Turkey Vultures

holy moly, maureen! i would not want them hanging around my deck. yikes!

we drove by that old green house was still at the intersection of waxpool and shellhorn a few years ago (do you know the one?!), and it was covered in vultures. it was so creepy. my husband and i decided it would have been a great horror flick pic!! if only i had my camera.

 

What is so creepy about these animals?

Is it their diet that creeps some people out?

Is it how they have been protrayed in movies and such?

 

it's the dead-looking, coal black feathers- the blank, blink-free, beady-eyed stare, the slow head turn following you as you walk into your home, the bold, fearless stalking toward you as you are frozen in your driveway, the gang-like gaggle of them perched on the rocks like they are WAITING for you to die so they can pick your bones and dine on your gizzards- it's like they KNOW something bad is going to happen to you and they want first dibs on your corpse.

other than that- i dunno.

 

That's a great photo! We had four perched on our patio and when the cats went to the window to see what all the fuss was, one of the vultures opened his wings and charged the window - I think our cat's perspective on birds was forever altered that day! A cat's worst nightmare...

 

Here's some info I found on the internet about vultures...
I think the picture in Maureen's post shows a black vulture as opposed to a turkey vulture (turkey vultures have red heads).

As for the problems with these birds:
-They can be destructive and have been known to kill live animals
-They have a lot of excrement...which stinks and is highly acidic. It can harm a car's paint job or burn through roof shingles.
-Their vomit contains botulism.

From a May 31, 2005, Washington Post article:

"Majestic fliers with a wingspan up to six feet, vultures have become notorious on farms, at marinas and on suburban streets. The turkey vulture prefers carrion, but the more aggressive black vulture will kill newborn calves, sheep or pigs. They can tear windshield wipers off cars and shred vinyl seats on boats; officials say that two dogs in Virginia have died of botulism from eating vulture vomit."

Would you really want these things roosting on your roof, near your pets and children, with their acidic urine eating away at your shingles? Unfortunately they are a protected species, so they aren't easy to get rid of.

 

Black vultures are no more aggressive than turkey vultures. They are both relatively weak birds with no talon strength. They are buzzards not raptors like eagles, owls other hawks. Their bodies are not designed for killing live animals.

I've never ever heard about them killing live animals. I'm a long time birder, hawkwatcher, and have helped band raptors and am very curious about the source of this info. It is ridiculous. The Post article quoted did not contain accurate scientific information. These birds are avian weaklings.

We will be seeing more of these birds around as they begin to migrate south.

 

That's funny you mentioned their hairballs--I found 2 for the first time tsis afternoon on my deck. Cleaned them up before I read the post about botulism. They do seem to like the trees around the townhouses of Vestals Gap etc. Has anyone been on their roof lately to see if there has been any damage from them in the past year or two?

 

I still think they're cool.......even if they are inconvenient to some in our society. Sort of like putting up with neighbor's dogs and cats, deer eating trees and shrubs, skinks, mice, ground hogs, etc, etc.

 

I say shoot em.
:sniper:

 

How is it "unfair" for someone to post an opinion that differs from yours?

 

(Knock knock)

Who's there?

Plumber....Candygram....

 

ma'am, I'm only a crow ma'am....

 

...and they are protected under the Federal Migratory Bird Act...looks like Middleburg had similar issues...but here's an interesting letter to the mayor of Middleburg from the Loudoun Wildlife Federation...

http://www.loudounwildlife.org/PDF_Files/LWC_Opposition_to_Vulture_Killing_Middleburg.pdf

 

Be careful Cliff, you're going to get censored for your feelings towards vultures.

 

So I'm not the only one... Nice post afgm

 

All I said is that I think they are cool birds.
Your tender sensibilities somehow perceive this as "belittling" your issue.

Oh, and the deer you mentioned in your previous example would not be alive much longer in this world. But you know what, I still like deer and seeing them.

Quite frankly, in my opinion, you aren't adding much to this conversation either, other than trying to find ways to pick at me because of other issues.