Life of Ease for Turkey Vulture
Befriended by Yarmouth Township Man
Glenn Parker, a local bird
fancier, was given an injured
turkey vulture this fall and
decided to try and keep it
alive. He was a w a r e that
these carrion birds feed only
on dead animals but this posed no problem for Glenn. He
is employed as a truck driver for the Township of Yarmouth Works Department,
and during the course of his
travels, encounters m a n y
dead rabbits that have been
killed by motor vehicles on
the roads.
People are usually surprised that turkey vultures which
are sometimes referred to as
"buzzards" are native to Ontario. Actually, they are more
common than one might realize. John Haugh from Cornell
University, New York, conducted a migration study at
Hawk Cliff, east of Port Stanley during the fall of 1967.
His report shows a total of
203 turkey vultures observed,
with eight observed in September, 187 in October and
eight in November. This migration pattern indicates the
peak migration period takes
place in October. They spend
the winter months in the central and southern portion of
the United States and usually
return to their northern nesting areas during April.
These large, black, eagle-
like birds with heads t h a t
bear some resemblance to
that of a turkey, would not
take any prize in an avian
beauty contest. However,
they do serve a very useful
purpose in helping to clean
up any dead animals. It is
unlawful to shoot vultures as
they are protected under the
Migratory Birds Convention
Act.
Whether Grumpy's w i n g
will get sufficiently strong
enough for him to be able to
fly again is questionable. In
the meantime, he seems to
realize there are advantages
staying at the Parker convalescent home in not having to
hunt for the next meal.
"Old Grumpy" didn't make it south this winter. An injured adult turkey
ture is spending the winter with Glenn Parker, RR 4, St. Thomas.
vul-