nature grapevine ’s...vultures do not usually kill their food; they eat animals that die from...

Turkey Vultures Natureʼs Winged Recyclers

ByKaren B. Peters

Look! Up in the sky! Itʼs a bird! Itʼs a plane! No, itʼs Superman! Perhaps turkey vultures are a little bit of all three. Clearly, they are birds! Cathartes aura is their Latin name, which translates to “golden purifier” or “purifying breeze” and seems to refer to their Superman-like role of cleaning up dead biomass which would otherwise spread diseases and toxins. These “natureʼs garbage men” (and women), unfortunately have been vilified due to their unusual looks and behavior. Unlike many other birds, they sport a bald, red head, similar to their namesake, the wild turkey. Their head, being bald, is just one of many biological adaptations to their line of work – consum-ing decayed and rotting flesh. If they had feathers, after sticking their heads into a rotting corpse, the feathers would act as a trap for food particles much the way a manʼs beard acts, so their bare head actually enables them to stay cleaner and reduce harmful bacteria on their heads.

Biologists once considered the turkey vulture a bird of prey like hawks, falcons and eagles. With the advent DNA

testing, they were later determined to be members of the stork family and not true raptors. Today, they are classified as Inserte sedis, which means, “of uncertain placement”. Vultures lack a syrinx (the vocal organ of birds). Hises and grunts are their only vocalizations. Male and female have no noticeable differences so it is impossible to tell the sex of a turkey vulture by sight. Turkey vultures have a well developed sense of smell, and are one of the only species of birds worldwide that use smell extensively. If youʼve ever looked up in the sky and have seen one of these graceful, huge, soaring birds, you may have wondered if it was indeed, a plane. Turkey Vultures are expert gliders and can soar longer and with less effort than pretty much any other bird. They glide on heat thermals in the sky, exerting very little effort to sail for hours and cover large distances as they scavenge for food. Their wings form the shape of a broad shallow “V” in flight, which is called a dihedral, and they sometimes tilt from side to side in flight, unlike hawks or eagles. Their ability to conserve energy in this way is truly remarkable. A group of vultures circling in one area is called a kettle. Other names for a stationary group of vultures are a wake, a committee, a venue and a vott. Vott is a name for when they are resting in trees. In June of this year, my husband woke me up to see the committee of black vultures on our garage roof, our house roof, and our neighbors ̓roof. I got a big kick out of seeing them there that morning, and they even left a coal black feather for me! Black vultures, unlike turkey vultures, have been known to prey on very old, sick or very young live animals such as baby rats or grouse chicks. Vultures occasionally eat other things and have been recorded eating stranded mussels, shrimp, grasshop-pers, mayflies washed on shore, rotten pumpkins, palm fruit, grapes, juniper berries and feces of coyote and mountain lion. Vultures do not usually kill their food; they eat animals that die from disease, natural causes or car collisions. It is amazing that turkey vultures can eat a rotten or diseased carcass and not get sick or die. The birdʼs droppings are also considered disease free. There is evidence that vultures are able to nullify disease organ-isms such as anthrax, cholera, botulism and salmonella, meaning they are effectively preventing the spread of many of these dis-eases and toxins. Diseased meat goes into them, and a sanitized excrement comes out the other end! Vulture scat actually has sanitizing qualities because of the nature of their diets and diges-tive systems. Their stomach contains very strong digestive acids that virtually kill any and all bacteria and viruses. After stepping in a carcass, they are known expel their waste, which is white and fluid, onto their legs, which acts as a cleanser for their legs, since the uric acid kills any bacteria that may have been picked up from the carcass.

