There are however, other hazards this time of year out in the country.
No. Thankfully it was some poor slob in a cage who impacted this speciman of Odocoileus virginianus. This is a real fresh kill, having happened, according to the property owner, my neighbor the Highway Patrolman, only about 3 hours before these pictures were taken.
About two days earlier, as I was coming home on the bike in the evening, I had a doe dash out in front of me crossing the road. I got off the throttle and onto the brake, and as I watched her go off to my left, I breathed a sigh of relief and started to get back into the throttle. Then I thought to look back to my right where doe number two was beginning her wild-eyed sprint to whatever the hell was so damn important over there with her sister. Man! That could have been nasty. Remember. If you see one, there are probably more where that one came from.
Once dead, they themselves lose their hazardous qualities. But their remains become an attractive nuisance for yet another hazard  vultures.
One on the ground, and...
...many more in the trees.
This is the same dead deer, one day after I took the first pictures. The vultures were already hard at work recycling the carcass. This deer was killed less than 100 yards from my neighborhood turn-off.
Same day now, about 200 yards further up the road...
...was this poor girl. I didn't catch any of the vultures on the ground, but the trees....
...were festooned with 'em. Both vulture species were in attendance. Black Vultures were the more numerous, but there were Turkey Vultures there as well. It's pretty cold now, so I think it's a bit harder for them to do their work, but they'll still reduce both of these deer carcasses to little or nothing in about three days. Pretty damned amazing.
But you've got to be careful. I've got a back way home on a nice country road with a couple of fairly high speed sweepers. Half way through one of 'em, leaned over and cooking along pretty good, I startled several vultures off of a kill and couldn't have missed one by more than inches. I tell you, my life flashed before my eyes on that one!
There was a thread some time back in which the subject of vultures ("buzzards", I believe the poster called them) came up. I seem to remember the word "disgusting" being used to describe them. I didn't agree then and I don't now.
These...
...are simply magnificent creatures. Look at the graceful curve of those primaries! Holy crap, but that's beautiful. This, by the way is a Black Vulture, Coragyps atratus. Note how short, almost nonexistant, is the tail.
They also flap their wings a lot faster than their cousins the Turkey Vultures, Cathartes aura.
See that big ol' turkey-lookin' tail?
Watch the road. Watch the sky. And watch your asterisk.
Peace.
George
