The other night as Hubs and I were sitting on the deck we had a huge shadow fall over the deck which made me grab my camera thinking it was a hawk which is an unusual visitor this time of year. This guy though was way bigger than our red-tailed hawk, and it quickly explained why my 5 hens quickly & quietly scattered from the deck–which is something we cannot seem to get them to do, no matter how many times we shoo them off.
I quickly asked Hubs ‘what iss dead’ around our property since these birds are generally hunters of carcasses rather than my happy and healthy chickens–which makes me worry less. I’m hoping he or she was just passing through, which seems to be the case, but it was a treat to watch the show, none the less.
It’s funny though, because as quiet as my hens became (4 were under the deck in a flash, and 1 was as close to Hubs as she could get without being on his lap) the blackbirds chimed in seconds from his arrival over our grove, scolding his presence and protecting their families and territory as if they were as big or bigger than him! He didn’t seem too worried though, although one blackbird did seem to get a few jabs in.
The wingspan on these birds is said to be 63″ to 72″ and as big of as the shadow was that fell over our deck, I believe it.
About Bethany
Turkey vultures?
Turkey vultures are the most amazing soarers. I love to watch them, and I think that if we could do that, we wouldn’t do much else. They make it look so effortless, but it requires constant tiny adjustments of wings and tails.
I was at a seminar once, held at the top of a hill. There were eight or ten of these birds gliding around, and we were so high up, we could see them below us. Their backs are a lovely, rich brown.
The cul-de-sac I live on and the one across the cross-street from us run due east-west. The prevailing winds are from the west. One day, when the winds were about 30 mph, I was at the other end of the cul-de-sac across the street, half a mile plus a bit, with my dogs. I saw five turkey vultures just overhead. Now, I walk briskly, 120 bpm (ex-military; it’s the marching pace), but those birds glided straight into the wind without flapping once, and by the time I got home, they’d been tiny dots on the horizon for at least two tenths of a mile.
http://vulturesociety.homestead.com/ Scroll down for the best part: on one side of the page, “How do I attract these birds?” and on the other, “How do I get rid of these birds?”
I couldn’t agree more Jake! We had 5 fly over yesterday and they were something to watch! Like you said, one minute they were over us, the next miles away, without even flapping their wings.
Great shots!
Thank you!He or she was a beauty!