Turkey Vultures
Guess who's here for dinner? 
Turkey Vultures  have been sited souring around the Lake Milo area just outside the town of Yarmouth Nova Scotia.  Get out your binoculars and enjoy yet another interesting aspect of our area. and possibly If you have any pictures you can share with us please contact Email: webmaster@yarmouth.org   Please type Vulture in subject area
Sightings recorder

IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS: 

Wingspan 6 feet; length, 27 inches. Brownish/black body, the feather less head is black in immature birds, red in adults. Wings are held in a V when soaring unlike eagles which hold their wings straight out. Birds rock or appear unsteady in flight. 

The type in the Yarmouth area are much smaller then the above description. 


1. Chebogue Pictures taken in Chebogue 2004.  ( graphic content may be disturbing to some )
2.
Audubon.org "Black vultures also lack the strong V-shape dihedral wing outline of turkey vultures, and they punctuate soaring glides with strong wing flaps. Their motion is hurried, as if they have to work at staying aloft. In contrast, turkey vultures have slower, deeper wing beats, and they flap less frequently." (S)
turkey vulture
From: Scott Burden <scottburden1212@gmail.com>
Subject: October 4, 2020 Kearney Lake, Bedford, NS
 


My wife spotted this Turkey Vulture while walking our dog this morning. 
We didn't know we had them here. 
The red talons are different than what I've seen in most pictures.  






Feb: 27/2020
From: Matthew Acker <matt.acker141@gmail.com>
Subject: Sightings recorded
To: webmaster@yarmouth.org

I was just trying to learn more about these birds when I cam across your site, I have captured some pictures with a trail cam in Lunenburg County, N.S
Just thought you might like to see them    Cheer's     Matt Acker
 vulture  vulture  vulture

At 06:40 PM 26/03/2019, you wrote:
Subject: Turkey vulture.
From: chesterspyglass13 <chesterspyglass13@gmail.com>
To: webmaster@yarmouth.org
Hi, don't really know who to report this to, if anyone cares really but yesterday driving to the city I saw a turkey vulture on the side of the road eating road kill. At first I thought it might be an eagle but as I got closer I could tell as what it was as it's so distinctive. It was before exit 5 in Tantallon just where they are twinning for the new highway. Thanks, Nice Day.
vultureFrom: susan munroe <suebee120@hotmail.com>
10/22/2017:  Subject: turkey vultures

This is at the Manor Inn just up the drive way they
are there constantly . there's five or six trees full of them

Click pic for enlargement.
TurkeyV
From: anne marie breton <annemarie_breton@yahoo.ca>
Subject: Turkey Vulture in Chezzetcook Inlet- Oct 17/17
To: webmaster@yarmouth.org

From: "Horne, David" <david.horne@wartsila.com>d-horne2017.jpg
To: "webmaster@yarmouth.org" <webmaster@yarmouth.org>
Subject: VULTURE


Fyi

3 turkey vultures in my back yard trees yesterday

MUSQ HR area
10/11/2017



 

Subject: Vultures
From: Randy Saulnier <rksaulnier@icloud.com>
To: webmaster@yarmouth.org

Thursday, January 19, 2017.

I am on the second lake up from Lake Milo in Yarmouth, just behind Villa St Joseph. I have been watching the vultures in the trees behind my house and across the street since Monday when I first noticed them soaring over the house. There were at least 20 roosting in the dead spruce trees on Monday. They have changed trees and I am seeing fewer in the last two days. The first day they filled two trees! I believe these are younger ones as the heads are black but the beaks are red.

