Late yesterday afternoon, I went out into the back yard to do some cleanup and took Cassidy and Sundance out with me. As I was bending over to pick something up, I noticed a very large shadow moving over me and looked up to see a Turkey Vulture hovering very close to the ground just over our heads.

Now, when I see Turkey Vultures (seldom see just one) I always assume there is some carrion near by. In this case, that would mean in my back yard which is not exactly what I wanted to see. I watched the Vulture circle for a while and then he landed on the peak of one of the houses in back of us. I went in and got my camera and came back out. He was still there. Cassidy and Sundance were in the corner of the yard staring at him and asking me questions about whether that was Thanksgiving dinner. I got a bunch of shots of TV on the house.



And while he stood there, I explained that the dogs were not dead and had some interest in catching him. He seemed to understand and took flight but came back over us several times, again circling very close to the ground.





Then, he cruised away on the fairly strong winds that were blowing across Central Florida. I apologize for the lighting not being the best -- nor my angle on the bird -- but I found the behavior unusual. I spent another 1/2 hour after he left patrolling the yard and the adjacent golf course to see what had died. Found nothing.

Anyway, here's our "pet" Turkey Vulture.

Jim