• Thursday-What'sUP May 21 - 04:26 pm

Turkey Vultures are recognizable when in flight, because of their size and the way they glide around in circles, hunting for some dinner. Russ Emmons captured one sitting still on the top of the power pole, probably surveying the land, looking for some field mice or maybe a fresh road kill.

The two turkey shots are from Barb Bouwkamp, taken in the Rice Lake Road area. She said she had heard there were turkeys in the area and finally spotted them when she had her camera ready for picture taking!
So now my question is this... Are these two birds related in species or do they just have the same names due to their resemblance to each other?

I heard about wildfires in the UP this morning; one in the Marquette area http://www.upnorthlive.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=302523 and the other in Barage County.

I hope those turkeys are fast.

Correction: Baraga

Very cool pics today!

Great pictures, Barb and Russ. Thank you! To me, they're a comical looking bird and always bring a smile whenever I see them.

Mary --

To answer your question about whether Turkey Vultures and Wild Turkeys are related in species, the answer is no. A quick review of Wikipedia articles shows that Turkey Vultures are part of the order Cathartiformes (New World Vultures), and Wild Turkeys are part of the order Galliformes (Fowl). The articles also show there is some ongoing discussion about how Turkey Vultures should actually be classified taxonomically.

At any rate, both of these birds are great to see, and both dispaly a wonderful mix of comedy and grace.

Thanks for the great photos, Russ and Barb!

It stands to reason that there would be turkeys in the UP, especially around Rice Lake. After all there are cranberry bogs (or their used to be) in the Rice Lake area. Ya know --- burgers and fries, ham and eggs, corned beef and cabbage,------ turkey and cranberry sauce! Haven't figured out the corrolation for buzzards. Give me some help out there!

Anyway, thanks, Russ and Barb for the great shots!

Is it Thanksgiving, already? (LOL) Good photos.

Dave Roberts...Buzzards and gizzards?

The vulture pic could be an idea for a new singing group...The Voltage Vultures.

Funny Janie; that's what we call the power companies down here, especially during the summer months when they jack up our rates!!

I just about had "grilled" turkey the other day when one ran out in front of me. Good thing no one was behind me. I missed it only by the hair on its tail feathers.

I had lots of turkeys on the place 'til some fellas asked if they could hunt on the 40. Haven't seen any now for a couple weeks. But, I'm not complaining, they're not scratching under the feeders or pooping all over. Had a Rose Breasted Grosbeak sitting on the hummie feeder this evening. He couldn't figure it out. But I did get his pic. :o)

Picture #2 and #3 would make great pictures for making Thanksgiving Day cards! Neat shots, colors, angles, and texture...

Thanks for sharing, Mary and Barb!

We have a lot of turkeys all over here now. They get in the trees and "gobble" like I imagine kids do texting non-stop!