Friday, March 05, 2010

Turkey Vulture

After spending a week in the sub-tropics, and now a week back in Ohio, I'm settling back into the relative boringness of late winter. I'm exaggerating a little bit here, but it just isn't the same not having endemic Puerto Rican anoles running around our backyard oak tree like we had running around the ficus trees of the Parador Villa Anontio in Rincon.

I had my first personal biological sign of spring yesterday evening. As I was driving my Corolla west on Morse road., a major thoroughfare here in Columbus, I spotted a large bird in the distance. My first inclination was that it was a red-tailed hawk, but as I drove closer, I saw the black and gray undersides of the wings of a gliding turkey vulture. A small sign of spring that surely went unnoticed by most of the drivers along that stetch of road yesterday, but a great sign of spring none the less. Hurry up Turkey Vulture, only ten more days to make it to Hinckley, they're waiting for you.

Tom

3 comments:

  1. Like the first flower of spring, Skunk Cabbage, this first bird of spring doesn't have many poems or songs written for it, but those in the know truly love it. Happy spring!

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  2. And happy spring to you too Jackie!

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  3. What?!?! No thanks for us Southerners who have been feeding your turkey vultures all winter? Harumpf!!!

    Just kidding, glad to do it, buddy. I think vultures are the most graceful birds in the sky, altho swallowtail kites are pretty cool, too. Watching for caracaras in South Florida, I get to watch your vultures' aerial antics for hours at a time, and now I give them back to you.

    I am missing my sandhill crane. He she gone back north yet?

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