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection e Division of Parks and Forestry

NATURE’SGrapevineWASHINGTON CROSSING STATE PARK, NJ Autumn 2013

photo credit: Karen B. PetersTurkey vulture (left) and black vulture near a road killed deer One of the many reasons to be grateful for vultures is that studies have shown that in an area with no vultures, carcasses take 3-4 times as long to decompose. Thus, the possibility of dis-ease spreading from the rotting carcass is that much greater. This has huge ramifi cations regarding the spread of human (and other speciesʼ) diseases, and is but one of the reasons that vultures are so important to human and environmental health. Another is beauty. No matter what camp you are in regarding their good looks, few can deny the grace and beauty that vultures exhibit as they soar so effortlessly in the skies, often mistaken for eagles or hawks. “Watching TV” was a euphemism for one of my favorite activities when I lived and worked at the Southwestern Research Station of the American Museum of Natural History in southeast Arizona. Instead of actually watching television, we were really watching turkey vultures. We used to have informal contests to see who could lie out on the rocky cliffs long enough and still enough to attract them to come in close for a look at us and our strange behavior. It was great fun, as they would curiously check us out and sometimes we could get a closer look at them in fl ight, but we never fooled them enough to land. Black vultures do not have as keen a sense of smell as turkey vultures do. Turkey vultures use both sight and smell to locate a carcass. In the past several decades, black vultures have been expanding their range northward into NJ. They have learned to follow turkey vultures to a feeding site, and may then chase the slightly larger turkey vultures off. I recently observed what looked like a stand-off between a turkey vulture and a black vulture at an aged road kill deer carcass. It has been noted that vultures prefer fresh meat over decayed, and do not eat just any carcass. They far prefer herbivore carcasses, often “turning their noses” (beaks?) up at dog, cat or coyote carcasses. Turkey vultures often search out food alone, while black vultures usually forage in large groups, further facilitating their ability to drive a

turkey vulture away from food. Once a turkey vulture fi nds a carcass, they will often wait until enough of their kind gather, circling overhead, so that the carcass can be dispatched in short work. Turkey vultures will often regurgitate when threatened, and some have speculated that they use projectile vomiting of their already smelly decayed food to spray at would be at-tackers, but this is a myth. Vultures may vomit when they feel threatened; but scientists say it is because this lightens their fl ight load, enabling them to escape more readily. If it is from a fresh kill, it may actually distract the predator from following them by leaving a snack behind! The vulture clan is divided into Old World vultures and New World vultures. New World vultures are exclusive to North America. There are 16 Old World vulture species. Of these, 11 species are presently facing a serious risk of extinction. Old World vultures inhabit the warmer parts of Europe, all of Africa and the drier parts of Asia. All are carrion eaters except for the palm nut vulture, which feeds primarily on the fruit of the oil palm. This group also includes Buzzards, which our species in North America are sometimes nicknamed incorrectly. Buz-zard, is the correct term for several species of hawks in the Old World, such as the common buzzard. This species is closely related to our North American red-tailed hawk.

photo credit: Karen B. PetersThis vulture was spotted in August, circling over Wash-ington Crossing State Park, either searching for food or perhaps just enjoying the sensation of effortlessly gliding through the air.

Vultures are portrayed in Egyptian hieroglyphs and Mayan texts. In Tibet and other arid parts of the world where there is very little topsoil, they fi ll an important role in human burial rites. For centuries, vultures have disposed of the body in a ritual called sky burial. After death, the body is prepared and laid out in fi elds in a ceremonial manner, where any disease causing organisms are consumed and transformed along with the rest of the body down to the bones.

Natureʼs Grapevine Autumn 2013


Volunteer Notes

Washington Crossing Audubon Society generously donated over 500 lbs.. of bird food to the park for our feeding stations. The park maintains a very active year-round station at the Nature Center and another feeding area at the wildlife blind that is stocked during the winter months. Thank you Washington Cross-ing Audubon!

Gene Ramsey, Pennington, and Jennifer and Dave Skitt, Ew-ing, came out on Labor Day Weekend to put the sun, our nearest star, on display. These folks from the Amateur Astronomers As-sociation of Princeton brought telescopes specially adapted for safe solar viewing in order to give visitors a close up look.

Carol Kelly, Titusville, assisted park staff provide outdoor edu-cation programming for a large camp group.

Nettie Rekowski, Ewing, and Ellen Coleman, Ewing, came out to the Nature Center to staff the facility and perform a variety of chores.

Al Fittipaldi, Titusville, repaired som damaged educational equipment in the Nature Center.



