I had a Turkey Vulture land in my west Eugene yard last summer. It's a
rural area so the location wasn't unusual like Allen's downtown vulture.
What was impressive was that it found a dead squirrel I had tossed
underneath a row of 50' tall evergreens on the edge of the yard. These
trees have long spreading branches and there is no way the carcass could
have been seen from the air. I know vultures have a keen sense of smell
but it was still an impressive find on the bird's part. The squirrel had
been dead only 2 days so it wasn't rank smelling (at least to me) and it's
not like it was a large deer carcass. Just a little squirrel tucked away
in a hidden corner of a yard.
Mark Nikas
