How Birds Behave by Sharon Sorenson

Author:Sharon Sorenson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Stackpole Books
Published: 2019-11-15T16:00:00+00:00

A Turkey Vulture pair roosts atop a dilapidated house, most likely the site of their nest.

Continuing to listen for the Clay-colored Sparrow with one ear but simultaneously tuning into other activity around us, we turned out attention to a ramshackle homestead some distance down the road, the house collapsing on itself, but the sagging roof still intact and the chimneys on either end crumbling but still standing. On each chimney sat a Turkey Vulture. Northern Michigan marks the northern edge of their range, so populations are sparse. Thus, seeing the pair struck us as fortuitous. Indeed, one of the curious behaviors of Turkey Vultures is that they love to nest in old buildings, those generally undisturbed by any regular human visitation. How I would have loved to peek inside the house to maybe spot their nest, probably on the attic floor, perhaps in a corner. The risk of annoying them, however, should cause anyone pause. When disturbed, these rascals exhibit yet another curious—and not so nice—behavior: They spit at intruders, but the “spit” is actually vomit, highly acidic and nauseating, and their aim at intruders’ eyes is famously accurate. Well, maybe that’s more than you wanted to know. Also fearing reprisal from the landowner for trespassing, I gave only fleeting thought to the idea. The likely nest site went unchecked. Later, as we drove slowly past, we heard one of them croak its disapproval. Wait, what? From a bird that’s usually silent except for occasional hissing, clucking, or whining, the call was entirely new to me. We stopped. Did we hear what we thought we heard? And again, “Croak.” Hmmm. Another curious vulture behavior. And another first experience for me.

Meanwhile, yes, the Clay-colored Sparrow finally made an up-close-and-personal appearance. He even sang for us, virtually just outside our open car window. Gotta love the quiet moments that are rewarded with sweet connections.

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