I finally uploaded my October 30 video of turkey vultures. Tampa Vultures (1:38): Cathartes aura, Family Cathartidae. Around here these are called Florida buzzards because of how numerous they are around here outside of summer heat. "Nearly eagle-sized (spread 6 ft.)," says the Peterson Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern and Central North America. These vultures range from southern Canada to Cape Horn and are migratory in the north.
Mary and I watched these Big Birds from our room at the Hyatt during Tampa's annual science fiction convention, Necronomicon. That's mostly Mary's voice in the background. A still shot is here.
To give an idea of what these birds look like up close, here's a shot I took of one in our neighborhood back in April:
Happy Turkey Day, vulture or otherwise!
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