[Alagirl]

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...70621039_n.jpg

A friend said 'Buzzard' but I looked at images, no way this is one.
I Said 'Turkey Vulture' he said they don't leave this far East.

[shayaalliard]

That is a turkey vulture- which is also called a buzzard.
In the New World Buzzard can mean:
A vulture, particularly the American Black Vulture and Turkey Vulture, or as a general term for vultures.
In parts of the United States where they are considered pest, particularly in rural areas, a derogatory term for certain birds of prey, such as the Chickenhawk (a common colloquial name referring to either the Cooper's Hawk, the Sharp-shinned Hawk or the Red-tailed Hawk), or the Duck hawk (known elsewhere as the Peregrine Falcon).
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[paulaedwina]

The 'fingers' at the rnds of the wing are telling for me. Turkey vulture.

Paula

[S1969]

Turkey Vulture. I think the term "buzzard" would have to be regional (if others say that it is used to describe Turkey Vultures) - Turkey Vultures are very common in my area and no one ever calls them buzzards.

[TwoBrooksFarm]

We had one with a broken wing in a stall here in SC so though I don't know how far East you are I wouldn't say that they don't come at least as far Aiken, SC.

[sid]

Yes, turkey vulture. I'm in northern VA...about 2 hours from the Atlantic Ocean, so I don't know how much farther East you can get. I have tons of them here.

[mht]

Turkey vulture...ugliest thing on earth when you see one up close!

[Louise]

Yup, Turkey Vulture. The red head distinguishes it from the only other vulture in the US, the Black Vulture. In the summer, Turkey Vultures are found all over the country. In the winter, they move to the southeastern part of the country. I don't know where you are, but with the mild winter we have been having until recently on the east coast it could be possible that some stayed further north than they usually do.

[Christa P]

Turkey Vulture - and yes they are as far east as Western NY, I have seen them feeding on road kill.


Christa

[Alagirl]

thanks!
Caught him flying over last weekend.

[FalseImpression]

They are ugly... turkey vultures. We have them all over Ontario. As much as I love hawks and other birds of prey, I hate those.

[sid]

But I surely do appreciate them when a dead deer winds up in my pastures. "Nature's Garbagemen"...important job.

[vtdobes]

We have tons of them in VT (farther east than NY or VA!). And we call them turkey vultures not buzzards here in the east

[BabyGreen]

TV, for sure. Vultures are interesting birds. Their heads and tails are bare (no feathers) so bacteria won't settle on them. I used to work in wildlife rehab, and, believe me they are stinky and bad-tempered. Their talons are relatively weak, compared to hawks and owls, but they can give you a nasty bite. Those wing feathers allow them to capture thermal winds and circle way up where they can see their meals. When I lived in California, I used to see them roost in the winter in eucalyptus groves. Just noticed a bunch of them the other day here in TN roosting temporarily in the pin oaks next to my property.

They do indeed make quick work of expired fauna and are closely related genetically to storks.

[JoZ]

I saw them in the Blue Hills (Milton, MA, maybe 8-10 miles from downtown Boston) so I don't think there is anywhere in the U.S. that is "too far east" for them. Didn't know they were also called buzzards till I moved west -- from watching TV and reading I had certainly heard of buzzards and was interested to finally see one -- until I realized I had been seeing them all along under a pseudonym!

[MunchingonHay]

I am from Pa and we called them Turkey Vultures.

[jess h]

Ah, fond memories of date night on the ex-farm, aka 'Come on. Let's go see what the turkey vultures are circling!'

[wireweiners]

They are ugly... turkey vultures. We have them all over Ontario. As much as I love hawks and other birds of prey, I hate those.

We call all vultures "buzzards" down here. FI, why do you hate them? They are ugly and awkward on the ground but I think they are magnificent looking when they are up in the air, just gliding along riding thermals. Plus they do provide a valuable service in eating carrion. Now, their cousins, the black vultures, are more agressive and will attack downed and newborn animals while they are still alive but Turkey Vultures pretty much wait until the animal is dead and beginning to decompose. After a rain, they will often perch on a tree or utility post with their wings outspread to sun themselves. If you've seen one do this you can tell where the Native Americans got their Thunderbird images.

[alicen]

We have tons of them in VT (farther east than NY or VA!). And we call them turkey vultures not buzzards here in the east

Except the bay to the west of the Cape Cod canal is called Buzzard's Bay.

[sid]

Here in the mid Atlantic we call them as a group as "vultures". But they are made up of the two -- Black Vultures and Turkey Vultures.

While they remind us they are looking for dead things, I still admire them and the job they need to do. And they are stunning watching them WAY up high, catching thermals to stay airborne with the minimum amount of wing-flapping that requires energy (calories).

Amazingly efficient creatures, no matter how creepy they are when you see a gaggle of them fighting over carrion. And needed. Can you imagine the world or roadside kills with nothing to clean up the mess? Egad.

With a 60 acre farm, when I see them honing in on something overhead, I know I've got a problem somewhere -- whether a fish kill in the pond, or a dead deer in the pasture near the horses.

As much as they used to creep me out, I've learned to deeply appreciate them.

A wildlife rehabber, specializing in birds I met many years ago taking in a hurt swallow or two in the summer has a bunch of them which cannot fly anymore.

Kind of creepy driving up to her place to fix something that is dying, and meet with vultures bouncing all over the place (they tend to "hop" on the ground). But they have a life to live there.

At the front of her driveway she has a yellow sign that says "Vulture Crossing". Just a kick in the pants.