LOL ~ They were Turkey Vultures!! (see post below for details)
Later in the afternoon, we noticed them circling again. This time, accompanied by dh, we followed them around, all over the yard, our necks craned and faces upturned (luckily it was a cloudy day), and we were able to get a better look at these birds. Of course with horrendous timing, my camera batteries died, just as I got off the first shot ~ rats!
But we all could see more clearly this time that the edges of their dark wings were fringed with white ... and that their heads seemed a bit paler than brown (even pinkish). Another check of the field guides confirmed it ... these were indeed Turkey Vultures!
So now I am reading up on turkey vultures, or buzzards as they are sometimes called. (You just never know where homeschooling will take you!) I read that they actually eat carrion - shudder - and I remember about a week ago we found a dead fox out by the river, and this is precisely the area the birds have been circling.
Further research in Birds of New England and Peterson Field Guides for Young Naturalists: Birds of Prey reveals :
- Turkey Vultures are actually not too uncommon in New England, particularly during migration.
- They locate their prey by smell - fairly uncommon in birds - as well as by sight.
- Turkey Vultures are unmatched in New England for using updrafts and thermals.
- Fossils of vultures have been found in North America dating back 65 million years ago, which explains their appearance in Ice Age 2. (See ? I knew we could make that movie educational!)
Good eye, my Crackerjack! :)
