Turkey Buzzards are back

[gnwatts]

I received my new telephoto lens the other day. I couldn't afford any L series Canon lenses, so I opted for an old manual focus Zeiss 80-200mm made for the Contax/Yashica mount, used with an adapter. I had read that this lens was well made, light weight and very sharp. I haven't a Canon lens to compare to but I am happy so far. The day I got it a rain storm came through with this rainbow so I took a shot over the pasture and noticed the Buzzards are back. They nest in some big willows a few blocks away, and in the morning they soar over our house and warm up in the dead cottonwoods, all at once. Huge wing spans and very graceful. Then all of a sudden one takes off upwards, and the rest follow. They all rise up vertically in a column and leave out the top.

43851


43854


43852


43853

[JP]

They're vultures :lol8:

[BruteForce]

While not in Colorado, I had the pleasure of seeing three very large California Condor in my neighborhood last week. Not sure what they're doing this far North, but they were interesting to look at (totally dominating the tree tops).

[gnwatts]

California Condors are magnificent. I have seen them years ago in the Ventura area of California, they are at least twice as big as these birds. I would estimate the turkey buzzard/vulture to have a 6' wing span.

[JP]

We have a plethora of Turkey Vultures down here. So much roadkill and it feeds the Black Vultures, Turkey Vultures and occasionally the Caracara's and Bald Eagles. I've seen all of them quite frequently on the roadsides.

Even though Turkeys are not the easiest things to our eyes, I too, get to watch them first hand. Watching them closely gets interesting. They really aren't that afraid of human presence. Cautious, but not afraid. Between the ones I mentioned above, there is a pecking order. The king, without any question, is the Bald Eagle, followed by the Caracara, Turkey and the Black Vulture.

The Turkey's will back off when the Caracara is feasting. Interesting because the Vultures are like a pack. You always get more than two. So, the Caracara's are out numbered while eating, a mating pair or a single is all you get. A Turkey may challenge a Caracara, but ends up backing off. But, when the Turkey's are feeding and a Bald makes his presence known, by a low fly over checking on what's for dinner, the Turkey's all fly to nearby treetops or a few that continue to circle away from the carrion. The Bald has an unobstructed landing and can feed as long as it sees fit, in peace. Caracara's simply keep back. Very interesting watching the food chain in action. I've seen the Bald's down here and Carcara's take live food. The Turkey's, I've only seen feeding on carrion. Like I mentioned before, we have so much, they don't need to hunt.

It would be interesting to see more pics of your Turkey's as the warm weather progresses :2thumbs:

[ststephen]

JP - you better watch out or you're gonna turn into "A Birder" :nod:

It starts out with raptors 'cause they're carnivores and manly as birds go. Then the large carrion eaters are OK 'cause they're big and impressive. The next thing you know you're staring through a spotting scope at little brown "peeps" trying to figure out the what stage of molt they are in. Or pishing at trees trying to get the warblers to perch so you can tick off a lifer. :naughty:

[JP]

Been a birder :lol8: Ever since the 7th grade when we were introduced to the birds in our area :2thumbs:

[gnwatts]

JP
I am not a "birder" but I love watching the big birds. We have a few red tailed hawks and some bald eagles nesting near us. I see the hawks and eagles infrequently, but the buzzards are always around, socializing with one another. Last summer I walked into our house (which has large windows looking over the field, we are on a bluff about 60' above the pasture) and hovering into the howling wind were 2 buzzards about 30' in front of the window, stationary, moving up and down slightly, but not moving, floating in the air. The buzzards and i looked at each other for about a minute, and then they got bored and went straight up out of sight. The hawks typically like to sit in the tree next to the house and watch the pasture for mice. I once saw a hawk swoop down above the snow covered pasture and dive through the snow feet first, and come up with a big fat mouse. How the bird saw through the snow and detect movement is beyond my comprehension.

[JP]

I don't know if I really am a "birder" :haha: But raptors seem to be what I like the most. Turkey vultures are curious and do fly overs specifically watching me. They are pretty neat. I watched a hunting show a few years back and the host went to a hunter's house. He walked in talking about the hunt that was going to take place. The camera panned around the room and in the corner the camera went passed, what looked liked a stuffed hawk. (Can't remember the family of hawk) When he panned back, the head moved :eek2: Just sitting on a perch, no cage. The host was in the house of a falconer. They put it in the car, and took off to an office park, adjacent to a highway. The falconer stated the hawk was going to fly into the far tree, turn and look back at them, it did. Then the head was moving around like a radar dish, within seconds it was in a full dive to earth. The speed was incredible. When they got to the hawk, a rabbit was in its talons, dead. The falconer had to give the hawk fresh meat to give up his trophy and even that wasn't easy. It is remarkable how well the eyesight is on the hawks.

I'm looking forward to your birds of prey shots :2thumbs: Post them up when you get them.
Here is a pic of one checking me out, they fly so close when they do :haha:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v654/Zukimog/d7e50383.jpg

[ststephen]

Hawks have eye sight about 10X of humans, i.e. 20/2. Imagine seeing the world like looking through 10X binoculars all the time! their eyes are fixed in their sockets so that's why they turn their heads so oddly when scanning.

I think the carrion-eating birds like vultures and condors are more closely related to humans in their temperament. Just like us we prefer our food dead and somewhat aged. Also the carnivorous raptors are pretty "twitchy" and high-strung. It is very impressive to be in close proximity to a raptor like an eagle or large falcon. They have this amazing presence.

