Nature’s Clean-up Crew
Turkey Vulture
Turkey Vulture – not red bald head.
Turkey Vulture
Black Vulture – note black head and white legs.
We would not be very happy if we lived with the stench of rotting carcasses of dead wildlife. Although many people find these birds repulsive, turkey vultures ensure that we live in a world devoid of nasty odors. These vultures have a keen sense of smell and acute eyesight that enables these large birds to find dead animals – its primary food.
It is hard to be outdoors in Florida and not see turkey vultures soaring on thermals, they are nearly ubiquitous. These birds roost in large groups in the evening; they go their own way each morning to seek breakfast. Turkey vultures nest on the ground in the hollows of trees or in heavy thickets where they lay two eggs without any nesting materials. The chicks hatch 30 – 40 days later and can be on their own in about two months. Although healthy adults have no enemies, foxes and raccoons eat vulture eggs and the young birds are most vulnerable before they fledge. Eagles and large owls will prey on the youngsters.
Most abundant in southern U.S. and South America, Bird Life International estimated in 2012 that there are 4.5 million turkey vultures. Another vulture here in Florida is the black vulture. It is a slightly smaller bird with a black bald head (turkey vultures have red bald heads) and does not have as keen a sense of smell. Black vultures have a more diverse diet and will scavenge for food, even in garbage dumps. The next time you see a vulture take a deep breath in and be thankful these birds are nature’s clean-up crew.
If You Like Squirrels, Don’t Read This!
Red-Tailed Hawk with Squirrel
Immature Red-tailed Hawk
Hawk flies off with its catch.
“Caw, caw… caw, caw, caw,” Anne and I hear during our daily morning walk along Lake Tsala Apopka. There are two crows are calling from a large lower branch of a very old and very large live oak tree draped in Spanish moss. I snap a few photographs even though the crows are in the shadow of the branches knowing that the pictures may not be the greatest. Unless there is direct sunlight on them, they will appear as black silhouettes. The crows seemed alarmed and as Anne and I watched we discovered why. There was an immature red-tailed hawk standing on the large branch with a limp, lifeless squirrel at its feet.
Anne is upset. She likes squirrels. I am excited that I have an opportunity to photograph a hawk with its catch. The hawk tilts its head as the crows jump from branch to branch above it and around it. Then, like a farmer plucking feathers from a dead chicken being prepared for dinner, the red-tail plucks the hairs from the skin of the squirrel. With its sharp beak it tears pieces of the squirrels flesh and devours it. Yes, I admit, it is a disgusting site, but I tell Anne if it was not eating the squirrel, it would be eating a rabbit or even a bird. Such is nature.
NOTE: When I initially posted this, I had incorrectly identified it as a red-shouldered hawk. It is actually a juvenile red-tailed hawk.
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