Turkey vultures by pond

[darkoshi]

Turkey vultures hanging out by the pond, with Canadian geese swimming in the background.
The quality of the video isn't good, I know. I had to use zoom to take this, because if I go too near to the vultures or if they even notice I'm watching them, that usually scares them away.

Watch on YouTube

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUDEbIo3o7Q

Comments

[randomdreams]

Huh, interesting. Our local vultures, when I run across them, usually are willing to actively dispute ownership of the land they're on with me. Then again, they're usually eating something.

[darkoshi]

The ones I've come across while walking have never been eating anything. So I don't know if these ones would be less shy if they were busy eating.

[randomdreams]

I recently ran across three in a ditch working on a dead deer while I was out riding, and when they heard me approach, two turned around and snarled at me, for lack of a better term. I gave them plenty of leeway.

[darkoshi]

I guess that is similar to geese hissing. It had occurred to me, taking the above video (with the noise of geese honking and a few other birdcalls in the background), that I've never heard vultures make any vocal sounds. According to this page, they don't have the vocal organs for it:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Turkey_Vulture/sounds