Somehow birds always seem to punctuate some of the best moments for me: when Robin and I topped out at a very high pass backpacking in the Andes a pair of condors took off right in front of us; my last trip to Gravel with the Peregrine doing its alarm call over our head; watching parrots roost for the night as the sun set on a pyramid in Tikal Guatemala. Then just the little things like the sound of the Canyon Wrens in Utah or the Wilson's Warblers that nest around my house and let me know when spring has come.

[JP]

I think the carrion-eating birds like vultures and condors
Keep in mind, Bald Eagles won't pass up carrion they come across. If they want it, there is nothing in the vulture world that is going to stop it. Eagles are in the vulture family. Hawks are in the buzzard family. I have never seen a hawk on carrion. Every hawk I see, was eating something they just dived on. Caracara's walk through tall grass and are looking to flush game. They believe that is one of the reasons they have longer legs than those within the family. They also love these soft shell turtles down here. And we all know the Bald's take things live as well.

[gnwatts]

Cathartes aura

From the Turkey Vulture Society:
Buzzard is the correct term for several species of hawks in the Old World. These Old World buzzards, such as the common buzzard, Buteo buteo, are closely related to, for example, North America's red-tailed hawk Buteo jamaicensis. In America, the term "buzzard" is often employed incorrectly to describe vultures. This probably dates back to the arrival of the first English colonists. There are no vultures of any type in England, so these pioneers probably gave the common term "buzzard" to all the soaring figures above the New World.

I stand corrected. Unfortunately I cannot change the thread title.

[JP]

Ahh, you didn't need to post that. When I came here to Florida, the Crackers down here called them buzzards. They even call the Bald Eagles, giant buzzards :lol8: I told them, vultures :haha: Just something I do because of the little research I do on things I shoot. Years ago, back in Connecticut, I remember seeing these things take flight as the car approached them. I never seen any turkey vultures around my house, but when our family was camping an hour plus from the house I saw them for the first time. My Dad obviously knew what they were and called them turkey vultures. As a kid, you ask why are turkeys eating dead things :haha: Then as my curiosity grew with raptors in the seventh grade, I actually began researching them. I guess that buzzard misrepresentation has always been around, I learned that sometime ago. When you see them in that funnel, they say they are getting ready to move out.

[ststephen]

Interesting observations on what you've seen the different species eating. As to the taxonomy though, Caracaras are actually currently placed in the Falcon (Falconidae) family with long wings bent at the wrist, Vultures in the Cathartidae family with unfeathered heads for poking into decaying flesh, and Hawks, Kites and Eagles in the Accipitradae family.

[JP]

Yes, they're pretty much lumped together in that falconidae. But, when you look at buzzard and vulture, they are separate. Buzzards into hawk category and vultures with eagles, just as Greg posted. Gets a bit confusing :crazy: I guess since I'm not a ornithologist :lol8:

All these birds fit the raptor class. Hooked beaks and talons. All will take live prey and some will eat carrion. The Caracara's, one of the nicknames for it is the Mexican Eagle.

Here's a funny observation. We have wild hogs down here. Everywhere. They can get big and of course, they get whacked while crossing the roads at night. I have never seen a turkey vulture eating the dead hogs. I have never seen a bald or caracara on a hog. All I see on hogs, are black vultures. I guess the rest don't like bacon :haha: Now, you get one of those armadillos (which I want to rename to dillos, because their armor isn't worth crap to a vehicle :haha: ) the black vulture will never get that taste. The Blad's, Turkey's and Caracara's suck them up and here is one example you get to see who sits atop the raptor food chain :lol8: The other observation, vultures don't eat themselves. One gets hit, nobody eats him. And if the carrion is overrun by red ants (fire), then tend to find other food.

[ststephen]

I don't know what a "Buzzard" is vs. a Vulture or Hawk. This is part of the problem of English names vs. Latin names. Can you name a species that you would call a Buzzard? This thread's title, for example is about the species Cathartes aura which is most commonly known as Turkey Vulture, but does get called Turkey Buzzard some places and even things like Carrion Crow in others.

How weird about the who eats what!

[JP]

As in Greg's post, North American Red Tailed Hawk will fit under the buzzard class. I read something similar to Greg's post years ago, when you break it all the way down to buzzard and vulture. The Bald Eagle will fit into the vulture class.

Yes, weird in deed. I believe if you are on top of the food chain, you have choices. When you're not hanging around the top, you take what you can get. But, we'll have a hog hit, weighs in over 200lbs. Those blacks will have it all gone in a day or two. I'll have to find that and post those pics up. But, not on poor Greg's, I already cluster %ucked this one up. Sorry Greg.

[gnwatts]

Post away JP! No worries.
I would like to see other shots. I need to get closer to get better shots. Yours a few posts up is great.

[JP]

Whoops, I started another of some closeups. You and StStephen are in the title. I think it's Black Vultures on a Hog...Eating it... (that was for the ones that might have weak stomachs) :naughty: :mrgreen:

[JP]

http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthread.php?54353-Black-Vultures-on-a-Hog...Eating-it...%28Greg-amp-StStephen%29

[JP]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v654/Zukimog/Turkey%20Vultures/DSC_4957_edited-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v654/Zukimog/Turkey%20Vultures/DSC_4967_edited-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v654/Zukimog/Turkey%20Vultures/DSC_4960.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v654/Zukimog/Turkey%20Vultures/DSC_4966.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v654/Zukimog/Turkey%20Vultures/DSC_4963.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v654/Zukimog/Turkey%20Vultures/DSC_4972.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v654/Zukimog/Turkey%20Vultures/DSC_4968.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v654/Zukimog/Turkey%20Vultures/DSC_4974_edited-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v654/Zukimog/Turkey%20Vultures/PB304413.jpg