Wildlife. Ewww.

On the coldest, hardest winter nights, the ones where there is no cloud cover to retain the sun’s warmth during the darkness, an eerie event sometimes happens in our part of the Valley.

Apparently there is a huge flock of turkey buzzards in the area, and on these cold nights they gather and roost together in trees that neighbor on open farmlands like what surrounds the Hawksbill Cabin neighborhood. I would guess there are several hundred at times during this gathering – I’ve seen them elsewhere on cold and bright mornings, but on at least three occasions I have seen them gathered in our area.

There are so many that they spread out over more than a square mile, so that you can see them all over, hear their rustling in the night, watch them turn their backs to the sun as it rises, and eventually, thankfully, fly off when the daylight is full. Sometimes they are pretty close by in the woods, close enough that I have scared them off when I take the dogs out at night.

From our bird book, the National Audubon Society Field Guide to Birds Eastern Edition – Knopf, I’ve decided these are definitely turkey vultures, not black vultures. I’ve drawn this conclusion because, although we see both types in flight, the large flocks are a key characteristic of the turkey vultures.

They are known to soar for hours over woodlands and neighboring open farmland – which describes the Beaver Run hollow area very well. They also, interestingly, locate carrion through sense of smell in addition to sight.

This differs from black vultures, which are smaller and more aggressive. They are identified by a conspicuous white patch at the tip of the wings while in flight, and locate their carrion by sight. Black vultures are more aggressive, loudly hissing and grunting. They will even chase away turkey vultures from a carcass, and have been known to take live young, weak, and small mammals or birds – all according to the Audubon guide. I’ve even seen black vultures nesting on office buildings in Arlington.

Back in the cabin neighborhood, since both species perch in trees and on fences, it is very likely that we see mixed flocks. Fortunately, it’s only a few nights per year.