Red-Tails, Turkey Vultures, and What Not
Hi,
Looks like it's time for a more or less random collection of bird news, pics, and other stuff...
- Feathers and down on the deck tell their own sad tale... Yup, the remains in the photo below suggest that a hawk got some poor bird. My guess is that a mourning
dove met its fate here, though there really isn't much conclusive evidence left behind.
- In general, hawks are creatures worthy of distance whenever possible. A girl touring Fenway Park was attacked today. (Setting aside the rare assault on humans, Boston raptors (hawks and falcons) hold their own in the more mundane task of rodent control.)
- And speaking of red-tailed hawks, here's one now... The wife and I were out for a drive last weekend, and she spotted this fellow. This photo was taken behind the
old fire station on Bank St. in Harwich... (See: Harwich Conservation Trust.)
- But by far and away, the coolest part of our drive was spotting a couple of turkey vultures! We were in Chatham on Rt. 28 by Larry's PX when they caught our
attention...
Now is that neat or what?!? When the wife pointed out the birds, I thought she was kidding. To me, they looked like those oversized, fake owls people put on the tops of barns to scare away the crows. It wasn't until one of the buggers moved that I realized that they were for real. We're talking huge birds here... They looked to be about the size of a medium Thanksgiving Day turkey (though they only weigh about 3 pounds). Still, with a wingspan of 6 feet, a turkey vulture is a real attention getter.
See you randomly and brokenhearted by the feeders,
CapeCodAlan