Vultures are often secondary recipients of intentional or unintentional poisons fed to wild animals. Examples of this include a painkilling drug called Diclofenec used in Asia to extend the life of livestock, which when consumed after death, is a poison to vultures. They also must contend with intentional poisoning of predators such as lions in pastoral communities in Africa, where the tribes people feel the predators are threatening their livestock. Of course, when the vultures clean up the dead predators, they are poisoned as well. In places where vulture pop-ulations have plummeted, thereʼs been an increase in the number of feral dogs at carcasses, which is a cause for concern regarding incidence of rabies. Indeed, where the vulture population is plum-meting, rabies cases have increased dramatically. In the absence of vultures and feral dogs, carcasses would remain 2-3 times longer, and be consumed by other creatures such as maggots and smelly bacteria. Wind turbines are also unfortunately lethal to these and many other birds, and more research needs to be done on the design of these energy inventions. Vultures are protected by the Migratory Birds Act and it is illegal to kill them. Vultures have even been known to stop a potential di-saster at a natural gas line leak, when they were observed circling above the leak. Apparently, the scent of ethyl mercaptan had at-tracted them. Ethyl mercaptan is a gas that occurs naturally in the first stages of decay in dead animals, and also is the sulfur like substance that is added to natural gas for human safety purposes. Viva la vultures!

ReferencesTurkey Vulture Society web site http://vulturesociety.homestead.com/The Cornell Lab of Ornithology http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/turkey_vulture/idUniversity of Michigan Museum of Zoology web site http://an-imaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Cathartes_aura/Wikipedia-Turkey Vultures http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tur-key_Vulture”EEK! (Environmental Education for Kids) http://dnr.wi.gov/eek/critter/bird/turkeyVulture.htmTED talk Ideas worth spreading http://www.ted.com/talks/mu-nir_virani_why_i_love_vultures.html __________________________________Karen B. Peters is a seasonal naturalist at WCSP. She holds a degree in Environmental Science and a lifelong appreciation of the way nature provides a grand plan where everything fits together perfectly.

This newsletter is available free of charge electroni-cally . It can be downloaded at the web address below. Requests to be included on the emailing list may be made by contacting the Nature Center.

Phone..........(609) 737-0609Fax...............(609) [email protected] - Sat 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Sun 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Closed Mon and TuesWebsite........www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/ parks/washcros.html

Park Naturalist& Newsletter Editor......Wayne Henderek

http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/washcros.html

Park visitors receive instruction in stone tool making from expert fl intknappers at Primitive Technologies Weekend in WCSP.

We received a anonymous donation of a museum mount of an albino gray squirrel. The squirrel (albinos of which are fairly uncommon in WCSP) is on display in the Nature Center.

Lou Beck Washington Crossing State Park lost a good friend and dedicated volunteer. Lou Beck, late of Pennington, passed away in August. Lou, an active member of Washington Crossing Audu-bon, led many wonderful bird walks in Washington Crossing State Park and worked on a variety of special projects including the parkʼs fi rst wildlife blind. Lou introduced himself to park staff many years ago and volunteered to lead hikes in the park on behalf of Washington Crossing Audubon. He came by in any weather and at one period in which we experienced a string of unusually rainy spring seasons, a standing joke in the park was, “Oh boy, Lou is leading a bird walk this weekend. I guess itʼs going to rain.” After his family, Louʼs passion was birds. And, he was an unquestioned bird expert. He showed us owl roosts and hawk nests and he pointed out subtle differences in the ap-pearance, behaviors and sounds of similar species of songbirds. He managed to locate some species that we didnʼt even know occurred in the park and at times, it appeared that he magically had wild birds trained to show up on cue for his hikes. Lou was a kind soul and a gentle spirit with abundant smiles and never a harsh word. Lou was also a trooper, coming out to deliver bird programs in his latter years even when it was sadly, most diffi cult for him to walk. Lou will be greatly missed and fondly remem-bered in WCSP. He is survived by his wife Gloria, and many beloved children and grandchildren.

