Saw my first turkey vulture!! Anyone spy these critters?

[bessiedog]

Just 10 min south of Elkford BC this evening.. Had to whip around on the highway to really confirm what was walking around in the ditch.

And dang if it didn't fly off before I could snap a pic.

Where abouts can I guy see them in Alberta?

Very very cool lookingcritter.

[lone wolf]

Originally Posted by bessiedog

Just 10 min south of Elkford BC this evening.. Had to whip around on the highway to really confirm what was walking around in the ditch.

And dang if it didn't fly off before I could snap a pic.

Where abouts can I guy see them in Alberta?

Very very cool lookingcritter.

Quite a few in the Medicine Hat area. Often see them circling over the city and area in the Spring/Summer.

[blackpheasant]

We see them quite often in the river valley east of Red Deer, they hang out in the old train trestle that crosses the river north of Delburne at Ardley.

[Bushmaster]

This one was sitting on top of one of the bins a couple of weeks ago.

[alacringa]

Fairly common flying up and down the coulees in he SE of the province -- Drumheller area has tons of them.

[Dmay]

Been seeing them every summer for the last dozen years or so up here. Had some nesting in an old house a mile away for a couple summers. Watched four circling just north of the yard last weekend.....

[edmhunter]

Have seen many of them in SE Manitoba while bear hunting. First time I did I did a double take, because I had no idea we had vultures in Canada, besides Lawyers and Insurance Companies that is lol,

[expmler]

See them here once in a while.

[4thredneck]

Had a family of them nesting a couple miles from our farm, when I would shoot gophers they would show up and clean up. Just east of Smoky Lake.

[AB2506]

SE corner of the province is where I have seen a few.

[Grizzly Adams]

Red Deer River valley, near Joffre. Pelicans there as well.

Grizz

[Kurt505]

I've seen them in BC in the Fraser River valley by Chilliwack, and here in Alberta by Smokey Lake quite a bit, this year I seen one on hwy 37 by the Sturgeon river eating road kill and just last weekend I saw one north of Westlock.

[omega50]

Resist the urge to pick one up with bare hands.
Lots of them where I used to bear hunt/fish just NE of Pine Falls Manitoba .

Honestly never seen one in Alberta

They have more life forms living on and around them than you might imagine
Been 40 years and it still makes me smile/gag

[lmtada]

Seen up in Meadow lake Sk. Feeding on deer carcass in ditch. Maybe 5-6 at a time.

[pikergolf]

Interesting side note. They find the carrion on which they feed with their keen sense of smell.

[greylynx]

Around St. Paul

That is where the shoulder patched ones hang around.

They nest in abandoned farm houses.

[Selkirk]

Whole flocks of them down along the Milk River and Writing-On-Stone PP.

Mac

[albertadeer]

I've seen two up by GP last year.

[omega50]

Found some fun facts.

The Turkey Vulture often defecates on its own legs, using the evaporation of the water in the feces and/or urine to cool itself, a process known as urohydrosis. It cools the blood vessels in the unfeathered feet, and causes white uric acid to streak the legs

The turkey vulture is the most abundant vulture in the Americas. Its global population is estimated to be 4,500,000 individuals.

It has very few natural predators. Its primary form of defense is regurgitating semi-digested meat, a foul-smelling substance which deters most creatures intent on raiding a vulture nest. It will also sting if the predator is close enough to get the vomit in its face or eyes. In some cases, the vulture must rid its crop of a heavy, undigested meal in order to take flight to flee from a potential predator

[bezzola]

Seen a few on the side of the hiways by Conklin

[Badgerbadger]

Seen a bunch around Rexall, earlier this spring. I think they were attracted to the carcass that was the Oilers season.

[edmhunter]

Originally Posted by omega50

Resist the urge to pick one up with bare hands.
Lots of them where I used to bear hunt/fish just NE of Pine Falls Manitoba .

Honestly never seen one in Alberta

They have more life forms living on and around them than you might imagine
Been 40 years and it still makes me smile/gag

Use to fish around Pine Falls, when I lived in Manitoba, great Walleye fishing there, good times!

[greylynx]

Originally Posted by omega50

Found some fun facts.

The Turkey Vulture often defecates on its own legs, using the evaporation of the water in the feces and/or urine to cool itself, a process known as urohydrosis. It cools the blood vessels in the unfeathered feet, and causes white uric acid to streak the legs

The turkey vulture is the most abundant vulture in the Americas. Its global population is estimated to be 4,500,000 individuals.

It has very few natural predators. Its primary form of defense is regurgitating semi-digested meat, a foul-smelling substance which deters most creatures intent on raiding a vulture nest. It will also sting if the predator is close enough to get the vomit in its face or eyes. In some cases, the vulture must rid its crop of a heavy, undigested meal in order to take flight to flee from a potential predator

The vomit exercise is very true. I am told a regurgitated skunk is one of the worst.

[Sooner]

Originally Posted by Kurt505

I've seen them in BC in the Fraser River valley by Chilliwack, and here in Alberta by Smokey Lake quite a bit, this year I seen one on hwy 37 by the Sturgeon river eating road kill and just last weekend I saw one north of Westlock.

I was sure I seen one by the Vimy corner last year sitting in a cultivated field with some ravens. By the time i turned around to go get a pic it was gone. If you say you seen one by Westlock, maybe I did see one.

[Habfan]

I saw about 10 lined up on a fence line by Drumheller, the red deer river in the background.

[deerhunter]

Yup seen them around St. Paul also

[anthony5]

Had one cruising around the golf course here on monday, kinda cool, not something you normally see around here. Golfers were impressed.

[bsmitty27]

I used to see them around the battle river between vermilion and wainwright. But early ever saw them in vermilion. Saw one the other day 1/2 hour east of edmonton. We had lots where I grew up. If you were out working in the bush sweating find a open field and layed still for a while they would start circling above.

[bosshog]

I was on a walk/bike ride with the pup, my daughter and wife along the Bow in Fishcreek park in Cgy. The wife ran on ahead while we let the dog take a dip and when she came back she said she had seen a turkey vulture a couple km's up the path. I have seen them in S.AB before but not in the city. Also saw a nesting pair of Ospreys which was pretty neat.

[Grizzly Adams]

All these sightings, gotta wonder if numbers here are on the increase? Never heard of any when I was a kid and older bird books barely mention them. Lots in Southern Ontario, where they never used to be, along with Opossums as well.

Grizz