Buzzards!

[Bob Wright]

We live in an urban residential neighborhood in Memphis, just to set the scene. Last week we went to the grocery store, and returning home saw a dead squirrel in the street near our driveway. Hit by a car, and this while we were gone, so a recent kill, no more than two hours old. As I was taking in the groceries, I saw a turkey vulture (a buzzard) in the street. Within minutes, the dead bushy tail was gone.

Now there are no buzzards anywhere near my house, so the remarkable thing, to me, was that buzzard had gotten wind of that kill for at least a couple of miles.

Amazing!


Bob Wright

 

[AJGUNNER]

If you get up around 1000 to 2000 feet in the air, I bet you to could spot some roadkill at more than a mile or 2 away. :wink:

Our buzzards head south for the winter but they are sure handy to have around during the summer. Not only do they keep the road kills cleaned up, but also the farm kills. Dead skunk, opossum, racoon, chicken, ditch cougar---they all go over the back fence. I put a dead chicken over the fence last week at 8pm. By 8:30 there was 3 buzzards on it. If they didn't finish it off, the coyote's picked it up on their nightly rounds, because come the next morning there was not even a feather to be found.

 

[coach]

I see them soaring a lot in the summer. Occasionally right over the house. Amazing how they can spot a dead animal. Some buzzards taking care of a road kill deer at the end of my driveway.

 

[Fox Mike]

The other day the wife and I were headed into town a saw six buzzards all sitting in a row on a street lamp arm . Something was somewhere near. Somewhere I have photos of two of them working over a dead opossum on the street, right in front of my home. They are efficient!

 

[tinman]

Last Thanksgiving Day I threw the remains of the turkey over my back fence......within 1 hour there were buzzards on them bones.

 

[GunnyGene]

 

[Doc Holliday]

Buzzards. Its what's for dinner.

 

[kramden]

Here in S.E. Wis. we never had them till about 5-6 years ago. Now they are everywhere. And yes they are efficient.

 

[contender]

Here in Lake Lure,,, in the mornings,,, we see them sitting on the lifeguard stands. I usually say; "There's the mayor, the City Council, and their butt kissers"!!!!!!

 

[6GUNSONLY]

We have two varieties here; the black vulture and the turkey buzzard. I don't know from a scientific basis, but it seems to me they almost have to have some way of locating carrion besides visual. I wonder if they can detect the gases rising from a decaying carcass. I've seen them show up on a spot where a deer or hog was dressed in the field and there's not even any visual evidence of the animal left.

 

[Taterman]

Here in S.E. Wis. we never had them till about 5-6 years ago. Now they are everywhere. And yes they are efficient.

Same here. They're not everywhere, but I've been seeing them around for the first time ever.

 

[GhosT]

Live in NE OHIO ,and enjoy when they show up.

Freaks the hawks out that hang around my factory............No longer the biggest bad ass in the ''HOOD''

BUZZARDS....natures Janitors.

 

[Mobuck]

"Same here. They're not everywhere, but I've been seeing them around for the first time ever."
Missouri was over populated, so we had to send some north(kind of like Mexico does). Hope you guys enjoy the buzzards. Try not to hit one with your vehicle, the clean up is nasty.

 

[BearBio]

We have two varieties here; the black vulture and the turkey buzzard. I don't know from a scientific basis, but it seems to me they almost have to have some way of locating carrion besides visual. I wonder if they can detect the gases rising from a decaying carcass. I've seen them show up on a spot where a deer or hog was dressed in the field and there's not even any visual evidence of the animal left.

Sense of smell==one of the best around!

 

[Paul B]

Quite a few years back now, back in the mid 70's I saw a dead buzzard lying next to the track at the RR crossing. Checked it out every day going to and from work. No flies or maggots on it either. Nothing ever touched it and it very slowly rotted away. Took well over a month before there was nothing left but a few feathers. Apparently coyotes and buzzards refuse to eat a dead one. No wonder Ahnold puked after killing that one with his teeth. Interesting. :?: :?: :?: :?: :roll:
Paul B.

 

[Lone Wolf McQuade]

Have not seen any Buzzards, however my Mother lives in Buzzards Bay Massachusetts.