Primitive Technologies Weekend

Our annual Primitive Technologies Weekend will take place on Saturday and Sunday afternoons of Columbus Day Weekend. Have you ever wondered how your ancestors obtained and prepared foods and medicines, made shelter, built fi res or crafted weapons and tools and other necessities of life? Come out to the WCSP Nature Center on October 12, and October 13, 12:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. to participate in a unique event. Volun-teers will be on site demonstrating a variety of primitive skills and survival techniques. The program will be ongoing throughout the afternoon and will include a popular atlatyl contest on Sun-day in which participants will be able to try their hand in the use of a primitive projectile-throwing weapon that predates the bow and arrow. Admission is free and open to all comers. Follow the signs to the Nature Center. If the parking lot is full, follow the “overfl ow parking” signs back to the group campsites and park there.





AUTUMN PROGRAMSat the

NATURE CENTERThe following is a list of activities being offered through the Nature Center at Washington Crossing State Park in Titusville, New Jersey. These events are available to families and individuals only. Programs for scouts, schools, home school groups and other groups are scheduled via phone call by special arrangement. Some of these programs will require advanced registra-tion as indicated below. Attendance is limited and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. All children must be accom-panied by an adult. All programs will initially meet at the Nature Center unless otherwise indicated. In the event of inclement weather, some programs might be canceled. It is always advisable to call ahead before coming out. Phone: (609) 737-0609

THE SOLAR SYSTEM (pre-teen – adult) Friday October 4, 7:30 p.m. This class will describe the objects found in the solar system. These include the sun, the planets and their moons, asteroids, comets, and meteoroids. Eclipses, both lunar and solar will be explained and described. Instructor: David W. Letcher, Amateur Astronomers ̓Assoc. of Princeton. Advanced registration required. Enter the park at the Phillips Farm (group camping) entrance on Bear Tavern Rd. Meet at Nature Center.

NATURECRAFTS (5yrs – 10 yrs) Saturday October 5, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. Come out to the park Nature Center. After a short walk for the purpose of gathering vaious seeds, leaves, common wildflowrs and other natural artifacts, participants will create simple craft projects such as rubbings, prints, and nature ornaments. Advanced registration required.

STARS, STAR CLUSTERS, AND GALAXIES (pre-teen - adult) Friday October 11, 7:30 p.m. This fourth session of the astronomy seminar will describe the magnitude, distances, and parallax of stars plus the types of star clusters we can see, both open and globular. The session will conclude with a description of the types and locations of galaxies and nebulae we can view from our backyard. Instruc-tor: David W. Letcher, Amateur Astronomers ̓Assoc. of Princeton. Advanced registration required. Enter the park at the Phillips Farm (group camping) entrance on Bear Tavern Rd. Meet at Nature Center.

PRIMITIVE TECHNOLOGIES WEEKEND (all ages) Saturday October 12 and Sunday October 13, 12:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Ar-chaeologists and primitive technologists from throughout the region will be on hand demonstrating and discussing a variety of primitive skills that local Native Americans and indigenous people from throughout the world practiced in prehistoric times. Stone tool making, edible and useful plants, primitive weapon construction, atlatl throwing, and a drum circle will all be included.

GOAT HILL OVERLOOK HIKE (pre-teen - adult) Sunday October 20, 1:30. Goat Hill Overlook is a relatively new state park ac-quisition. The 213 acre tract sits on a bluff overlooking the Delaware River in W. Amwell Twp. and boasts commanding views of the Delaware Valley including portions of Lambertville, New Hope and areas north and west into Bucks County, PA. The tract contains extensive hardwood and mixed oak forests, open fields, numerous rock outcrops, a former diabase quarry and hiking trails. We will meet in Washington Crossing at the park pond on Church Rd. and carpool to the overlook for an exploration hike. The terrain will be rugged. Wear hiking shoes and bring drinking water. Advanced registration required.

PARK FOLIAGE HIKE (9 yrs. - adult) Sunday October 27, 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. This is a naturalist-guided 3 1/2 - 5 1/2 mile hike tak-ing on the parkʼs natural and historic areas, and several interesting and remote sections of the park during the fall foliage season. Wear sturdy footwear. Bring drinking water, a snack and a pair of binoculars.

SHELTER BUILDING WILDERNESS SURVIVAL (6 yrs. - adult) Sunday November 3, 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. This program will deal with the fundamentals pertaining to survival when lost in the wild. Participants will construct a weatherproof shelter completely from native materials.

