Sunday, December 13, 2015

Invasion of the Turkey Vultures

A juvenile vulture
There seems to be an invasion of Turkey Vultures around us at the moment - at least 20 in our neighborhood and then yesterday at the park we saw trees full of them - there must of been 50 or more !!!!  Most of them appear to be young ones (you can tell the adults apart as they have red heads) but when we were reading about them it said they usually have only 2 babies each year and there seems to be way more babies than such a few adults could have. Now these guys are also quite big - standing between 2 and 2 1/2 foot tall. It is quite discerning to be around them as they watch you intently and follow your every move - as if they are summing up your prospects of becoming dinner :) We also read they are scavenger birds eating mostly things that are already dead and wonder where they are getting all their food from as there doesn't seem like there would be enough food for them all at the park. It's a puzzle for sure. Mom also got a neat photo of a cormorant and of this gorgeous red hawk - in the close up of his face if you look in his eye you can see Mom reflected in it as she took the photo! (Just double click the photos to see them bigger)
Another juvenile
Tree full of vultures
The adult vulture
Cormorant
Red Hark
In the eye of the beholder
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23 comments:

  1. easyweimaranerDecember 13, 2015 at 7:59 AM

    wow that's really big for a berd. I like them somehow, they look interesting :o)

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  2. The Adventures of the LLB GangDecember 13, 2015 at 9:30 AM

    What beautiful pictures your Mama took!!! We wonder if you are their "south for the winter"??
    Smileys!
    Dory, Jakey, Arty & Bilbo

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  3. C.L.W.STEPDecember 13, 2015 at 9:45 AM

    The last time we traveled through Florida, we saw a huge flock of turkey vultures circling in the sky. What could have possibly attracted that many? As we got closer, we saw they were flying over a dump!

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  4. The Adventures of The Bell Fur ZooDecember 13, 2015 at 10:25 AM

    Wow that is a lot of vultures. Maybe they are feeding on dead fishies?? Love the photo of the hawk we have one that visits our yard everyday.

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  5. MurphyDecember 13, 2015 at 11:04 AM

    They're kinda freaky looking!

    Your Pals,

    Murphy & Stanley

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  6. Hailey and Zaphod and their LadyDecember 13, 2015 at 11:40 AM

    Wow, those are some amazing bird pictures!

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  7. M. K. ClintonDecember 13, 2015 at 11:45 AM

    That would give me the heebie jeebies seeing that many turkey vultures! We have them around here, but I've never seen that many at one time.

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  8. SaraDecember 13, 2015 at 11:45 AM

    Man, they are ugly ~ they make me think of horror movies! But the hawk is absolutely beautiful!

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  9. WyattDecember 13, 2015 at 12:00 PM

    Wow, you sure have lots of birds around. We see those vultures eating road kill...yucky.

    Wyatt and Tegan

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  10. WFT NobbyDecember 13, 2015 at 1:25 PM

    Great photos Mom!
    Although we fear that the juvenile vulture will not win any beauty contests. Maybe he is going through the vulture equivalent of the 'spotty adolescent' stage?
    Toodle pip
    Bertie.

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  11. UnknownDecember 13, 2015 at 2:02 PM

    Oh, sometimes we get tons of Turkey Vultures too. I bark at them if they fly and soar over my yard. I don't like them at all.

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  12. DukeDecember 13, 2015 at 2:13 PM

    Vultures give us the creepies. There sure are a lot of them in that tree!

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  13. Sketching with DogsDecember 13, 2015 at 2:26 PM

    They are pretty amazing looking birds.
    Lynne x

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  14. Angels Amber and Max DaWeenie and MomDecember 13, 2015 at 2:36 PM

    Those are scary....us little guys have to really be careful that we aren't carried off and made into lunch! :o)

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  15. The Army of FourDecember 13, 2015 at 3:26 PM

    Ooooh, those are GREAT hawk shots! All of our Turkey Vultures are gone; I wonder if they went to your place? Ask them if they're from Kansas!
    Yours sincerely,
    Margaret Thatcher

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  16. Lassiter Chase and BenjaminDecember 13, 2015 at 3:39 PM

    That is a lot of birds! Did they fly south fur the winter eventhough we are having a warm december so far in nj.

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  17. ♥♥ The OP Pack ♥♥December 13, 2015 at 4:56 PM

    We have those turkey vultures in our neighborhood too. One was sitting on our roof one day and silly Mom thought it was a hawk :) But we hear they can steal small dogs.

    We hope you are having a happy Sunday.

    Woos - Ciara and Lightning

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  18. Idaho PugRanchDecember 13, 2015 at 6:09 PM

    Those vultures would be a little unsettling!
    hugs
    Mr Bailey, Hazel & Mabel

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  19. Blueberry's humanDecember 13, 2015 at 8:29 PM

    Oh how cool! I remember taking a hike around a mountain trail and looked up and the side of the mountain was full of vultures, probably over a hundred. I was hiking with a large foster dog and it made the closest ones nervous because they flew off - cool and scary at the same time to hear the rush of their wings!

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  20. rottroverDecember 13, 2015 at 8:32 PM

    We wonder is something is dead near you guys?? If so, I'd love to roll in it!!

    -Otto

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  21. UnknownDecember 13, 2015 at 9:38 PM

    Nice photos! Definitely don't like the looks of those turkey vultures! We have hawks at the park and mom is glad that we are too big for dinner. Love Dolly

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  22. My GBGV LifeDecember 13, 2015 at 9:53 PM

    The turkey ones do look like turkeys and are pretty ugly!

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  23. Ziggy StardustDecember 14, 2015 at 12:22 AM

    Those are some pretty amazing looking birds!!

    Ziggy Out!

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