Let's Hear It For The Turkey Vulture

All my life I have shuddered at the thought of vultures, either human ones or the kinds that fly. But now I have a different view: turkey vultures have captured my heart.

Three or four times a week, I walk with a friend on Bob Jones Trail near where I live, in San Luis Obispo, California. The trail winds in gentle curves through a heavy growth of oaks, walnut trees, and sycamores, is easy underfoot, and wide enough to accomodate both biking and walking traffic in two directions at once. After about 3/4 of a mile, there is a bench on the right, and on the left an open field. It's a wonderful place to sit, look at the oak-covered hills beyond the field, and watch the living things around us. One thing we always see there, is numbers of turkey vultures coming in to roost for the night, because we walk late in the day.

This activity looks different every day, depending on the weather. They soar on the wind hardly ever flapping their wings, and when the situation is right, seem to have a wonderful time circling up, around, down, then up again, and up, hundreds of them, all at once. After my friend, Antoine, and I had been watching this exciting display for several weeks, trying to figure out what they were doing, I said, "I think they're playing. They don't seem to be doing it for a reason, like getting food." Antoine agreed. "They look as if they're having fun, for sure."

I went to a site on the internet, The Turkey Vulture Society, and found that we are right, they do like to play in the wind. I learned much more about them, and about their unusual personalities. They never kill, they are not agressive, they like people, and are generous with each other in that if there is a large source of food, such as a dead cow, they will alert other groups of turkey vultures to come and share.

Now that I have watched them for so many months, and been enchanted by their floating, effortless, form of flight, I no longer shudder at the thought of a vulture. I realize they have a niche in the scheme of things, and a job to do that is important to all of us, keeping the world clean.