Attracting Buzzards...

[flacaltenn]

Found a sure way to attract buzzards.
I wasn't getting the yard work done quick enough -- so I put the wife to work (instead of
merely managing my work) Mixed up a sprayer of fish emulsion and showed her how to watch the mixture rate.

Went to garden store..

Came back and she's doing the shhhhhhhhhh thing to me, and we climb the steps to back patio. Buzzard is stalking the empty fish emulsion bottle. I shoo him away trying to substitute a hot dog for the emulsion bottle, but he's strolling thru the yard kicking it around.

Won't leave. LOVES the smell of garden. Another mouth to feed..

While all this is going on -- the neighbor put in a deer feeder. Mostly feeding turkeys now, but the deer are using it. And while the buzzard is sunning himself on MY deck chair, a troop of turkeys go thru the garden enjoying that "dead fish" smell..

Don't want to go out on the patio and nap -- Buzzard might think I'm a goner..

 

[Nutz]

LOL

Shoot me a turkey...mmmm, turkey!

btw, what would you use fish emulsion for?

 

[westwall]

Found a sure way to attract buzzards.
I wasn't getting the yard work done quick enough -- so I put the wife to work (instead of
merely managing my work) Mixed up a sprayer of fish emulsion and showed her how to watch the mixture rate.

Went to garden store..

Came back and she's doing the shhhhhhhhhh thing to me, and we climb the steps to back patio. Buzzard is stalking the empty fish emulsion bottle. I shoo him away trying to substitute a hot dog for the emulsion bottle, but he's strolling thru the yard kicking it around.

Won't leave. LOVES the smell of garden. Another mouth to feed..

While all this is going on -- the neighbor put in a deer feeder. Mostly feeding turkeys now, but the deer are using it. And while the buzzard is sunning himself on MY deck chair, a troop of turkeys go thru the garden enjoying that "dead fish" smell..

Don't want to go out on the patio and nap -- Buzzard might think I'm a goner..

 

[westwall]

LOL

Shoot me a turkey...mmmm, turkey!

btw, what would you use fish emulsion for?

Fertilizer

 

[NLT]

Watch out buzzards will spit some nasty shit on you.

 

[flacaltenn]

LOL

Shoot me a turkey...mmmm, turkey!

btw, what would you use fish emulsion for?

It is tempting to bag one. I've seen some of this flock grow up from bitty fluff balls.
The neighbor COULD be feeding them for some reason like that !!!

Fish emulsion is just a good balance of nutrients to start off the spring soil. Has the trace minerals and biological content that straight fertilizers dont.. Smells like a fishing camp on busy day tho..

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Watch out buzzards will spit some nasty shit on you.

Actually, vultures don't spit. They have a surprisingly fragile system though and will easily vomit if frightened or upset. I've seen them vomit and then re-eat the same meal. Icky but it all serves a purpose.

I handled and rehabbed turkey vultures in the desert southwest. They're known for defecating on their feet to cool themselves.

I worked with raptors - hawks and owls. Their main weapon is their talons and, though you never want to count on it, most of the big birds don't bite. Little raptors always bite though. Vultures feet are relatively weak but what you really need to watch is that long neck and incredible beak. I never got nailed by a vulture but I knew of an experienced handler whose attention strayed just long enough for the bird to reach up and rip out his carotid artery. I heard he bled out on the spot.

In other parts of the world, the word "buzzard" is used to describe genus buteos such as the red tailed hawk. For whatever reason, the meaning of the word mutated with US usage.

If I remember correctly, the word "vulture" comes from the Latin, meaning "to tear".

Fascinating birds.

As to gardening, we have the worst soil yet. Over the years, every bit has been replaced with composted soil. We can now grow anything and never use fertilizers. I have always been amazed at how effective composting is.

 

[flacaltenn]

Watch out buzzards will spit some nasty shit on you.

Actually, vultures don't spit. They have a surprisingly fragile system though and will easily vomit if frightened or upset. I've seen them vomit and then re-eat the same meal. Icky but it all serves a purpose.

