Turkey vulture is back.

[reeltime]

Well she returned this year but only has 1 little grey puff ball baby. Hisses like a leaky airhose. lol.

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[fasteddie]

They are a neat bird to watch glide through the air but they are so UGLY ! 

 

[Doc]

You know, I really don't remember seeing these birds when I was a kid. I'm not sure whether I just wasn't paying attention of whether there has been a real shift in their territory.

[NonTypical]

Id say that they must be expanding their range. They never use to be here on eastern Long Island. Now I see them daily. 

[Curmudgeon]

Doc is right. They have dramatically expanded their range. Other species that have just as obviously expanded in NYS are mourning dove, red-bellied woodpecker, tufted titmouse, cardinal and merlin. The species that has expanded its range the most in recent decades is common raven.

You can see these changes graphically on breeding bird atlas maps that show data gathered during 2 periods 20 years apart. I tried to get the change map link for vultures but I'm getting error messages from DECs site this morning. If you can get to it, search for turkey vulture at this link. I have the hard copy in front of me. It's quite interesting.  

http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/51030.html

 

   

[fasteddie]

We often see a half dozen or more gliding through the air just East of us . What is weird is that they are over the Furnaceville Cemetery . 

 

[greg54]

I saw bunch feeding on raccoon yesterday outside of Medina. They just step back or fly back off edge of road for cars going by, then go back to eating their disgusting road kill.

[fasteddie]

There were a few perched in a neighbor's tree . I think they were checking me out .

 

[moog5050]

I don't know, I kinda like the big uglies.  Not sure why.  lol

[Doc]

Well, they may not be pretty, but they do handle a line of work that needs to be done. And by the way, those wretched looking critters are really super strong. I had a deer vertebrae and rib-cage laying in my driveway, And I saw one of those buzzards actually lift the thing off the ground about 4 feet into the air before he had to drop it.

Now here is the big question: If they were to be proven to be a delicacy to eat, would you cook one up and eat it, given their smelly dining habits?

[reeltime]

When your little but trying to be scary. Lol.

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[reeltime]

Trying to load a video but it won't load for some reason.

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[Pygmy]

On ‎6‎/‎23‎/‎2017 at 4:00 PM, Doc said:

Well, they may not be pretty, but they do handle a line of work that needs to be done. And by the way, those wretched looking critters are really super strong. I had a deer vertebrae and rib-cage laying in my driveway, And I saw one of those buzzards actually lift the thing off the ground about 4 feet into the air before he had to drop it.

Now here is the big question: If they were to be proven to be a delicacy to eat, would you cook one up and eat it, given their smelly dining habits?

If you ever picked up one and smelled it, there is no way that most people would ever eat one...They smell JUST like the stuff that they eat....Don't ask me how I know that...