I hadn't seen a new bird, that I could list, since spotting a Great Egret near Beaufort, SC on September 7. Since then, it has been the same cast of characters...Carolina Chickadees, Carolina Wrens, Titmouses (the plural isn't Titmice, is it?), Eastern Nuthatches, Cardinals...etc, basically all of those that show up on my porch to eat the sunflower seeds and millet that I put out for them.
My drought ended yesterday. As I drove past the edge of a cow pasture in the Trackrock area, I caught a glimpse of some Vultures sitting on a fence hanging out with a couple of cows. Just before they were obscured by a hill, I saw a flash of red on their noggins. Immediately I knew I was in the presence of Turkey Vultures. I even put the truck in reverse, backing up to make the positive ID, which is pretty easy. In this part of the world, you either have Black Vultures (black all over) or you have Turkey Vultures ( black except for their red head).
I have been birdwatching since I was a little kid, tromping around the dusty fields around my home in Central Ohio. I still have the bird book my folks gave me for my eighth birthday. I've identified a lot of birds in the 36 years since then, but I never actually documented anything. I decided that this year, beginning on my birthday I would keep a ledger noting the species, the date, and the location of the sighting. I like having a list to work on. It's comforting in a way, to know that there is always something to work on....birds, state highest peaks...etc.
I was just complaining to Jennifer the day before that it had been a while since I've seen a new bird. Thank you Turkey Vulture for breaking up the monotony of a wet, cold, fall day. Thank you for keeping our highways cleaner. Thank you for devouring the carcasses, thus eliminating the potentially awful smell. Thank you for becoming bird #44 on my list.
We have a pair of what we believe are red-shouldered hawks that have been visiting our back yard lately. Beautiful birds with a barred tail in flight that we believe distinguishes them from the red-tailed hawks around here.
ReplyDeleteBirds of prey are a bit frustrating to me. Usually I cannot identify them because I'm driving at the time I see one and cannot just stop to take a closer look. They are very elusive in the woods as well. I know I have a Great Horned Owl in the woods where I live, because of it's call. But, I only list what I can ID for sure. Maybe I need to come to your place to get the Red-Shouldered Hawk on my list.
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