I handled and rehabbed turkey vultures in the desert southwest. They're known for defecating on their feet to cool themselves.

I worked with raptors - hawks and owls. Their main weapon is their talons and, though you never want to count on it, most of the big birds don't bite. Little raptors always bite though. Vultures feet are relatively weak but what you really need to watch is that long neck and incredible beak. I never got nailed by a vulture but I knew of an experienced handler whose attention strayed just long enough for the bird to reach up and rip out his carotid artery. I heard he bled out on the spot.

In other parts of the world, the word "buzzard" is used to describe genus buteos such as the red tailed hawk. For whatever reason, the meaning of the word mutated with US usage.

If I remember correctly, the word "vulture" comes from the Latin, meaning "to tear".

Fascinating birds.

As to gardening, we have the worst soil yet. Over the years, every bit has been replaced with composted soil. We can now grow anything and never use fertilizers. I have always been amazed at how effective composting is.

Being this is my first time "dancing with vultures", I didn't realize how entertaining they can be. I prize my arteries, so I don't want to test them. They are just awkward on the ground and just watching a bird that big waddle around was fun..

I don't have the patience for composting. Tho there are box turtles in the family for the last 20 years, and we keep MOST of the property organic so that we have worm/bug access for them. Including the 8 X 4 summer "turtle-port" that I built for them out back. So I look at the fish emulsion as a quicker way to enrich the yard.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Watch out buzzards will spit some nasty shit on you.

Actually, vultures don't spit. They have a surprisingly fragile system though and will easily vomit if frightened or upset. I've seen them vomit and then re-eat the same meal. Icky but it all serves a purpose.

I handled and rehabbed turkey vultures in the desert southwest. They're known for defecating on their feet to cool themselves.

I worked with raptors - hawks and owls. Their main weapon is their talons and, though you never want to count on it, most of the big birds don't bite. Little raptors always bite though. Vultures feet are relatively weak but what you really need to watch is that long neck and incredible beak. I never got nailed by a vulture but I knew of an experienced handler whose attention strayed just long enough for the bird to reach up and rip out his carotid artery. I heard he bled out on the spot.

In other parts of the world, the word "buzzard" is used to describe genus buteos such as the red tailed hawk. For whatever reason, the meaning of the word mutated with US usage.

If I remember correctly, the word "vulture" comes from the Latin, meaning "to tear".

Fascinating birds.

As to gardening, we have the worst soil yet. Over the years, every bit has been replaced with composted soil. We can now grow anything and never use fertilizers. I have always been amazed at how effective composting is.

Being this is my first time "dancing with vultures", I didn't realize how entertaining they can be. I prize my arteries, so I don't want to test them. They are just awkward on the ground and just watching a bird that big waddle around was fun..

I don't have the patience for composting. Tho there are box turtles in the family for the last 20 years, and we keep MOST of the property organic so that we have worm/bug access for them. Including the 8 X 4 summer "turtle-port" that I built for them out back. So I look at the fish emulsion as a quicker way to enrich the yard.

I've caught and handled vultures. They're big and they're very strong. Don't ever take it on without training because they really can kill you.

When I travel, I like to visit other raptor rehabbers. Visited one who had a bald eagle, a vulture and a raven as education birds. I've trained education birds and looked forward to meeting these three.

We stepped through the man trap and into the flight cage. Over head, the eagle took flight to the far end, landed, turned and then flew toward us. She landed a few feet in front of us and then started walking toward us with the vulture and then the raven right behind.

The facility owner nudged me and handed me several dead mice. I've also rehabbed ravens from newly hatched nestlings but, at that time, had never handled an adult eagle.

That bird was enormous. I held out the mouse and was so touched at how gently she reached out, turned her head to one side and took it from my hand. Then, the vulture did the same and then the raven.

At the same facility, I also hand fed a snowy owl which I had never before or since been able to do.

The thing about handling wild animals is that one after another, you have experiences that make you feel like, "That's it, I can die happy now".

