Oh those dirty Mothas! The only time I've seen them live was between Nogales & Puerto Penasco. There were about 8 of them surrounding some
carcas. It was an amazing sight and something I don't care to see again...
Freaky birds!docsmom - 10-14-2007 at 11:55 AM
jdtrotter,
Was there a dead baby seal on the shoreline?DianaT - 10-14-2007 at 11:58 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by docsmom
jdtrotter,
Was there a dead baby seal on the shoreline?
Yes, and there were several of these around for a few days. When it is high tide, the water reaches the cliff, so they had to wait!
Everyone has to eat, and it does clean up the shoreline
Diane
[Edited on 10-14-2007 by jdtrotter]
[Edited on 10-14-2007 by jdtrotter]Mexitron - 10-14-2007 at 12:22 PM
Those are the slightly smaller cousins of the California Condor---nature's cleanup crew; My friend who worked in the Condor program was always amazed
at how they'd patiently hang around 2 or 3 days waiting for a dead animal to bloat up before they tore it open...mmmm, aged beef!vgabndo - 10-14-2007 at 04:40 PM
Oh Docsmom...
Cut 'em some slack. They are actually wonderful animals filling their spot in the ecosystem. Like a lowly maggot, they are not especially beautiful,
but they serve their purpose wonderfully.
In the evening at our place I still get some entertainment out of watching them return to San Nicolas to roost for the evening in the nearby palms.
They are only great flyers when they are playing the thermal currents like a violin. When it comes time to stop on a dime on a palm frond already
occupied by two or three other vultures, it is a little like watching twenty 12 year olds trying to land their RC airplanes on Christmas morning! Not
very professional.
One bozo will come crashing in and knock four others off their perches, then you have five in the air knocking ten off their perches, then one by one
they get settled until it happens again. Often way late at night there will be a great flapping of wings as some late arrival crashlands and knocks
several brothers off the swaying palm frond.
they are the Mike Rowe's of the avian world!
DianaT - 10-14-2007 at 05:02 PM
I also think they are really great birds---they do their jobs well. Yes, the sight of them tearing apart a dead animal is not pretty, I wish we had
them here in Imperial Beach----when something dead washes us on the beach here, it just rots, smells, and my dogs love to find it and roll in it!
I invaded the comfort zone of these two---love the wing span, and they returned later. \
Diane
[Edited on 10-15-2007 by jdtrotter]docsmom - 10-16-2007 at 09:15 PM
Ok Vagabond,
I apologize for the negative comment about the vultures. As I said, I've only ever seen them in their nasty, gruesome, least endearing activity. I'd
never heard of the comical side you report and if it was happening in my backyard I too would find them endearing. Thank you for enlightening me.
The Mike Rowe of the avian world. That works for me! :yesHope doscdad
doesn't read this!).
Diane...another good caption might have been that old standard...
vgabndo - 10-17-2007 at 12:25 AM
PATIENCE my arse, I'm goin' to go KILL something.Pappy Jon - 10-23-2007 at 06:54 PM
Ahhh, the turkey vulture, one of my favorite birds. Saw a pair consuming a stingray corpse last trip down. One less to step on.
A buddy always had a hard time telling them in flight from a hawk ... until I told him they look like somebody is rocking the boat. He never forgot
that.
A joke ... what do they call a dead rabbit along side the road?
Hope doscdad
doesn't read this!).
