nowhere near houses or any other place one might expect to hear dogs, and I heard what sounded like barking. Ruff ruff. That's what I heard. My dog started looking for the source of the sound - she was on high alert then started barking. What? Better not be any dogs over here! They would be loose, and that is never a good thing. My friend then pointed out where the sound was coming from and what, by now, both dogs were barking at - it was a wake of turkey buzzards - on the ground, lurking on the branches up in the tree was had just walked under, and there you have it - today I heard, for the first time, the call of the wild turkey buzzard in the wild.
I took this picture several years ago - that's how close I could get to that group before my dog decided that she had had enough and it was time to show them who was boss! Of course they simply took flight when she started barking at them and had not a care in the world for non-flying creatures.
We never have a dull moment 'round about these parts, bless our hearts.
11 comments:
I thought Sixty was making it up but sure enough "A group of perched turkey buzzards is called a wake" says google. But are turkey buzzards encountered settin' in the road a wake? I dunno. Probably.
I also learned they prefer meat fresh from a recent kill. I would've assumed the stinkier the better. But no.
A couple of years ago, I went out my door and saw a bunch (sorry, a wake) of buzzards circling over the end of our suburban block. I walked down to check it out, and saw a dead rat by the curb, already mostly down to fur and bones. Two buzzards were on the ground, working on it. They let me get pretty close, about ten feet, before they flew off. Another one perched on top of the roof of the nearest house; for a good 10-15 seconds, he spread his wings out just like the eagle on top of a flagpole. Wingspan looked like a good five feet. Magnificent critters.
I did my reading on vultures, as there a many of them here, and, contrary to what I suspected based on their diet, they have a very acute sense of smell. Their goal, as stated by Mr. Pic, is to find things that just died. They fly low sniffin' around for ethyl mercaptan, and I will leave it to the student to delve further into this subject, as it is somewhat indelicate.
And yes indeed, they are very large birds. Not attractive, up close, but huge, and great gliders. Always lookin' for a thermal to lazily carry them upwards with a minimum of exertion.
I believe these are black vultures.
They're waiting for a small child to die.
Vultures lives matter.
Last week I met an old friend of mine in Trader Joe's. We had worked together from 1982 to 1992. We decided to go out to lunch.
I saw something I had never seen before.
A Jewish guy picked up the check.
Every spring when the turkey vultures show up, they land on my barn or silo, and just sit there. I keep thinking, are they waiting for me to keel over?
They are, AllenS, they are. And if you do keel over, then the vultures have won. Never give up!
I know you're right 60. Back when I had beef cattle, I was haying one day, and had to walk back to the house for whatever reason, and was sweating very hard, when I noticed a shadow on the ground, looked up and a turkey vulture was about 10 feet above me. They can't even wait until you die.
I love that a flock of vultures is called a wake.
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