Wacouta Pond and Rattlesnake Bluff
According to local leaf observers, the peak of fall colors was on or about October 21st. Coincidently, that was the last day I observed turkey vultures soaring overhead. In both cases, that is about one week later than normal. This post will feature interesting observations of these birds over the past seven months.
Turkey Vulture
For several years, I have noted the arrival of vultures to Wacouta each spring. Invariably this date has been within a day or two of March 20th (Spring Equinox). Because of our lack of winter and a warm spring in 2024, their return was four days early.
In the small community of Hinckley, Ohio (population 500), a Buzzard Day Festival is held around March 15th every year. This annual celebration was started in 1958 and has attracted up to 9,000 visitors some years.
Several Vultures Roosting in One Tree
In the Wacouta area, vultures tend to spend the nights roosting in large groups in the same tree or on rooftops. If they use the same tree over an extended period of time, their guano will eventually kill the tree. The next time you are in Lake City check out the dead tree in front of Kelly's By The Lake Restaurant.
Vulture Head
Have you ever wondered how vultures locate their food? In most cases, the food is found by their exceptional sense of smell rather than sight. Most birds do not have a sense of smell.
Companies selling natural gas add ethyl mercaptan to the odorless gas as a safety measure. It is the same odor given off by decaying carrion. Many years ago, gas leaks along pipelines were detected by vultures congregating over a small area.
Vulture Feeding on Carrion
Vultures have several adaptations for eating carrion. One such adaptation is an unusual community of gut bacteria that would be toxic to most other animals.
They do have one fault as it pertains to eating carrion. They tend to overindulge which makes it difficult to become airborne. When they are feeding on a road killed deer, this can be a big problem. One word of warning: vultures tend to vomit with impending danger!
Vultures in Flight
On my Saturday morning interpretive hikes at Frontenac State Park, folks in attendance usually have the opportunity to observe eagles and vultures soaring overhead. It creates a teachable moment comparing flight patterns between the two birds.
Eagles keep their wings in a perfect horizontal position while vultures raise their wings in a V shape (dihedral). In addition, vultures constantly tilt from side to side as they react to changing air currents.
Mayfly Hatch
As the summer progresses and we approach July 1st, a new and abundant food source shows up on the scene. Not all hatching mayflies end up on trees and bushes or under bright lights.
Many end up landing on the surface of Lake Pepin. As the winds develop, windrows of dead mayflies build up along the shore. It isn't long before this incredible food source attracts the attention of local vultures.
Vultures Feeding On Dead Mayflies
After a couple days of wind from the same direction, I have observed as many as 40 vultures taking advantage of this bountiful buffet.
Vultures With Wings Spread
On occasions, vultures will spread their wings to help regulate body temperature. By exposing their large wings to the sun, they can warm up after a cold night early in the morning.
Early in the morning of May 17 2003, after a hard frost, I decided to hike to the top of He min can (Barn Bluff). As I was walking along the top heading east, I noticed a group of 20 vultures on the ground with wings fully spread. Using a pair of binoculars, I was surprised to see one bird with a pair of colorful wing tags displaying the number 42. Not knowing the significance of the tags, I started contacting various agencies who might have been involved with this effort.
Agencies called included the Minnesota DNR, Federal Fish and Wildlife Service, National Eagle Center and the Minnesota Raptor Center. Nobody was remotely aware of this activity.
That evening, I called Carroll Henderson, Director of Non-game wildlife division at the DNR at the time. He had the same response, but assured me he would check it out in the morning back at the office.
Ten minutes later he called me back and said "I have an answer for you. Pennsylvania's Hawk Mountain Sanctuary is conducting a migration research project. The bird you observed this morning was one of 150 vultures tagged December 2002 in Caracas, Venezuela. The tag is the first one reported so far."
My reply was "how did you obtain this information so fast?" He responded "Have you ever heard of Google?"
Comments