Kathy
Click on(some) pictures for enlargment

tanya-kingston-ns.jpgFrom: Tanya Hamilton <detroitwingnut@live.ca>   Subject: Vulture  To: webmaster@yarmouth.org
Hi there,
I have seen Turkey Vultures in my area lately and have a picture to share with you. Now that I know where to send them I will try for a better image.  Thank you for making your resources available.
I am in Kingston, NS and have seen 4 turkey vultures in the last couple of weeks. 2 in my back yard and 2 across town.Cheers,   Tanya





From: "HalifaxHO - Peter May" <pmay@long-mcquade.com>
To: webmaster@yarmouth.org <webmaster@yarmouth.org>
Subject: Turkey Vulture ....again.
Turkey Vulture this morning between Bedford and Sackville ,..along the highway,flying directly upwind at tree top height...not a wing beat,....gliding upwind at about 20 miles an hour.
Pete May.

IMG_4892.CR2.jpg
Subject: Vultures
From: Adrian Hensler <adrianhensler@gmail.com>
To: webmaster@yarmouth.org 
https://plus.google.com/photos/103527477437197619118/albums/6040717580568630849

We managed to get three pictures of vultures circling overhead in Halifax. Â My son Liam was quite excited as he is an avid bird watcher. Â The last time we had seen vultures was on a vacation to Florida.    Adrian
From: marymargaret lewis <lewismaggie@hotmail.com>
Date: Sun, 29 Jun 2014 20:52:08 -0300
I did not get a photo but I saw a turkey vulture about half way between Moncton NB and Amherst NS today on the side of the road 'snacking'.
Mary Margaret Lewis
"In whose hand (the LORD) is the soul
of every living thing,
and the breath
of all mankind."
Job 12:10



IMG-20130723-00544.jpg
From: Adam Langille <adam.langille@newglasgow.ca>
To: "webmaster@yarmouth.org" <webmaster@yarmouth.org>
Subject: vultures

I live in Lismore, NS. On the north shore between New Glasgow and Antigonish.

Location: Shore Road – Directly across from Distraction Lane

Lat: 45-41-02N

Long: 62-17-58W

I thought that I was seeing things on the morning of July 23, 2013. There were 3 large black birds with reddish heads perched on a dead tree. And I thought they looked like vultures. And they were.

Photo is horrible. Taken with black berry from about 200’ away.

Adam


upper_clements1s.jpg
From: marilyn conrad <kittiesonthehill@hotmail.com>
To: <webmaster@yarmouth.org>
Subject: turkey vultures
Date: Tue, 9 Oct 2012

hi
i live in upper clements, annapolis county, seen these in my yard oct 8/2012, around 4pm. wasn't sure what they were, but today i got some pictures, they were just over the tree tops, and landed in some trees next to my house, around the same time 4pm , there were 6 of them in a group when they took off.

upper_clements2s.jpg
photo3s.jpg

Date:~ Feb-8, 2012
Subject: Vulture
From: mgvanzutphen@gmail.com
To: "webmaster@yarmouth.org" <webmaster@yarmouth.org>

I took this picture through the glass on front door in Skye Glen Cape Breton but I don't know if it is a black or a turkey vulture. I see it again today can u help me I'd this bird

Webmaster Comment:  Young Turkey vultures may not have the red head. Sorry I cannot tell from the picture. .


Black Vulture: http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/nature/nsbirds/bns0082.htm
Turkey Vulture: http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/nature/nsbirds/bns0083.htm



photo4s.jpg

The more southern of our two common vulture species, the Black Vulture flaps its wings rather frequently while it soars. It is more social than the Turkey Vulture, often traveling in large flocks.

Turkey Vulture has silvery area along the length of the wings, has longer wings, a longer tail, a red head (in adults), soars with wings held up in a V, and flaps very infrequentl.

Turkey Vultures are large dark birds with long, broad wings. Bigger than other raptors except eagles and condors, they have long "fingers" at their wingtips and long tails that extend past their toe tips in flight. When soaring, Turkey Vultures hold their wings slightly raised, making a ‘V’ when seen head-on.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Turkey_Vulture/id/ac



Subject: Vulture
From: Mike Shand <mshand@gmail.com>
To: webmaster@yarmouth.org

I saw a turkey vulture while driving home from work yesterday around 5:00pm on the section of highway known as 'The Nine Mile' just past Exit 24 in Jordan Falls, Shelburne County. There were several crows and the vulture eating a raccoon carcass on the edge of the highway. I had never seen one of these birds before. I turned my car around and went back to try and get a photograph, but I only had my Blackberry, so the picture of it perched in the trees is indistinguishable. Quite an impressive creature!

