Friday, July 8, 2016

Another first

I saw something new today. I happened to glance out the kitchen window (as I do a bazillion times a day), and this is what I saw on top of our light pole.


No, it's not a turkey, but it's nearly that big. It's a buzzard! A.K.A. vulture, turkey buzzard or turkey vulture. I've seen them before, but usually either flying high in the sky or along the roadside having some yummy roadkill for lunch. But I have NEVER seen one on top of our light pole before.


This one posed very nicely for me and gave me a great display of its huge wings.




Then off it went...


......


... high in the sky...


... to sniff out some more dead stuff, I guess. I read that they have a terrific sense of smell. All they eat is stuff that's already dead. They're good for cleaning up roadsides, etc. They don't hunt live prey, so I don't have to worry about my cats/kittens.

They have majestic wings... but such ugly heads. Look at this cropped pic of its head below. You can see right through that hole in its beak.


I was amazed to see it up there, much less get a chance to photograph it!

4 comments:

annie dee said...

Not ugly heads. Really really very horribly hideous ugly heads. [ Shudder ]. Don't like them.

Grandma G said...

Are you sure, Annie Dee?

Geneviève said...

When I told you I first thought it was a turkey, I guess I wasn't the only one. A "turkey vulture" sounds a little less menacing than a buzzard. :D

Still, when it spreads its wings, it looks very impressive and a lot less turkey like.

Grandma G said...

I did like the impressive wing spread, too! It was like it was posing purposely for me. :)