Look closely … my Turkey Buzzards have returned!

Some of you may remember my infatuation with the huge flock of Turkey buzzards that used to watch over me and my little house. I would often count more than 50 or 60 of them at one time and it always made me feel protected.

I never had to worry about snakes or other rodents, and I loved to watch them leave their perches in the morning. They would seem to slowly shake themselves awake and then, just as slowly, swoop on down and then take off “riding the thermals”, as my son-in-law calls it. But they always circled back at least once, as if to say, “Have a nice day.”

My black-winged friends deserted me three years ago when a developer bought the 50 acres that surround my house and the first thing he did was to take down ALL the huge trees. The few large trees that were left (on my property) were not enough to entice them to return.

I finally accepted that they were gone and I gave up checking the trees at sundown to see if they were there. THEN… just a few days ago my daughter was walking her dogs and she pointed them out to me. I was thrilled and took the picture that I’ve posted here.

Now I‘m wondering how long they‘ve been back with me and I just didn‘t know it. As you can see by the photo they are experts at camouflage and they can sneak in unnoticed. The fact that they make hardly any noise is another reason I could have been fooled.
Regardless of that they are here now and I welcome them “home”.