On the down side, over the years, my right hand has been so torn up, it gets increasingly difficult to do some things. I've had two surgeries and am always in pain. But I would not trade my experiences for anything. Now, I mostly do conditioning and love it just as much, if not more, than rehabbing.

I think of composting as throwing the garbage out the door.

Not quite, but you get the idea.

 

[Two Thumbs]

fct >

< early demise

 

[asaratis]

Actually, vultures don't spit. They have a surprisingly fragile system though and will easily vomit if frightened or upset. I've seen them vomit and then re-eat the same meal. Icky but it all serves a purpose.

I handled and rehabbed turkey vultures in the desert southwest. They're known for defecating on their feet to cool themselves.

I worked with raptors - hawks and owls. Their main weapon is their talons and, though you never want to count on it, most of the big birds don't bite. Little raptors always bite though. Vultures feet are relatively weak but what you really need to watch is that long neck and incredible beak. I never got nailed by a vulture but I knew of an experienced handler whose attention strayed just long enough for the bird to reach up and rip out his carotid artery. I heard he bled out on the spot.

In other parts of the world, the word "buzzard" is used to describe genus buteos such as the red tailed hawk. For whatever reason, the meaning of the word mutated with US usage.

If I remember correctly, the word "vulture" comes from the Latin, meaning "to tear".

Fascinating birds.

As to gardening, we have the worst soil yet. Over the years, every bit has been replaced with composted soil. We can now grow anything and never use fertilizers. I have always been amazed at how effective composting is.

Being this is my first time "dancing with vultures", I didn't realize how entertaining they can be. I prize my arteries, so I don't want to test them. They are just awkward on the ground and just watching a bird that big waddle around was fun..

I don't have the patience for composting. Tho there are box turtles in the family for the last 20 years, and we keep MOST of the property organic so that we have worm/bug access for them. Including the 8 X 4 summer "turtle-port" that I built for them out back. So I look at the fish emulsion as a quicker way to enrich the yard.

I've caught and handled vultures. They're big and they're very strong. Don't ever take it on without training because they really can kill you.

When I travel, I like to visit other raptor rehabbers. Visited one who had a bald eagle, a vulture and a raven as education birds. I've trained education birds and looked forward to meeting these three.

We stepped through the man trap and into the flight cage. Over head, the eagle took flight to the far end, landed, turned and then flew toward us. She landed a few feet in front of us and then started walking toward us with the vulture and then the raven right behind.

The facility owner nudged me and handed me several dead mice. I've also rehabbed ravens from newly hatched nestlings but, at that time, had never handled an adult eagle.

That bird was enormous. I held out the mouse and was so touched at how gently she reached out, turned her head to one side and took it from my hand. Then, the vulture did the same and then the raven.

At the same facility, I also hand fed a snowy owl which I had never before or since been able to do.

The thing about handling wild animals is that one after another, you have experiences that make you feel like, "That's it, I can die happy now".

On the down side, over the years, my right hand has been so torn up, it gets increasingly difficult to do some things. I've had two surgeries and am always in pain. But I would not trade my experiences for anything. Now, I mostly do conditioning and love it just as much, if not more, than rehabbing.

I think of composting as throwing the garbage out the door.

Not quite, but you get the idea.

I throw all left over food to the creatures of the night. They'll eat anything but styrofoam.

Somewhat ironic maybe, ..... I could easily kill and eat a flying duck, a honking goose, a mourning dove, a furry rabbit, a harmless squirrel, a loggerhead turtle, a big fish, a sack full of frogs, a strutting turkey, a feral hog, a wild cat....but I would stop a bullet for a bird of prey. They are the master hunters and fishers in nature. It's only when I see the gulls go after the freshly hatched turtles as they scamper toward the sea that I want the birds to lose.

I'd like to see the Berry eagle catch its first fish!
Berry College - Experience it Firsthand

She's been branching lately and will soon fly off.

