Better Than the Nature Channel
After planting summer squash and mounding up potatoes, I went inside for my favorite breakfast – two farm fresh soft boiled eggs on half of a sprouted wheat bagel with plenty of butter. After eating, I was about to get on with my next task when I happened to look out my kitchen window and see a large turkey vulture and a black crow in my yard. So I got my cup of tea and pulled up a chair to watch.
Our dog Jazzy (pictured above) had killed a rabbit that morning and left it to rot. I figured the vulture and crow were negotiating for the meat. The vulture had the lion’s share and was trying to pull it into the woods, stopping every few seconds to look around or to nibble. The crow was nibbling too, on a smaller piece. Then it called out to other crows and flew up into the tree to wait.
Now the vulture had to reassess its plan. It stopped pulling and began eating as though time was running out, nervously looking around with each bite. How much can a vulture eat in one sitting? How long will the crows wait? I wondered. But nature won’t be put on pause and I had to get back to earning my own keep.
Update: An hour later, after checking the scene and thinking, “Oh the wonders of country living, right in my own backyard…” now there are 4 vultures waiting in line!
May 21st, 2005 9:37 am
I was up early this am too. With grooming of our yard…I saw a rabbit the other day in our yard and we always have friendly squirrels, also chipmunks.
This past fall I even saw a deer in our driveway. Oh the wonders of nature!!!!
May 21st, 2005 11:23 am
I just put up my hummingbird feeder last week. Call me twisted, but I think I’d rather watch them than vultures. 😉
Here via Michele’s meet & greet–have a great weekend!
May 21st, 2005 1:01 pm
Visiting via Michele…hope you’re having a great weekend!
May 21st, 2005 2:52 pm
Sounds like dinnertime at my house….all the kids, (and theres usually a lot of them) come into the kitchen to get their food like its the last meal they’ll have for a week….afraid that theres not going to be enough food to go around. I cook enough for an army. My kids are like vultures in a way…lol.
May 21st, 2005 5:11 pm
Hi Colleen, Michele sent me.
We’re in the suburbs, but we’ve been enjoying watching a pair of hawks in our backyard. They perch on a certain high bare tree and rip into their prey, dropping lotsa wings, feathers and bones next to the kids makeshift fort below. We just noticed that we haven’t seen our resident chipmunks this spring. :/
Nice site!
Jennie
May 23rd, 2005 12:46 am
What a scene. I suppose by the end of that queue Jazzy won’t get any. They love it tender from rot but how will she ever manage with so many birds about?
May 27th, 2005 2:15 pm
Surfed on in from Michele’s blog; what a GORGEOUS picture of your dog! I’m from MA, too, and used to live in VA, but in the Newport News area. I can’t tell how far you are from Charlottesville, but I was wondering if you’d ever been to Crozet Pizza? I had friends in C’ville, and we went there a few times…it was awesome!