I don't want your woodchuck anyway
I was out on a country road looking for wildlife on a Sunday afternoon. I wasn't disappointed. There were blue herons and swans out on the river. There were beautiful yellow flag irises growing amid the lush green up from the bank. But the most interesting sight of all was in the middle of that road.
When I headed down the road there was something large and dark there. I realized it was a turkey vulture. Here's a picture of one in flight. These birds are big. And you certainly can't miss seeing it in the middle of the road. They have six foot wingspan.
Anyway, coming down the road it was just sitting there, right in the middle. It was guarding a dead woodchuck. It wasn't eating, just guarding. It didn't move until a car got really close. Then it would circle around and come back.
I went down to the water and saw the other things that I mentioned before. Coming back up the road, there it was. It was still guarding, looking very menacing, but not eating. The only thing that was weird was that the bloody woodchuck carcass was facing the opposite direction. I assume it eventually had lunch.
When I headed down the road there was something large and dark there. I realized it was a turkey vulture. Here's a picture of one in flight. These birds are big. And you certainly can't miss seeing it in the middle of the road. They have six foot wingspan.
Anyway, coming down the road it was just sitting there, right in the middle. It was guarding a dead woodchuck. It wasn't eating, just guarding. It didn't move until a car got really close. Then it would circle around and come back.
I went down to the water and saw the other things that I mentioned before. Coming back up the road, there it was. It was still guarding, looking very menacing, but not eating. The only thing that was weird was that the bloody woodchuck carcass was facing the opposite direction. I assume it eventually had lunch.
Squirl chattered at 4:50 AM
26 comments
Did you yell at it, "I don't need no stinkin' woodchuck! I can make granola and rum cake!" Silly bird.
I saw your comment at Bucky-the-Disobedient's place ;) You can still do the meme, just give yourself some space from Bucky's. Some of my memories were VERY early. You had a life before Bucky made her grand entrance!
Turkey vultures in flight (chicka-prow)
Afternoon delight!
Yeeeaaah, afternoon delight!
Susie, I was kinda thinking that myself about the meme. You know, Tardist and I were trying to remember all the words to the Crollymog about a month ago. We'll have to get that together and put it out here. I like that, Bucky-the-Disobedient.
Mr B, I always wondered what really interested you.
Hey! I'm not the one who went to her sister's place and read the forbidden post.
Why am I Bucky-the-Disobedient? Aside from the dozens of other reasons...
I love big ol' birds, even turkey vultures. I'd like to see Big Bird from Sesame Street square off with a turkey vulture. Never bet on the yellow bird.
Hey, Bucky has a point! Squirl-the-Disobedient-but-Sneaky! And all these years, we thought it was Bucky . . .
Wait a minute, wait a minute. I innocently went to my sister's site, familial loyalty and all, and just read. What can I say????
...lost my train of thought while wondering what the new meme is and what exactly was said over at Bucky's. hmmmm...
The seagulls around downtown Boston are like that. Some of them are really, really big. I've seen them balance on the edge of a garbage can to pick out a plastic bag that contained the end of someone's meal. They'll drag the bag out To The Middle Of The Street (???! why?) and rip open the bag there. Then if a car comes along, they kind of caw and act all put out. But they'll fly up for a second, then after the car passes, come back and go back to picking at it and eating. Why the middle of the street? weird.
On another weird seagull note, there is another girl who works here who swears she saw a large seagull swoop down and eat a LIVE pigeon one day.
To that I say, EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW GROSS!
(perhaps I overshared. ooops.)
Squirly, I just thought maybe you'd sing along with me.
Danielle, those birds just do, publicly, what we do symbolically (and hidden). They're just showing us ourselves very graphically. :-)
Mr B, afternoon delight. Sky rockets in flight. etc.
Wow! Nice voice!
Thanks, Mr B. You're not so bad yourself. :-)
We have tons of turkey vultures up here.
Recently saw about six of them roosting in a big dead oak, like they were waiting to be served a yummy roadkill meal.
I'm thinking your turkey vulture was waiting for a few more run-overs and a little more time to ripen up that woodchuck carcass?
What, no recipe?
Sierrabella, you'll have to ask the turkey vulture for the recipe. I'm thinking woodchuck tartar. Nice and putrid, three days later. Oh, I'm grossing myself out.
And, Susie and Bucky, okay okay, I did the meme but I'm not gonna post it until tomorrow. I kept checking back to Bucky's to make sure we weren't giving the same answers. Am I forgiven????
That is a little scary. Those things are HUGE!
Hi, Kranki, let me tell ya, I wouldn't want one of them mad at me. I stayed right in my car and viewed from there. Generally they prefer things that are already dead, though. :-)
I find it a bit scary when they seem to be circling directly above where you are....they are big ugly suckers though!
EffieM, yeah, they are big, ugly suckers. When they're up flying in the sky they're so graceful and gorgeous. On the ground, they're just plain fugly.
Wow, roadkill, vultures, and live pigeons for lunch...
How did your place get grosser than the Cotillion? ;)
Bucky, I'm trying to emulate you. I really look up to you when it comes to computers, blogging, those kinds of things. Thanks for the compliment.
So...if I looked you in the eye Saturday and said "You're makin' me puke!" you'd take it as the high praise it's intended to be?
Spoken like a true sibling, Bucky.
Squirl, you can't just go 'round saying you did the meme and then not post it. I'm now fascinated to see what yours looks like! Please??
Bucky, yes I would!
Eclectic, I was just getting ready to post it so here goes.
Your post title cracked me up.
The vultures here are very brave, too. They don't move until a car gets close, and then they usually just WALK (not fly) to the shoulder of the road, and WALK back to their meal after the car passes. Menacing creatures.
Ladybug, these birds must be everywhere. Yes, the title, he seemed to think we all wanted his stupid, bloody woodchuck. That alone cracked me up. And when he flew away, it wasn't very fast.
Jess, Ichabod has a book about animals that says that vultures give off this horrible, putrid smell from their stomachs when they're wounded. I guess it's a defense mechanism. I mean, what besides a vulture would want to eat anything that smelled like that? UGH!
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