NATIVE AMERICANS OF THE AREA OF THE PARK (all ages) Saturday November 9, 1:00 p.m. Jim Wade, former archivist and researcher with the N.J. State Museum will discuss primitive stone tool use by Native Americans in central New Jersey. Emphasis will be on the significance and importance of the Indian way of life during the autumn season, focusing on the activities of fall hunting, gathering and religious ceremonies. The program will include a slide presentation and Native American artifacts will be on display. Seating will be available on a first come, first served basis.

(event listings continued, next page)



(Nature Center events continued)

PLATFORM BIRD FEEDERS (6 - 11 yrs.) Sunday November 17, 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. Build a rustic hanging bird feeder from ply-wood and cedar boughs that will serve a variety of winter bird species. Bring your own hammer. Advanced registration required after 10/15.

NATURE CENTER CLOSED Thurs. Nov. 28 - Tues. Dec. 3Have a Happy Thanksgiving

FAMILY SCAVENGER HUNT (all ages) Sunday December 7, 1:30 - 4:00 p.m. Families and individuals will attempt to locate vari-ous natural objects in the park and obtain information about the area as they compete against themselves or others in this fun traditional game. Advanced registration required after 11/5. (event listings continued next page)

HOLIDAY WREATH MAKING (all ages) Saturday December 14, 1:00 - 3:30 p.m. Participants will construct their own wreaths from evergreen clippings collected in the park. Advanced registration required after 11/12.

NATURE CENTER CLOSED Mon. Dec. 23, 2013 - Wed. Jan 1, 2014Have a Happy Holiday Season


VISITOR CENTER MUSEUM(609) 737-9303

MUSKET FIRING DEMONSTRATIONS. Saturday October 5, 12, 19, 26, November 2, 1:30 p.m. Join a Park Historian for an interpretive talk about some of the weapons used during the American Revolution and their use during the Battle of Trenton. Included will be a musket firing demonstration. $1.00 program fee, children 5 and under are free.

MEET GENERAL WASHINGTON. Saturday October 12, 1:00 p.m. Sam Davis will be portraying General Washington and speak-ing about his life from his childhood through the Revolution. Free.

CANNON FIRING DEMONSTRATION. Saturday, November 9, 11:00 – 4:00 p.m. Lambʼs Artillery Company will be conducting artillery demonstrations at 12:00, 1:30, 2:30 & 3:30. Free.

RECREATING THE BATTLE OF TRENTON IN A MINIATURES WAR-GAME. Saturday November 16, 1:00 p.m. The Battle of Trenton will be recreated by using miniature figures, dice and “Flint & Steel” rules developed by Richard Kane who will also be managing the game. Visitors can observe or participate as the historic military commanders. Free.

LECTURE The Christmas Night Crossing. Saturday, December 21, 2:00 p.m. Using diaries and letters of the participants, Resource Interpretive Specialist Mark Sirak will give a lecture on the significance of the Christmas Night Crossing and the Battle of Trenton. Free.

THE CHRISTMAS DAY CROSSING REENACTMENT. Wednesday, December 25, 1:00 p.m. Commemorate the 237th anniver-sary of George Washingtonʼs famous Christmas Night crossing of the Delaware River by viewing the annual reenactment. Free.

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JOHNSON FERRY HOUSE(609) 737-2515

COLONIAL HARVEST DAY-THANKSGIVING (family event) Saturday November 16, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. Come and experience fall at its best with cider making, a hearth feast demonstration, corn shucking, and the history of the American Thanksgiving. Hands on activities for all ages, refreshments. Parking and the event is free BUT DONATIONS ARE REQUESTED TO DEFRAY COSTS. LANTERN WALKING TOURS (an historic tour for singles, couples, groups or families with school age children and older) Friday December 20, 2 tours at 7:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Come and experience the warm glow and fragrance of the hearth. View 3 historic structures by candle and lantern light. Tours begin at the Nelson House, then proceed to the Stone Barn and the Johnson Ferry House. Register early for this very popular event. Advanced registration is required by calling 609-737-2515 Fee: $10 adults and $5 for chil-dren and seniors. Refreshments are included.

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

nature grapevine ’s...vultures do not usually kill their food; they eat animals that die from...

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