northeast-flora-and-fauna

Here's a Turkey Vulture and its friends, or at least friendly coworkers. You might look up at 1 (obviously good-looking) Turkey Vulture and think: "You're not so tough!". May 27, 2023 at Fairview Farm Photo 300288198, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)   But then you realize the Turkey Vulture has brought backup! May 27, 2023 at Fairview Farm Though this wasn't an especially large wake of vultures , it was of respectable size. I doubt they've got many predators, so I suspect vultures like each other's company. The Raptor Trust reports that wild vulture's often fly down to commune with their resident vultures. Though it's not uncommon for mixed Turkey Vulture and Black Vulture wakes, I'm pretty sure all of these were Turkey Vultures.

This Black Vulture was scanning the area, probably hoping to find a delicious rotting carcass [1]. They can be distinguished from their Turkey Vulture relatives because Turkey Vultures have red heads and normal-sized tails (unlike the puny tails of Black Vultures). And although scavenging death animals is the Black Vulture's main job, they do sometimes kill things as a side gig. Exactly what they'll kill isn't completely clear; there are reports of them killing newborn calves , though some argue they're killing sick calves that probably would have died anyway. They'll also kill wild animals as large as a Woodchuck (AKA Groundhog), though these attacks are probably rare.  In contrast, Turkey Vultures are pretty close to being pure scavengers. May 25, 2023 at Duke Farms Photo 292818955, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) [1] Within the vulture community it's understood that all rotting carcasses are delicious.

Human kids have a different fashion sense than adults, and juvenile Bald Eagles "dress" quite a bit differently than adults. When I saw this bird soaring overhead, my 1st thought was that it was big and dark and thus probably a vulture ( Turkey Vulture or Black Vulture ). But the plumage was wrong for both; from below both vultures have dark bodies with (different) lighter areas on their wings. This bird was mostly dark with some scattered speckling. This is also different from an adult Bald Eagle , which would have a white head and tail with a rich brown color elsewhere. The previous time I got a picture of a juvenile Bald Eagle, it was in a tree next to an adult Bald Eagle. In that instance I had no trouble IDing the juvenile because no other bird the size of a Bald Eagle is (routinely) found in my area [1]. In today's picture of a soaring raptor, judging size isn't as easy. March 29, 2023 at Duke Farms Photo 270605877, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY...

Who's the most beautiful scavenging raptor in New Jersey? It's hard to say, but Black Vultures are certainly in the top 2 [1] [2], up there with our Turkey Vultures . Other than a little obstruction from branches, this fella took a pretty nice-looking picture. As related species with similar appetites, it's expected that Black Vultures and Turkey Vultures will show up at the same carcass. I've heard somewhat different things about the carcass pecking order: Black Vultures are more aggressive and will dominate the carcass. Turkey Vultures, who are slightly larger, will dominate the carcass unless the Black Vultures outnumber them. Unfortunately I haven't seen enough carcasses to give you a personal opinion on carcass pecking order (though I suspect if a Bald Eagle flew in, it would get more than its fair share [3] [4]). February 8, 2023 at Duke Farms Photo 263480504, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) [1] New Jersey has only 2 vulture species, the Blac...

I met a group of vultures at Washington Valley Park last autumn when I noticed a bunch of them in a patch of trees between the Washington Valley Reservoir and Newman's Lane. As you can see from the 1st photo, even a casual glance in their direction made it clear there were large birds up there. A quick look through my binoculars confirmed what I pretty much knew, that these were vultures. November 29, 2022 at Washington Valley Park Photo 251085840, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) Similar to when I saw a  rafter of Wild Turkeys , I wondered what you're supposed to call a group of vultures. This webpage provided me with 3 candidates: A colony of vultures. This certainly suggests a group, though I wonder if it implies more cooperation and cohesiveness than a group of mixed-species vultures really represents. Also, a colony sounds a little more geographically persistent than I'd like for birds that won't stay in these particular trees for more than a few h...

This Black Vulture appears to be looking pretty intensely at something. Though they (and their Turkey Vulture cousins) are primarily scavengers, Black Vultures will sometimes attack small, weak animals. Since the vulture didn't seem to view me as a credible threat (an accurate observation on the vulture's part), I'm thinking the vulture considered the possibility that it saw a potential meal (dead or alive). Black Vultures generally scavenge by sight, so their eyesight is considered quite good. Though there is a little dispute as to whether most birds can smell, Turkey Vultures definitely find rotting carcasses through their sense of smell, and Black Vultures are smart enough to follow them to a carcass. There are no other extant (non-extinct) species in the Black Vulture's genus  though they're obviously related to the other New World vultures/condors .  November 26, 2022 at Duke Farms https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_vulture

Two days ago was Buzzard Day , and despite the different nomenclature that holiday celebrates the (approximate) return date of Turkey Vultures to an Ohio town. It seems appropriate to show one of our local Turkey Vultures this week, especially since I get so many pictures of them. (I've toyed with doing a "Vulture of the Week" and/or a "Heron of the Week" just to work through all the pictures I've gotten of these birds.) Though here in the Western Hemisphere the name "buzzard" refers to our vultures (including the Black Vulture here in the US), in Europe the name "buzzard" refers to hawks, especially buteos . In most of the world, buzzards tend to be "hunters who sometimes scavenge" rather than "scavengers who rarely hunt". So if you're talking about buzzards with someone from another part of the world, you may not be talking about the same type of bird. October 14, 2022 at Duke Farms Photo 250352683, (c) jpviole...

