The Buzzards Are Back
San Juan Capistrano on the Pacific Coast of California is famous for its cliff swallows, central Nebraska experiences an annual migration of Sandhill cranes every spring and in Mills County we have the turkey vultures.
The big bad birds are back, taking up temporary residency in large trees in and around Glenwood and other communities throughout Mills County and southwest Iowa.
“They live in all the towns around here,” said Dessa Montgomery, a naturalist for Mills County Conservation. “They’re kind of spread out, not only in Glenwood. Over in Emerson, there’s a big tree they roost on and there’s probably some around Pacific Junction and the Hastings area.”
In Glenwood, the turkey vultures have become somewhat of a local phenomenon, returning annually to roost in a large tree near Northeast Elementary School. This spring, the birds have also been spotted in tall trees along Walnut St. and on the Third Street water tower. The vultures, commonly referred to as turkey buzzards, have even been a topic of conversation in recent weeks on social media and at local coffee shops.
The vultures began arriving from warmer climates in late March and will be hanging around until October, Montgomery said. She suspects the birds aren’t very happy about the weather they’ve encountered so far this spring in southwest Iowa.
“They don’t like the cold and the snow,” Montgomery said. “They’re probably wishing they hadn’t come back, yet.”
Although the vultures will be here until next winter, their highest visibility comes in the early spring before trees have leafed out. Montgomery said the vultures spend most of their daytime hours “storming the sky in search of dead animals to eat” before returning to roost late in the day. The large birds often spread their wings while roosting on tree limbs.
“They stick around in the trees with their wings open – warming up their bodies,” Montgomery said.
Montgomery noted that the vultures are a source of curiosity for some people and a headache for others.
“In Red Oak, they’ve had problems because they roost on the water tower, which is by the park,” she said. “They have had the DNR (Department of Natural Resources) come in and try to help get rid of them and make them go away.”
Turkey vultures are protected in the United States by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. It is illegal to harm the vultures in any way and only humane methods of discouraging the birds from gathering or having them removed are permissible by law.