Thank You Turkey Vultures

Turkey Vultures sometimes get a bad "rap" for being carrion eaters, as if that somehow makes them less noble than other raptors. And while it's true that dead animals comprise the main source of their diet, these large soaring birds also eat insects, invertebrates, and some fruits (All About Birds). Yet my profound respect for this species derives specifically from its diet of carrion--that and, of course, the serene beauty of its soaring flight. (Took this photo from my yard a couple days ago.)

Who hasn't seen one or more Turkey Vultures pecking at the innards of some hapless animal struck along the roadside? It's a common sight and happily so--not for the poor victim--but for the vulture, the environment, and thus for us.

Turkey Vultures provide a huge ecological service in being one of nature's "clean up" crews. Without them, dead animals large and small would litter not only our highways but our world, taking many months or more to decompose. But until last year I didn't understand just how proficient these birds are at their work.

I've a farm fence for my dogs that encloses a bit less than two acres. Last fall while walking its perimeter one morning, I was startled to find a dead deer, no doubt a victim of the hunting season, fallen on the other side of the high tensile wire. Seeing its huge body splayed before me, I fretted at the thought of each morning having to pass this sad (and smelly) spectacle. I even considered changing our morning routine.

However routines being what they are, the next morning found me and the dogs taking our morning circuit, apprehensive though I was at the prospect of encountering the deer. As we approached the carcass, a Turkey Vulture flushed from the scene, flying up and away. I saw then a channel of blood draining from the animal's backside.

All that day, Turkey Vultures swam in the sky above our yard. How can I describe the experience of sharing my property that day with dozens of vultures careening overhead whenever I approached? Vultures are BIG birds with wingspans of nearly six feet. A single bird flying up before you would be surprising, let alone six or more!

But to quickly end this overlong tale--the next morning when passing this spot I found not a carcass but rather a skeleton. Yes, within one day's time the flesh of this deer had been completely picked clean. All that remained was its bones, its hoofs, and its hide, sheered from the bones into a crumpled pile. That morning I sent a big Thank You to the Turkey Vultures who had already gone on to their next "clean up" job.

Till next time . . . Keep birds in your heart!

Georgia Anne