Previous Hopland BLog posts told about Turkey Vultures using large, hollow oak trees as nest sites, and that we have trail cameras set up on four of them to monitor the "comings and goings" of the parent birds ... and other critters that may be visiting the cavities. Occasionally, a digital camera is quietly held at the cavity entrance and a photo snapped to see what is inside. Experience has shown us that this does not disrupt the adult Turkey Vultures if one happens to be incubating eggs. Here you see two young, about the size of small chickens, totally covered in white down feathers. The adults will return to the nest to feed the young where they regurgitate food down their throats (there's nothing better than a warm meal!). The trail cameras will hopefully capture how often such feeding takes place.
Jun 10, 2011