Pam’s Perspective
From the…
Pam Otto is the Manager of Natural Programs and
Interpretive Services for the St. Charles Park District
September
14,
2012
Driving
along
Peck
Road
the
other
day,
a
merry
band
of
naturalists
spotted
a
TV
dinner
on
the
pavement.
Even
better,
the
TV
was
right
next
to
it!
Now,
before
visions
of
Swanson’s
Salisbury
Steak
and
a
Sony
flatscreen
start
dancing
in
your
head,
hold
on.
The
dinner
we
discovered
was
a
dead
raccoon,
and
the
TV
was,
of
course,
a
Turkey
Vulture.
Turkey
vultures
occupy
the
ecological
niche
of
scavenger;
they
are
the
cleanup
crew
in
the
circus
of
life.
“If
it’s
dead,
it’s
dinner,”
is
their
motto,
and
our
natural
world
is
a
tidier
place
because
of
them.
(Fun
fact:
The
vulture’s
scientific
name
is
Cathartes
aura,
Latinized
from
the
Greek
word
kathaetes,
or
purifier,
and
auroura,
a
Native
Mexican
word
for
turkey
vulture.)
The
TV
on
Peck
Road
was
acting
just
as
you’d
expect
such
a
bird
to
act—if
you
do
indeed
hold
such
expectations.
It
was
tugging
the
unfortunate
mammal
farther
onto
the
shoulder
of
the
road,
all
the
better
to
feed
without
becoming
roadkill
itself.
Later,
as
we
drove
back
in
the
opposite
direction,
the
bird
was
tearing
away
at
the
carcass,
seemingly
relishing
each
meaty
bite.
(More
fun!
The
name
vulture
comes
from
the
Latin
word
vulturus,
meaning
“tearer.”)
While
the
turkey
vulture’s
large,
curved
beak
works
well
on
smaller
animals,
it
lacks
the
strength
to
tackle
thicker
hides
like
deer.
In
such
cases,
TVs
will
wait
for
other
animals,
such
as
coyotes,
to
“pop
the
cork,”
so
to
speak,
before
feasting
on
what
remains.
What
turkey
vultures
do
excel
at
is
finding
fresh
carrion.
Through
a
combination
of
scent—TVs
are
one
of
a
small
number
of
birds
that
possess
a
keen
sense
of
smell—and
sight,
these
birds
will
hone
in
on
recently
dispatched
animals
and
descend
to
eat
their
fill.
While
feeding,
another
TV
adaptation
comes
into
play.
Carcasses,
no
matter
how
fresh,
can
turn
messy
quickly;
hence,
turkey
vultures
are
conveniently
equipped
with
virtually
bare
skin
instead
of
feathers
on
their
heads.
A
couple
quick
shakes,
maybe
a
short
bake
in
the
sun
and
voila!
The
goo
is
gone.
(Imagine
spilling
a
caramel
sundae
on
shag
carpeting.
Now
picture
the
same
stuff,
only
on
vinyl
flooring.
Which
would
you
rather
clean
up?)
But
even
the
best-equipped
scavengers
need
a
little
diversity
in
life.
Some
research
indicates
that
TVs
do,
from
time
to
time,
take
advantage
of
plants
as
food
sources.
I
can’t
say
for
sure,
but
I
may
have
witnessed
just
such
an
oddity
about
this
time
a
few
years
ago,
on
the
northeast
corner
of
14th
Street
and
Route
38
in
St.
Charles.
On
my
way
to
a
party,
I
was
waylaid
by
the
sight
of
seven
turkey
vultures
near
the
farm
field
there.
As
three
of
the
big
birds
kept
watch
from
a
dead
tree
branch,
the
other
four
pulled
at
what
looked
like
grass
on
the
ground;
grass
stems
were
certainly
flying
as
the
birds
yanked
and
swallowed.
But
was
it
really
grass
they
were
eating?
I
couldn’t
see
from
where
I
stood
(yeah,
by
this
point
I’d
pulled
over
into
the
empty
bank
parking
lot
just
west
of
14th
and
had
the
binoculars
out).
Maybe
there
were
insects
of
some
sort
on
the
ground,
or
perhaps
the
birds
were
grazing
on
carrion
bits
sprayed
from
a
lawnmower
chute.
I
may
never
know.
But
one
thing’s
for
sure.
The
incident
offered
plenty
of
food
for
thought
at
the
party—a
gathering
of
naturalists—that
night.
Want
to
see
turkey
vultures
for
yourself?
Pick
a
warm
sunny
day
anytime
from
now
until
October,
the
month
TVs
head
south
for
winter.
Head
for
a
nearby
natural
area,
and
look
up.
Sooner
more
often
than
later,
a
dark
form
will
pass
high
overhead,
tilting
just
slightly
side
to
side
as
it
soars
on
warm
air
currents
called
thermals.
The
wingspan
will
be
large—nearly
six
feet—but
more
important,
the
wings
will
be
held
in
a
characteristic
V
shape
known
as
a
dihedral.
(The
other
large,
dark
soaring
bird
in
our
area,
the
bald
eagle,
holds
its
wings
nearly
straight.)
If
you’re
really
lucky,
the
form
will
descend
and
land
by
something
dead—a
rabbit
or
opossum,
perhaps.
Tune
in
to
the
action
at
hand,
and
enjoy
your
very
own
TV
show!