What was that?

I was sitting here contemplating what to write about today. Unlike some bloggers, I do not plan these posts ahead of time, write and re-write them hours (or days) in advance. Well, occasionally, I will write one a day or two ahead of time thinking the idea is clever and witty. But when it comes time to post it, I usually have second thoughts (recognizing just how juvenile and/or insipid it is) and end up writing a new one.

As I sat here, I heard some odd noises like someone was on my roof. But not quite, the "footsteps" weren't loud enough or heavy enough sounding. So I asked the font of all wisdom, Faye, "what the heck is that noise?" And she had no clue! I was stunned. What was I supposed to do, figure it out by myself? Go investigate?

I went outside. Maybe the idiots people who remodeled by back porch had come back to fix the leak they created but denied they had caused. It wasn't. I stepped outside and moved to the northwest corner of my spacious property... a distance of perhaps twenty feet... and discovered the source of the mysterious noise.

A buzzard.


Not this particular buzzard. I would have taken his picture but he took off almost immediately. I guess he was camera shy.

In Florida, we have buzzards that are about the size of a medium turkey. Maybe bigger. Certainly meaner. And probably smarter. I see them flying around from time to time. There are a lot of them in this area. People tell me that is because it is a fairly rural area. But I suspect that it has to do with the median age of the citizens of this county. I say this because they tend to circle over the golf courses here. Just short of 32% of the population is 65 or older.

The buzzards survive on road kill, animals that have died in the fields (undeveloped property), and the occasional small child left out in the back yard. Ok, maybe not that last. They also dine on their slower cousins who wanted that last bite of road kill before the speeding truck arrived. They aren't too particular.

They are actually magnificent birds with incredible wingspans. Just a lot uglier than the hawks, ospreys and eagles we'd rather look at.