It's one of the villages in the Town of Bourne, around 50 miles South of Boston.

 

[toysoldier]

Just remember that they are slow to take off, so if you see one on the road ahead, don't be tempted to speed up to "scare it a little."

 

[Mus408]

Down at my range the buzzards built a nest last summer behind a berm of pushed over trees...right behind where I shoot.
While down there today I noticed they came back again this year. I was unloading my truck and heard a woosh woosh sounding like a large piece of canvas flapping and there it was taking flight from behind my berm.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Quite a few years back now, back in the mid 70's I saw a dead buzzard lying next to the track at the RR crossing. Checked it out every day going to and from work. No flies or maggots on it either. Nothing ever touched it and it very slowly rotted away. Took well over a month before there was nothing left but a few feathers. Apparently coyotes and buzzards refuse to eat a dead one.

Hi,

A few years ago, there was an outbreak of West Nile virus in my little corner of the world, and it was really tough on the crow population. I had a couple of them just drop dead out of a tree in the front yard. We were supposed to call somebody if we saw a dead one, and it only took one call to realize they were just putting check marks on the wall somewhere. So I buried mine. Down the street, one dropped dead in the gutter on the route I normally take on my bicycle. Like the buzzard, it sat there, untouched, at least two weeks until I guess someone scooped it up and disposed of the carcass. I was beginning to think even bacteria wouldn't eat a crow.

Which leads to the big question: will a buzzard eat a crow?

Rick C

 

[Mega Twin]

My brother-in-law has lost some calves to them.They can be predatory.
http://www.kait8.com/story/37417351/farmers-focused-on-vulture-problem-during-calving-season

 

[Fox Mike]

My brother-in-law has lost some calves to them.They can be predatory.
http://www.kait8.com/story/37417351/farmers-focused-on-vulture-problem-during-calving-season

I would like to see something actually showing a black buzzard in the act of killing a calf. A buzzard weighs in at about 5 pounds. I can see a calf dying and then a buzzard 'rolling in' on it.

 

[Paul B]

My brother-in-law has lost some calves to them.They can be predatory.
http://www.kait8.com/story/37417351/farmers-focused-on-vulture-problem-during-calving-season

I would like to see something actually showing a black buzzard in the act of killing a calf. A buzzard weighs in at about 5 pounds. I can see a calf dying and then a buzzard 'rolling in' on it.

I'm thinking it would not be all that hard. When I lived in Nevada, a couple of ranchers paid me and my hunting partner to kill every coyote we saw. Cows calved all year round up there and here is the cow giving birth and the coyotes literally eating the calf as it was coming out. It wouldn't surprise me if buzzards might not do something similar. The cow and calf are in no position to fight back. Just for the record, my buddy and I have seen this with the coyotes. One day we nailed three before they got out of range. The calf could not be saved. Most of the coyotes we killed were called in.
Funny thing. We could go on the ranch to kill the coyotes but they would not let us hunt deer. Kind of sad because there were some mighty fine B&C potential bucks on those ranches.
Paul B.

 

[coach]

We were at a relatives and spotted a calf being born in the field next to the house. She called the farmer and he thanked her saying those damned buzzards might have got the calf if he hadn’t got there in time.

 

[kmoore]

I live next to the Clackamas river near the mouth to the Willamette river. Turkey Vultures (called a Buzzard) all over the place this time of year. They fly over the house in circles, fun to watch them hunt. They seem to be in small groups and circle at different heights.
I have handled 2 dead ones and will say they stink more any other thing I know of besides a skunk.
I have heard walkers going by, looking and talking about all those Bald Eagles. Yeah we have those too but, I just laugh. Even took a friend fishing last month and he asked why there was so many Eagles sitting in the trees along the river bank. He got a lesson in what a Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle and Osprey look like.

 

[Colonialgirl]

We have a large county park (Flatwoods Bike Park) near us and county woods property across the raod from the bike park (Morris Bridge Road in Hillsborough County) and it's all full of deer and pigs, not to mention squirrels, rabbits and armadillos who regularly get hit and run over. So usually the trees and tops of telephone poles have "Observers" sitting there waiting for a meal.