Gone to the birds?

I didn't even know there were vultures in the area. And they don't migrate. Hm.

http://news10.com/2015/01/20/guilderland-woman-feeds-vultures-neighbors-complain/

We are overrun with vultures around here.

We have turkey vultures and lots and lots of hawks. Saw a group of 12 gliding together the other day.

Feeding vultures to annoy the neighbors while staying within the law--that's some professional real-life trolling.

In reply to Mitchell:

I love the idea. There is a woman that showed up two or three times at the Staten Island Ferry terminal and as the boats come in between 8:30 and 9:00 she throws bags of bread on the sidewalk so as everyone is running out of the boat to work the have to pass through this huge group of feeding pigeons and seagulls. It took me a few days to figure out what she was doing but then I couldn't help but laugh at her dedication to those birds and hatred for the boat people.

There's a small town just south of my house (Perry, GA) where they love the buzzards so much that they now ring in the new year with a "buzzard drop.". They have a fiberglass statue of a cartoon buzzard that drops in the town square at midnight.

Um. Yeah.

Guy I know used to work at A Very Major Trucking firm that does billions in revenue and has a very large building. He knew a guy that worked nights. That guy spread bird seed all over the sidewalk in front of the main entrance. The ducks or geese swarmed the area, depositing post processed bird seed all over said sidewalk right in front of the main entrance.

We see buzzards at the Big Bend Open Road Race. Most of the time, they take off before the cars get there ... but not always.

The driver did not stop, as that would have ended his race. His navigator was not amused, from what I hear.

Turkey vultures love it here. It is not uncommon to see groups of them circling. They have quite some wingspan on them.

We have about 10 red tailed hawks living around the house right now and about 5 herons. Love having them around they divebomb the rabbits and gophers which keeps them out of the garden. Wish I could feed them a treat now and then but not sure that it would be a good idea.

Now crows can go to hell.

We have herons, egrets, pelicans, and various ducks in the back yard. For the last month or so, there has been a lot of cormorants. It is interesting to watch them catch fish. There are sometimes a half dozen of them out there diving/swimming/eating fish. They seem to come up with a little silver fish about half the time lately.

I love going out at night and hearing the squawk of a startled blue heron. Those things can be loud.

Dade County Courthouse has a permanent population of buzzards. Hundreds. Most of us find that very amusing and appropriate

slantvaliant wrote: We see buzzards at the Big Bend Open Road Race. Most of the time, they take off before the cars get there ... but not always.

I've hit more than one with the Pontiac.

Woody wrote: We are overrun with vultures around here.

He's talking about the avian variety, not the attorneys.

I had a blue herron take off & fly over my head one night, it was so close it's wingtip touched the top of my head as it went over. Those are pretty big birds when you're up close to one.

petegossett wrote: I had a blue herron take off & fly over my head one night, it was so close it's wingtip touched the top of my head as it went over. Those are pretty big birds when you're up close to one.

I know! The birds (Herons, Egrets and Wood Storks) line up at the rear door to my parents house in FL for their afternoon feed of chicken hot-dogs. The Herons will walk right up to you. The beaks on the Herons are not something you want to mess with.

I used to drive by a new, large, expensive house every day on the way to work in North Carolina and any time I needed to go to town. Probably $1M+ house with lots of copper flashing, etc. Without fail, every time, there were at least a dozen turkey buzzards parked on the top of the house. Made the place look like the Addams family lived there. I can imagine the owners were not pleased. I always got the impression that the turkey buzzards were probably there first and they were just hanging out where their trees used to be. That, and it was probably about the highest perch around, given the height of the house and the fact it was on the top of the hill.

All this bird talk. I have been meaning to build a great horned owl box in my coral tree, they will keep the rabbits and mice out of my garden this year.

ultraclyde wrote: There's a small town just south of my house (Perry, GA) where they love the buzzards so much that they now ring in the new year with a "buzzard drop.". They have a fiberglass statue of a cartoon buzzard that drops in the town square at midnight. Um. Yeah.

The buzzard statue drops what at midnight?

wearymicrobe wrote: All this bird talk. I have been meaning to build a great horned owl box in my coral tree, they will keep the rabbits and mice out of my garden this year.

Are you aware of a bird that might eat stray cats? I'd be up for that!

1988RedT2 wrote:

wearymicrobe wrote: All this bird talk. I have been meaning to build a great horned owl box in my coral tree, they will keep the rabbits and mice out of my garden this year.

Are you aware of a bird that might eat stray cats? I'd be up for that!

Around here it's Eagles. Need a big tree..

We get about half a dozen different kinds of Hawks on our property, between them and our rat terriers we don't have a huge rodent problem. Though the big freaking barn owls worry me to no end with our last chihuahua rescue, she generally doesn't get to go out at night alone.

1988RedT2 wrote:

wearymicrobe wrote: All this bird talk. I have been meaning to build a great horned owl box in my coral tree, they will keep the rabbits and mice out of my garden this year.

Are you aware of a bird that might eat stray cats? I'd be up for that!

I have maine coons, if allowed outside, that would kill a owl/hawk.small children in 10 seconds and leave the feet for me on the doorstep.

Vultures cover all of the continental US. Though that's mostly the red headed turkey vulture. Black vultures are more southern, but have been moving north. Hang out under a vulture tree and you can understand why the neighbors are less than thrilled.

Comical that the town has been trying to scare them off with goose decoys. Not sure how they came up with the notion that geese are unsettling to vultures.

wearymicrobe wrote:

1988RedT2 wrote:

wearymicrobe wrote: All this bird talk. I have been meaning to build a great horned owl box in my coral tree, they will keep the rabbits and mice out of my garden this year.

Are you aware of a bird that might eat stray cats? I'd be up for that!

I have maine coons, if allowed outside, that would kill a owl/hawk.small children in 10 seconds and leave the feet for me on the doorstep.

No Maine Coons for us, then. We like our hawks and owls.

Saw a solo vulture on the side of the road this morning. Initially I thought it might be injured because I've never seen just one before. It moved off the shoulder as I approached on my way out and then flew away when I returned a little while later so I guess it was OK.