Seeing pictures of vultures with their naked necks may give the impression these birds are ugly. Watching turkey vultures for a time erases this impression. I’ve been watching them for years.
Spring arrives for many with the calls of spring peepers. It arrives for me with the arrival of the vultures. Fall ends with their departure in mid October.
Morning Surprise
Fall milking is a lazy affair as the goats go dry after being bred. Much of my time is spent standing in the doorway looking out across the old cow barn and pasture.
There were these big lumps on the barn roof. It took careful looking to finally make out what these lumps were.
Two turkey vultures were standing on the roof peak, wings outstretched, basking in the sun. These birds are sun birds. They stand basking for a long time letting the air warm up and the heat clean their feathers.
Once the air is warm and rising, the vultures soar off in great swoops and circles rising up until they are mere specks in the sky. Watching turkey vultures soar, they often seem to soar just for the joy of it.
Fall Kettles
A group of vultures is called a kettle. This year a kettle is roosting near the old cow barn. Most sit in the trees with their wings outstretched. A few move onto the barn roof peak.
As the kettle soared up in widening circles, I counted sixteen and think I missed a few. After a few nights, the kettle will move to other trees south of us.
There’s still a few weeks left in October. I’m hoping another kettle will stop by so I can continue watching turkey vultures a little longer, putting off the end of fall as long as possible.
Vultures are the topic in two books. Ross Malone’s story is in “Paws, Claws & Hooves: Footprints on Our Lives“. One of the nature essays in “Exploring the Ozark Hills” is about turkey vultures.