Mike Shand
July 26 2011


Sun, 03 Jul 2011
From: Noreen Rent <nrent@eastlink.ca>
To: webmaster@yarmouth.org
Subject: vulture

I think we saw a vulture today in the Mount Uniacke area. Definitely not a young bald eagle – all brown or black, as large as an eagle. I have seen vultures in Texas and that is what this appeared to be!

 

Noreen Rent

July 3, 2011


From: "jason doyle" <doylej@ns.sympatico.ca>
Date: Fri, 15 Apr 2011 18:06:55 -0300
Subject: turkey vulture
seen 3 turkey vultures outside lawerencetown today

From: "Paul Widden" <widdenp@vax2.concordia.ca> 
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2010 11:09:12 -0500 

I was examining some blurred photographs of birds of prey that I had taken on Brier Island, Nova Scotia on the afternoon of Thursday, Sept 24th., 2009, trying to identify them, when I was astonished to realize that the best ID I could come up with for the attached photograph was that it was a turkey vulture.  I did not expect to see one at that location, and had never seen one before.
 
Hope this is of interest to you.
 
Cheers,            Paul Widden



 

Sarah Durkee-Baird" 
At 10:38 AM 4/14/2010, you wrote:

My husband and I stumbled upon your website after searching the internet to try and identify a new kind of bird that we saw.  We live in Hebron and have a turkey vulture who seems to have made himself at home around our backyard.  We managed to snap some shots of him during his last visit just yesterday. 


Date: Sat, 05 Sep 2009 16:21:23 -0300 
From: "Robert Johnson" <robjohnson@eastlink.ca> 

Hello
My name Robert Johnson and I am the service manager for direct digital office solutions in new minas. I was comming back from yarmouth on Sept 2nd on the 101 hyway (about 10 kms out of the town) when I saw what appeared to be a vulture. It was definately a vulture and had a reddish head.I stopped the car and spun it around to get a better look. When I returned to my office, I looked on the internet and found out that there are indeed turkey vultures in this province. As I looked at it, it got spooked and gracefully almost lazily took off to the tree tops and sort of glidded away. I was and am very much impressed. I am not a bird watcher, but seeing this was a special treat.
Robert Johnson


From: "Byron Feltmate" <bfeltmate@hotmail.com> 
To: <webmaster@yarmouth.org> 
Subject: Turkey Vulture 
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:23:57 -0300 

These were taken over the weekend of Aug 15 just outside Yarmouth. I had to chase them for awhile to get the shots I wanted but getting the pics (about 30) of these birds topped off a weekend in an area that comes close to being a photographer's dream. Loved the town and the surrounding area. Please feel free to post the pics if you would like.

Byron Feltmate
Dartmouth, NS
bfeltmate@hotmail.com


Click on picture for enlargement

Date: Thu, 2 Jul 2009 15:59:44 -0300 
To: <webmaster@yarmouth.org> 
From: "Darren DeWolfe" <ddewolf2@ns.sympatico.ca> 
Subject:  Vulture 

Greetings,

Here is a sampling of pictures taken today (July 2 /09) out near Chebogue Point.  These are jpegs as captured by the camera.  I've left them full sized.  They aren't as sharp as I would like.  My lens is apparently a bit soft at the furthest extent of its zoom range. Either that or I have to get better at hand holding the camera. These haven't been corrected, cleaned-up or cropped in photoshop  or any other program, but they probably need to be.   They were taken with a Nikon D40 using a 70-300 mm lens.  I have more shots, but these three seemed to be the most useful.