 

[westwall]

I have a tree on my property that we call the buzzard tree. There are times that there will be 20 or more hanging out in it. When they come back I'll take a pic or two to share.

 

[earlycuyler]

Watch out buzzards will spit some nasty shit on you.

This happened to my ex over at Dickinson bayou. Hundreds gather and roost there and she was taking pictures. She walked out on the sidewalk which was covered with that white. Crap and just as I thought how cool it would be if the twat got splattered it happened. Got her right in the face and in her mouth.

 

[flacaltenn]

I have a tree on my property that we call the buzzard tree. There are times that there will be 20 or more hanging out in it. When they come back I'll take a pic or two to share.

You could replicate the experiment. Just don't spill any on your person.....

 

[westwall]

I have a tree on my property that we call the buzzard tree. There are times that there will be 20 or more hanging out in it. When they come back I'll take a pic or two to share.

You could replicate the experiment. Just don't spill any on your person.....

No, I'm quite happy to let them go natural!

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Being this is my first time "dancing with vultures", I didn't realize how entertaining they can be. I prize my arteries, so I don't want to test them. They are just awkward on the ground and just watching a bird that big waddle around was fun..

I don't have the patience for composting. Tho there are box turtles in the family for the last 20 years, and we keep MOST of the property organic so that we have worm/bug access for them. Including the 8 X 4 summer "turtle-port" that I built for them out back. So I look at the fish emulsion as a quicker way to enrich the yard.

I've caught and handled vultures. They're big and they're very strong. Don't ever take it on without training because they really can kill you.

When I travel, I like to visit other raptor rehabbers. Visited one who had a bald eagle, a vulture and a raven as education birds. I've trained education birds and looked forward to meeting these three.

We stepped through the man trap and into the flight cage. Over head, the eagle took flight to the far end, landed, turned and then flew toward us. She landed a few feet in front of us and then started walking toward us with the vulture and then the raven right behind.

The facility owner nudged me and handed me several dead mice. I've also rehabbed ravens from newly hatched nestlings but, at that time, had never handled an adult eagle.

That bird was enormous. I held out the mouse and was so touched at how gently she reached out, turned her head to one side and took it from my hand. Then, the vulture did the same and then the raven.

At the same facility, I also hand fed a snowy owl which I had never before or since been able to do.

The thing about handling wild animals is that one after another, you have experiences that make you feel like, "That's it, I can die happy now".

On the down side, over the years, my right hand has been so torn up, it gets increasingly difficult to do some things. I've had two surgeries and am always in pain. But I would not trade my experiences for anything. Now, I mostly do conditioning and love it just as much, if not more, than rehabbing.

I think of composting as throwing the garbage out the door.

Not quite, but you get the idea.

I throw all left over food to the creatures of the night. They'll eat anything but styrofoam.

Somewhat ironic maybe, ..... I could easily kill and eat a flying duck, a honking goose, a mourning dove, a furry rabbit, a harmless squirrel, a loggerhead turtle, a big fish, a sack full of frogs, a strutting turkey, a feral hog, a wild cat....but I would stop a bullet for a bird of prey. They are the master hunters and fishers in nature. It's only when I see the gulls go after the freshly hatched turtles as they scamper toward the sea that I want the birds to lose.

I'd like to see the Berry eagle catch its first fish!
Berry College - Experience it Firsthand

She's been branching lately and will soon fly off.

I've been looking for video I shot last year of juvie eagles fishing but can't find it. I love living on the lake for a lot of reasons but that's right at the top.

We've got turtles but I've never seen sea turtle babies. We talk about taking a trip to see them but still haven't. Its hard to cheer for the predator sometimes but I remind myself that in order for the system to function, everybody has to eat.

We've got a vulture tree too. In the mornings, they will sit in large groups with their backs to the sun, warming up. Or sometimes, I think they're just discussing their last find of yummy carrion.

I've had a vulture vomit on me - its disgusting. But, bird poop is just as bad. I've used a power washer to clean if off the walls of flight cages and I swear, we could repair roofs and highways with it.