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Vulture lurv

This was something a little different, also from the country show. There’s always a bird handling demonstration, usually hawks and eagles and like that. This is Maggie. She’s a vulture.

A vulture in love with her trainer. She was very sweet with him. He pointed out that her naked head — which had been white when she came out of the cage — turned a pretty pink when he handled her.

A blushing vulture in love.

When the other trainer got too close, she hissed and lunged at him. Not having it.

I’m not sure what you can do with a trained vulture. Hunt things that are already dead?

Comments


Comment from Uncle Badger
Time: August 21, 2018, 10:46 pm

And, just in case you’ve ever wondered ‘how can vultures eat that kind of crap?!?’ the answer is they have no sense of smell, apparently.

Sadly, badgers have a very good sense of smell. Kitten. I shall say no more.


Comment from Mark Matis
Time: August 21, 2018, 10:58 pm

Ah, but can you imagine the scene when she finds out he’s been cheating on her? I suspect it will be something such as this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Nowak

Of course, it might end up along these lines instead:
http://theothermccain.com/2018/06/17/tip-pentagon-covering-up-fact-that-female-officers-nearly-sank-navy-ship/
My understanding is that those two were being schtupped by the same Admiral, and did not like sharing…


Comment from Ric Fan
Time: August 22, 2018, 12:24 am

Aretha died without a will. She was superstitious about flying so it is no surprise that she wd be supersitious about making a will, too. Not sure if she is married but she has 4 sons. She was reportedly worth $80 million smackeroos!


Comment from QuasiModo
Time: August 22, 2018, 12:25 am

We have some turkey vultures that fly around here…very impressive to watch, kinda like something you’d see in Lord of the Rings :+)


Comment from Can't Hark My Cry
Time: August 22, 2018, 11:58 am

Or possibly not so sweet on him (unless, I suppose, she’s a dominatrix): https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101006094045.htm


Comment from AliceH
Time: August 22, 2018, 2:52 pm

No sense of smell? Quick! To the Google!!

“Among the seven species of New World vultures, some have sense of smell so sensitive that they can pick up the scent of a dead animal from more than a mile away. ”

Ha! That’s what I thought. But wait… what’s this?

“All 16 species of Old World vulture living throughout Asia, Africa and Europe have poor sense of smell, so they rely entirely on their eyesight to find food.”

Every weekday I learn something because I read the Sweas.


Comment from Wolfus Aurelius
Time: August 22, 2018, 3:16 pm

It’s always amused me that the name people choose to apply to something can make such a difference in others’ reactions. Case in point: “California condor.” Sounds like a proud, noble beast, right? Conjures up an image of something like a giant eagle, soaring easily above the purple mountain majesties?

Nope. It’s a vulture. If the common run of people knew that, movements to “Save the California condor!” would stall and die.


Comment from DurnedYankee
Time: August 22, 2018, 4:09 pm

They’re raptors, like eagles and osprey’s, hawks, falcons.
But F22’s are jets, and so are Airbus A380’s.
If you’ve watched them fly, they aren’t designed for the swoop and kill thing. It would end like trying a steep low level high speed strafing run with a fully loaded KC-46 air tanker.

But for all that they have a dirty job, I can never help but admire the way they wheel and ride on the thermals.

Poor birds – As Shakespeare would perhaps observe after too much tippling – “a vulture by any other name would smell as horrid.”
For, they will warn you out in West Texas “don’t hit one of them things when they’re dining on Roadillo, you’ll never get the stench off’n your car.”


Comment from Drew458
Time: August 22, 2018, 6:03 pm

Vultures are clean, given the chance. The ones around here take baths down in the creek, then hang out in the trees like wet sheets on the clothesline until they dry.


Comment from Wolfus Aurelius
Time: August 22, 2018, 7:58 pm

Comment from DurnedYankee
Time: August 22, 2018, 4:09 pm

They’re raptors, like eagles and osprey’s, hawks, falcons.
But F22’s are jets, and so are Airbus A380’s.
If you’ve watched them fly, they aren’t designed for the swoop and kill thing. It would end like trying a steep low level high speed strafing run with a fully loaded KC-46 air tanker.

But for all that they have a dirty job, I can never help but admire the way they wheel and ride on the thermals.
*
*
If you can’t see their ugly naked heads, and you can’t if they’re wheeling up above you, they do look very impressive. If griffins existed, I imagine they would soar like that.


Comment from DurnedYankee
Time: August 22, 2018, 9:13 pm

@Wolfus
I agree – I prefer your version to thinking of Tolkien’s Nazgul!

The underbelly feather color of the local ones gives them away. And as a rule it’s only rarely I see, what I assume are young hawks, soaring with mom and pop. Usually when I see loners, they turn out to be red-tails, when I see 5, generally it’s turkey vultures.

But I ALWAYS stop and stare and wish I could do that.


Comment from S. Weasel
Time: August 22, 2018, 9:52 pm

I once went hiking in 100+ degree weather (it had been that way for over a week and I was stir crazy). I finally collapsed under a tree. It was awful. Then I heard this weird coughing noise. I looked up and…turkey vulture.

For those who don’t know, turkey vultures react to danger by vomiting on it.

I’ve never moved so fast…

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