A walk on the wild side ...

[TexDot33]

So, today, I get out of work early. It's beautiful, weather-wise here today so Tex decides that he is going to go explore a little nature sanctuary about 2 miles down the road ... I get there, get out on the trails and there really wasn't a whole lot going on. So after about 45 minutes into the hike I decide that I am going to turn around and go back to the parking area where I had parked.

I pop out of the woods on the trail head at the parking area and it's quite - really peaceful. So I am standing on in the parking lot when I hear the very distinct sound of feathers ruffling (we all know the sound) and it was close, REALLY CLOSE. I look up in this tree about 15 feet (5 meters) up, and directly over my car, are 3 TURKEY VULTURES (Cathartes aura) ... AND I HAD MY CAMERA!!

Two of them flew away when my flash went off. But this brave one stayed for a good long time. This was the best pic I got of him. This picture was taken with a very short telephoto lens, infact it really is my everyday lens and there is not a whole lot of magnification to it at all!

 

[birdcrazy]

and you're impressed?
I guess I just don't get it we have whole flocks of them around here you regulary see them get hit because they eat the road kill and won't move off the highway- Just given my New Hampshire friend a hard time come on down south some time and you can see more turkey and black vultures than you care too.

 

[Peta]

Well I'm impressed, we don't see them here, except in captivity. To see something like that would be awesome, think I might just be a little scared, I saw the size of them a little while ago when we visited a "Bird of Prey" Centre,

That is a magnificent bird, thanks for sharing him with us.

 

[darkchi]

Are you sure that really isnt a picture of you in the morning?

Yeah we get them over here a lot too... eating all the tasty road kill

 

[TexDot33]

and you're impressed?

Actually, I was quite impressed ... I been around here all my life and have never seen one ... this was anything but routine around here.

Peta, yeah, these things were huge, easily the size of a wild turkey ... they are docile though, nothing to be scared of.

 

[TexDot33]

Are you sure that really isnt a picture of you in the morning?

Yeah we get them over here a lot too... eating all the tasty road kill

There's a really close resemblance, but I am not a red-head.

 

[Peta]

Peta, yeah, these things were huge, easily the size of a wild turkey ... they are docile though, nothing to be scared of.

Every turkey I've ever met has tried to eat me . When we went off to a bird place I ended up getting chased all round the paddock, my hero of a husband just stood and laughed so hard it set the kids off. They just left me running round the paddock with this demonic turkey hot on my heels. Boy they can run when they want to.

 

[Minzer84]

They just left me running round the paddock with this demonic turkey hot on my heels

Hahahahaha, where was the camera?? Tex, too bad you don't live over in the UK to follow Peta around like the paparazzi and catch incidents such as this one

 

[birdcrazy]

when I was little we lived in a house in the middle of a large city and I saw them in the empty lot across the street chowing down at a possum (do ya'll have those up north ) - I think the most wev'e counted at once is 20 somethng soring and on the ground and in trees on a road trip.

 

[TexDot33]

Yeah, no, they are a rarity around here ...

 

[meghanxx4]

we dont have vulturs around where i live either. We only have bears, cougars, otters, marmots, ... and the only cool interesting bird we have are like harrens and ya.. oh and eagles.. eagles are cool.
oh ya and we have coyotes.

 

[birdcrazy]

otters would be cool!

 

[meghanxx4]

otters would be cool!

ya otters are ok. marmots are ok too, they're alot alike except marmots live ina whole.. there likea cross betweena prairie dog and otter... and also there like almost extinct.

 

[Peta]

Hahahahaha, where was the camera?? Tex, too bad you don't live over in the UK to follow Peta around like the paparazzi and catch incidents such as this one

They were laughing too much to take one. Blimey that would keep Tex in a job for life. I've even had a frog chase me down the garden before now. (I'm scared stiff of them)

 

[karen]

Did u check to see if there was a body ............. what attracted them...ur sox ?

 

[TexDot33]

Did u check to see if there was a body ............. what attracted them...ur sox ?

Funny you should say that, actually I had a bag of house garbage in my trunk the day before and I wasn't sure if they could still smell that ... it was either that or my baseball bag with my unwashed uniform ... :46::46:

 

[Eclectica]

Wow guys, and they say Africa is wild!!! We dont get these kind or any of the "wild" kind right at our backyard or when walking around. That is an awesome vulture, one of the few pretty ones i like anyway .

 

[darkchi]

otter

my brother got bit by one of them (yes they are wild in NY) and he had to get rabies shots... a lot of them.... in his butt
now he get presents about otters, like the TY Babies