Please click on pictures for enlargement

Webmaster Comment:   Thank you for the excellent shots Darren


Date: Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:49:54 -0300 
From: Simon Clutterbuck 
Subject: Turkey Vulture 

Hi,

I spotted a turkey vulture on the side of the highway eating a dead animal just outside Lower Sackville going towards Dartmouth today took me a while to identify it.

Just thought I would let you know sorry no pics.

Thanks
Simon.


Subject: Magazine Yarmouth-Turkey Vultures
To: webmaster@yarmouth.org 
 

Peak Periods---Feb.4th -14 Vultures on the ground feeding            feb.6th 12 Turkey Vultures      Feb.7th  15 Turkey Vultures.Feb .8th--11 Turkey Vultures.Feb. 10th. at 1:00 pm. there were 25 on the ground feeding. S.J.H.


Date: 2/1/2007
Name: Turkey Vultures
Location: Corner of Town Point and Cheb.
E-Mail: sjhaley@eastlink.ca

Comments: Peak period to see birds seems to be between 12:00 noon and 1:00pm Jan.29 at that time-12 vultures.Jan. 30th at that time 14 vultures Feb.1st. 14 vultures and 2 Ravens. and on Jan 26th there was a red tail hawk that dropped in.



Date: 1/30/2007
Name: Turkey Vultures
Location: Chebogue Road
E-Mail: 

Comments: January 30th. 12:45 pm. There were 8  vultures on the ground feeding at that time.   S.J.H. 



Question:
On November  18, 2004  have seen 4 birds  on digby neck long iland over ambulance office.. are they here over winter please inform .. juan duro

Reply:
According to this bird list they do winter in Nova Scotia.

http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/nature/winbirds/biglist.htm



Questions:
Thanks for the info that I received regarding turkey vultures! I had spotted 2 on Long Island  last Friday. I have a few questions and would appreciate it, if you could help me with the answers to them.
J.Hard in Digby.

1) Where's the best place to study them around here?
In Yarmouth they frequent the Pembrooke-Overton-Milton area.  I have also seen them picking up some dead object on the road by the South Ohio off ramp.

2)  Where do they nest?
Turkey vultures do not actually build a nest.

3) What brought them here to N.S. as it's a tropical bird?
They have been here before note question below.  Maybe the climate is warming. Maybe populations are increasing and they are expanding their range.   Maybe they are not as tropical perceived.  It may be part of a normal cycle,( Example:  I have a cactus growing in my back yard it survived last winter out their and is still doing well.) Our variety is much smaller.

4) Appr. how many turkey vultures are there around here? 
I don't think anyone can give you an exact count.  My guess is maybe 50 + scattered through various areas from the valley across to the South Shore. (Piers' notes refer to museum specimens (not extant) taken from Clarks Harbour, Shelburne County, in fall 1892 and from Pugwash, Cumberland County, about 1899 (S)
Bird Counts: http://www.juneswift.ca/October04.html

5) What do they feed on? Road kill? Or the fish? Or what kind of food are they looking for?
They will feed on freshly killed animals,  they do not like rotten meat.

The following link will provide you with some interesting information on this fascinating bird.
TURKEY VULTURE tidbits . . . . .  http://www.valleywild.org/TVfacts.htm
Range and Voice: http://www.percevia.com/explorer/db/birds_of_north_america_western/obj/117/target.aspx


Question:  I live on the mood rd.out by elenwood park. there was what we thought was a turkey vulture. But it looked more grey with a bald head and only a little red under it's neck. Would this be an immature bird?     Thanks sally 

Reply:  I am not a bird expert but you assessment may be correct. They are not that spectacular looking and you would need a good look to see the markings .  On report was that there were 6 on the road at same time  Starrs Rd. 

I have not yet been able to get a good picture of one. I have seen them on several occasions flying over Yarmouth

"Description Length: 66-81 cm. Adults: Head and upper neck bare, skin crimson; rest of plumage blackish, paler on flight feathers; bill stout and hooked, grayish white. Immature: Similar but head and neck are covered with dark, fur-like feathers." (2) 
 

 

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