I often see Turkey Vultures soaring overhead in Oakland County but have yet to find their nests; and most likely I never will. Here’s why. These often-maligned carnivorous scavengers that soar gracefully in the sky with an only occasional flap of their wings do not nest in trees as most bird species do. They lay their eggs in hollow logs, caves, cervices, abandoned barns and collapsed structures. Those places are not conducive to humans snooping nor are they very common in Oakland County. But if they existed in the county, they would be very appealing to vultures looking for a nesting site.

A confession is in order. I had not planned on creating a turkey vulture blog post for the “Wilder Side of Oakland County” but all that changed a few weeks ago on a road trip up to the Thumb of Michigan in search of Snowy Owls. That birding adventure inspired this blog post when I noticed Turkey Vultures mating on the roof of an old barn and entering the structure as well.

It did not take any coaxing to have my birding companion stop the car so we could capture images. Witnessing the mating was a new first for both of us. He is an avid birder and it provided a very unusual and successful photo opportunity.

Turkey vultures nest in a few Oakland County locations and search for dinner here but they are most common in the northern sections of Oakland County that have wide open fields and old barns. I no longer have a photo that was sent to me years ago but it showed a turkey vulture perched on the edge of an office building in Southfield.

That birding adventure in the “thumb” of Michigan was not my first close encounter with these carnivorous scavengers with six-foot wing spans. I’ve been a fan of them ever since I moved into Brandon Township, an area that includes welcoming habitat for these rather amazing raptors. Once I realized I was living in a prime vulture habitat I constructed a feeding platform in my meadow about 200 feet from my house. 

It was easy to attract vultures. Real easy. I collected roadkill which was a messy process and quickly discovered that bloated woodchucks and decaying opossums were favorite entrees of nature’s airborne clean-up crew. Raccoons, however, were not on their must-have dining list.

Many of the images that appear in my turkey vulture ramble are from a motion-activated trail camera that I mounted on the edge of that platform. Some of the photos in the video are dramatic; that is if you want to watch vultures at their all you can eat buffet table. It’s been about five years since I placed offerings on the platform, but I just may reactivate it and see what the rest of April brings.

Contrary to myths and rumors, turkey vultures are not disease carrying vermin. It’s quite the opposite and one could go as far as to say they are an airborne sanitation squad or an essential part of nature’s clean up crew. They rid the landscape of decaying carcasses and help curb the spread of bacteria and diseases. 

I have been asked by a few friends and neighbors, who know of my peculiar bird feeder, how the vultures found it so fast. The Turkey Vulture Society has that answer. “All vultures find food with their incredible eyesight, but turkey vultures have a keenly developed sense of smell on which they may rely on while foraging.”

The last time I was at Independence Oaks County Park to observe eagle nest activity, I was asked by another eagle watcher if I knew what a group of vultures is called. That question came to me as we both noticed about a half dozen vultures circling high above the eagle’s nest. I suspect the scent of decaying food in the eagle nest may have attracted them. When I got back home I found the answer and a few more tidbits of information from the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum website. A group of vultures is a called a committee, venue or volt. In flight a group of vultures is a ‘kettle’ and when feeding at a carcass, the group is referred to as a ‘wake’. To keep cool, vultures urinate on their legs and feet: this also kills bacteria or parasites and helps keep the birds healthy.”

Kettles of turkey vultures are masterful at soaring and rarely flap their wing once they get to a sufficient altitude. They are a rather social species and seeing a dozen or more at a time is not unusual especially in the few hours before dusk. It is an eye-catching and eerie sight when dozens of vultures gather to roost in a tree at night.

I’ve been a fan of these scavengers for as long as I have lived in Brandon Township. I discovered shortly after I moved in that the old metal roof of my now collapsed barn was a perfect place for vultures to perch and spread their wings to catch the morning warmth and then once warmed up taking flight in search of a meal. 

I have seen turkey vultures in flight every non-rainy day this past week. There is plenty of roadkill around and no remaining snow to cover nature’s entrees. Most of my sightings have been in northern Oakland County in the later part of afternoon.   

Quite a few years have passed by since I set up a motioned-activated camera in the winter next to a deer carcass at the edge of my field to see if I could capture coyote and fox images. I was surprised to notice that a lone turkey vulture that did not migrate flew in daily to feast on the deer. Nature is always full of surprises as this video clip confirms.

While that vulture was feasting on the deer carcass a crow came up behind it and tugged at his feathers, perhaps as if to say, “save some for me!”

Jonathan Schechter is a naturalist, eagle watcher and nature education writer for Oakland County Government and blogs about nature’s way on the Wilder Side of Oakland County.

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