GeauxSioux Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 We were having breakfast last weekend and I looked out the window and saw a large bird sitting on a branch about 30' behind the house. My wife grabbed the camera and took some pictures. We have a wide variety of bird in the woods behind us and see a lot of cardinals and eastern bluebirds, but this was one we hadn't seen. We pulled out the bird book to ID it. It was obvious after I saw it in the book. When it took off the wing span was at least four feet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jloos Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 Looks like a Turkey Vulture. I have seen them a few times down south. I don't think they make it this far north. Ugly birds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeauxSioux Posted May 23, 2008 Author Share Posted May 23, 2008 We have one guess and we have a winner. You're right, that is one ugly bird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprig Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sioux-cia Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 Looks like a Turkey Vulture. I have seen them a few times down south. I don't think they make it this far north. Ugly birds. I guessed vulture but didn't know there was such a thing as a turkey vulture. Saw alot of vultures in the SW. Eeewwww Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimdahl Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 I guessed vulture but didn't know there was such a thing as a turkey vulture. Saw alot of vultures in the SW. Eeewwww Funny, when I saw the head the first thing I thought was "that's one messed up turkey" -- not coming up with the vulture part. To me the biggest contrast was GeauxSioux's backyard vs. the view from my windows (where if I saw one of those birds, I might just call the police). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprig Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 I guessed vulture but didn't know there was such a thing as a turkey vulture. Saw alot of vultures in the SW. Eeewwww Two species down there, black and turkey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprig Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 Looks like a Turkey Vulture. I have seen them a few times down south. I don't think they make it this far north. Ugly birds. Not common, but they are regularly seen in western ND. Had one this spring just south of Crosby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UND Fan Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 We have lots of those ugly things here in Florida!! I would guess that there was something dead in those woods! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeauxSioux Posted May 23, 2008 Author Share Posted May 23, 2008 Hopefully there is a dead armadillo back there. I hate those things. I was mowing the lawn last night took a step backward and stepped into a hole above my knee. I got the hose out and stuffed it down the hole, turned the water on and put some bricks over the top of it. If anyone has a surefire remedy for getting rid of armadillos let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimdahl Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 If anyone has a surefire remedy for getting rid of armadillos let me know. Two words: polar bear. You'll never see an armadillo living within 100 mi of a polar bear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jloos Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 I guessed vulture but didn't know there was such a thing as a turkey vulture. Saw alot of vultures in the SW. Eeewwww They had them at the Como zoo when I lived in St. Paul (about 8 blocks away from the zoo). They would not touch their food until it started rotting. I am not sure why they thought they would be a good zoo animal. The exhibit did not exactly smell like flowers. If I lived in DC I would likely call the cops if I saw any sort of scavenger in my yard. Gotta love the only place in America where humans get shot at more than any animal. I would also call the cops on any chicken hawk sitings. Where there is a chicken hawk there is bound to be Foghorn Leghorn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsiouxnami Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 They are, in fact, turkey vultures. We live in Bismarck and, for the last 3 summers, we have had about 40-50 of them perched on a water tower near our house nightly. (And we live in the middle of town.) I have heard they hang out down by the river during the day. It is weird to watch them come in to roost for the evening, as they don't flap their wings much, they kind of just glide in for a landing. The first time it happened, we kind of freaked out because it started out with one or two and pretty soon the sky above our house was filled with these huge, gliding birds. It reminded me of a scene out of "The Birds". They are relatively harmless and don't make any noise (I think they can hiss?), but I guess they make quite a mess with their droppings, as they can be rather toxic to car finishes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeauxSioux Posted May 23, 2008 Author Share Posted May 23, 2008 When I was in High School we played the 5/2 Monster defense. Our "monster" wore a t-shirt under his jersey that said "Patience My Ass I'm Going to Kill Something". He was perfect for that position. He was strong, agile and the t-shirt pretty much his football mentality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sioux-cia Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 I guess I thought a vulture was a vulture was a vulture. I admit I don't know the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprig Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 When I was in High School we played the 5/2 Monster defense. Our "monster" wore a t-shirt under his jersey that said "Patience My Ass I'm Going to Kill Something". He was perfect for that position. He was strong, agile and the t-shirt pretty much his football mentality. Was he also a carrion eater? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Siouxmama Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 I guess I thought a vulture was a vulture was a vulture. I admit I don't know the difference. Of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagies Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 Not common, but they are regularly seen in western ND. Had one this spring just south of Crosby. Saw one of these snacking on roadkill in west central MN last year. Turned the car around just to be sure I saw what I thought I saw. (and you can crown my ass if you want to ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagies Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 Two words: polar bear. You'll never see an armadillo living within 100 mi of a polar bear. I'm still laughing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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