Many people would like to think that the birds they see soaring above them are Bald Eagles , though Turkey Vultures , Black Vultures , and Red-tailed Hawks are much more common. And since the birds are frequently pretty high up in the sky, you aren't necessarily going to get a really good look at them. Here's sort of a beginner's guide to IDing these birds, where I'll stay away from the subtle points. First up is a Turkey Vulture. Sometimes like in this picture you'll see a flash of their red heads, but even from much further away you can usually see pale feathers starting from the ends of the wings, going along the backs of the wings, finally ending at the body itself. In this picture the pale feathers contrast quite a bit from the dark feathers to look white; most of the time the difference in feathers is more subtle than this, though the outline is always there, and this unusual amount of contrast demonstrates it well. February 1, 2022 at Duke Farms Photo 184269...

Last September I saw this fella flying around, a Red-tailed Hawk . They are one of our most commonly seen raptors, behind only the Turkey Vulture and (probably) Black Vulture . Both our vultures give a much darker look up in the sky. I'm not sure how many owls (especially Screech Owls ) we have, but they're much less likely to be seen during the day. You shouldn't be looking for a truly red tail; adults have tails that are more like a burnt orange, juveniles are a light brown. The ones in our area usually have a fairly distinctive "belly band", basically speckles that go across the belly. No other raptor in my area should have this band of speckles. You can see the belly band well in the 1st picture while I think you've got a hint of the burnt orange tail in the 2nd picture. September 19, 2021 at Duke Farms Photo 168281295, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) September 19, 2021 at Duke Farms Photo 168281320, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (C...

I don't want you to miss any pictures of my area's photogenic vultures, so here are more pictures of vultures who have embraced wireless technology. I've shown similar pictures before, though this time both species of vulture ( Turkey Vulture and Black Vulture ) were on the scene. And vultures are pretty cool. Note that I'm pretty sure this is a wireless communications tower that's either on or just over the border of Washington Valley Park. If it turns out to be for a death ray ... my bad. With no more ado, here are my vulture neighbors, with the Black Vulture on the left and the Turkey Vulture on the right. September 8, 2021 at Washington Valley Park Photo 167830214, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) September 8, 2021 at Washington Valley Park Photo 167830200, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

I hope these Black Vultures , who were perched above a local restaurant parking lot, don't know something about the cuisine that I need to know. I suspect they just wanted a sunny spot where they had a view of the surrounding area, rather than looking to capitalize on food-poisoned restaurant patrons, but who knows. I recall years ago seeing them outside a blood drive, which sparked similar why-are-they-here ideas in my head. As a friend remarked about how ugly they are, I suggested that the vultures were probably thinking the same thing about us. December 21, 2021 in Bridgewater Photo 173295489, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

I'm assuming that at or just off of Washington Valley Park there is a tower for wireless transmissions, but whatever it is, it's popular with the local vultures. On this particular day I got pictures of Turkey Vultures , but Black Vultures will perch up there too. This is actually one of the most reliable places for me to just show up and see vultures, though admittedly sometimes I'll see more than other times, and sometimes I'll see them in a nearby tree instead of on the tower. There are times when I've seen over a dozen of them in the area, but for that number I have to include ones that are airborne too. I'm assuming this is popular with the vultures because: This is near the top of a hill, giving it a better view of the surrounding area, and possibly helping them spot a carcass. The tower and nearby trees give a little additional elevation. This is edge habitat, so while there are lots of trees in one direction, it's more of a field in the other direct...

There's a spot at Washington Valley Park where I can usually find Turkey Vultures . I wouldn't be shocked if some Black Vultures hang out there too, but most of the time when I get an ID it's a Turkey Vulture that I see in this spot. Seeing a little bit of red on the head easily distinguishes this Turkey Vulture from its Black Vulture cousins. I'm not sure why this spot is popular with vultures, though I suspect it's one of the higher spots in the park and it's adjacent to grassy areas. These may combine to give the vultures a relatively good view of the landscape, possibly helping them spot a dead animal before getting airborne. And it's not the busiest part of the park, so there are relatively few of those scary humans coming by. But AFAIK it's not a hotbed of dying animals. June 11, 2021 at Washington Valley Park Photo 136371147, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

Here's a picture from March of a Black Vulture surveying the area around one of the Raritan River Greenway. Though my link shows them as "uncommon" in New Jersey, that might be a slightly out of date map. Although the Turkey Vulture is our most common vulture, the Black Vultures are a nontrivial component of our vulture population. The Black Vulture is generally considered the more aggressive vulture, usually winning carrion disputes with their Turkey Vulture cousins. The only thing that can make good-look identification tricky is that young Turkey Vultures lack the red faces that easily distinguishes the adults of our two vulture species. I'm pretty sure this is a Black Vulture though because of the relatively short tail that Black Vultures have. These vultures mostly use sight and smell to find dead animals to eat, making them one of the few birds with a good sense of smell. And although they are primarily scavengers, Black Vultures are known to do a little hunting...