Friday, October 16, 2020

Something Died?

The life in my woods is ever-changing.  Animals mate, new animals are born and old or young animals die.  The deer have been less visible on our peninsula since the new homeowners at the end of the road turned their 10 acres of woodland into a target practice area!  I am not worried about accidentally being shot as they are far away and shoot away from the road.  But I can hear the gunshots some days.  

It seems that a doe was injured (perhaps not by gunshot since they primarily target practice) in the ravine and died.  It is far enough away that we cannot smell her passing, but the local family of buzzards (vultures) has taken up residence in the back yard as they clean their bills, preen their feathers, and stare off into space will digesting their repast.

Up close and personal they really are dramatic birds!  Kind of creepy how you can see daylight through their nostrils when looking at them sideways.




One volunteered to be a roof decoration for Halloween!!



13 comments:

  1. We have turkey vultures, same idea. They smell pretty gamy close up, not surprising I suppose, considering their diet. The heads and necks are red skin, no feathers, best if you're plunging into dead food!

    They're wonderful to watch, soaring on the updrafts and giving that little dother to stay on course. You don't realize how big they are till, as you say, they sit on your roof.

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  2. Anonymous12:55 PM

    I just saw about 15 of them along a cornfield this morning, with some devouring a dead deer, and others watching nearby! They are a bit ominous. But they have a job to do and they do it well! Andrea

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  3. Are they noisy? They give drama to your days by there presence.

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    1. Not noisy...and that is even creepier.

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  4. we have the naked red headed variety down here. but they do us a service.

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  5. Nostril creepness to the max.
    Dramatic birds yes, on your roof top, perfect Halloween deocoration.
    Last week a turkey vulture flew only several feet over where I live. I'm guessing the drought impact on regular food chain for such birds might be the reason. The do fly slow and creepy, as if they know they give folks the creeps, do it for the drama.

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  6. Buzzards - we call them that too - are pretty ugly. They do serve a purpose though.

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  7. They can't help being what they are. And neither can we really when you stop to think about it. We didn't choose our genes (IQ, personality, body type etc etc) or our formative environment. I don't even think we have genuine choices now, but that's another very big topic, so forget I mentioned it. :)

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  8. We have vultures here though I’ve never seen them. All creatures have to eat but better if these aren’t in the neighbourhood.

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  9. Ah, nature's big vacuum cleaners. They do us a service, and i am glad for it.

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  10. Turkey buzzards soaring and circling in the sky are what I remember seeing, too, not so much where i live now. Too bad target practice sounds have shattered the area where you live. I say this as someone who did some shooting for a year or so and have long since concluded there are better ways to spend time. I would be concerned now with militia groups coming out of the woodwork.

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  11. I can't say that vultures appeal to me, although I like most birds of prey. When my friend lived in Africa for a while the vultures used to sit in a line on top of roof of the canteen building where he worked. It put him off somehow to eat there, he said!

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  12. Hello Tabor?
    I hope all is well with you and your family.

    Thanks for your comment on the Birthday of Sofia.

    Very interesting post!

    Sending hugs to you!

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Glad to hear from you once again. I really like these visits. Come sit on this log and tell me what you are thinking.