We seldom saw a buzzard years ago. When we did it was a Turkey buzzard....the ones with a head and neck that is red and the texture of a turkey's....hence the name and they are NOT predators. They have a keen sense of smell, even at the altitudes where they soar. They sense the gasses emanating from a decaying carcass.
As of late, last few years, we have been invaded with the Black Buzzard, characterized by a gurgling noise....no larnyx so they can't "speak" just gurgle, gray bald head and neck, stubby square tipped wings with a white stripe on the top out toward the outer end. When flying they flap 4 or 5 times in quick succession and coast, etc, etc, etc. The roam in "wolf packs" and a lot of the time will team up with a turkey (unbeknown to it....since they are usually much higher in altitude) since they can't smell, but have a keen eye.
The turkey senses the prey and comes in for a look doing the usual circling and dropping lower and lower in altitude. When sure it's on the right track, it lights in close proximity to the corpse and proceeds toward it.
The "Mexican" (trade name around here) buzzard soars almost out of human sight in it's pack, but watches the turkey. As the turkey does what I said above, they soar in, land, and overpower the turkey for it's prey; odds are many to one.
When pickins are thin, the Black Buzzard will assume the offensive and WILL kill a newborn calf and if possible render the mother useless if you know what I am referring to. I had a cow freshening in a 30x40 pen and went to town. When I got home about an hour later, i counted 21 black buzzards present. 4 were in the pen on the ground chasing the mother and the rest were sitting on the rails. The idea is for the mother to get excited with the heckling from those on the ground and stomp on the calf, killing it. The buzzards then continue to assault the cow till she, knowing her calf is dead, leaves and the buzzards have their free for all. I quit raising calves because I got tired of having to babysit my calves from birth to two weeks old. I guarantee you these suckers will and do kill calves. Yes they will land out in the pasture near a young calf (while mama is out grazing) and approach it head on. The calf is naturally curious and is easy prey for the pecking of the eyes mentioned in this post elsewhere. Once the eyes are gone the calf becomes disoriented and is easy prey. I have had it happen to me several times.
Yes they are in the vulture family and per the 1917 "tree hugger of the day" edict they are Federally protected. To shoot one in Texas you need to go to the Texas Parks and Wildlife office and obtain a permit......guess how much trouble that is and how long it takes........you guessed it.
They hibernate. Don't know which way they go....maybe South but they disappear for about 6 months then one day back they come whereas the Turkey stays here year round and is a loner usually.
The other bad thing about buzzards is they are the perfect "stealt aircraft". They can be no where in sight, without a sound and next thing you know you have half a dozen homing in on next year's profits!
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Today's Featured Article - Gatherin of the Orange - by Rick Nikolich. In July of 1998 I was talking to fellow Allis Chalmers collector Mike Schilling about the annual "Gathering of The Orange" AC show coming up in August of 1999. He got this wild idea that we should get a convoy of AC tractors and drive them from Charlotte, Michigan 105 miles to LaGrange, Indiana.
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