Larry A. Smail's Blog

      I may be weird, but I have always been enthralled with the Turkey Vulture. (Also, known as the Turkey Buzzard.) I look forward with seeing the first one soar into Armstrong County, Pennsylvania each year. That date is around March 15th.

I enjoy the gracefulness of their flight. The bird opens their long wingspan allowing them to soar for a long periods of time in the thermal wind drifts. They are easy to identify. The vulture holds their wings in a shallow V-shape.

Sometime ago, I was exploring some rocky cliffs along Redbank Creek. I eased up and over some rocks peering eye to eye with a baby vulture with an irate parent missing my head by inches as the big bird exited past with the escape. Such a hissing sound from the young buzzard was experienced.

They are almost always misidentified as a hawk or eagle.  

The vulture usually migrates south around October 15th each year.

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Monday, April 18th, found me walking the top of a hill listening for turkeys.

Fox Squirrel

I heard two gobbling towards the point of the hill. The two birds at fly down moved farther away with an occasional gobble. I moved along with them just to see what would happen.                                           

Suddenly, I realized after another pause in activity that the birds were closing in towards me. I heard hen chatter. At one time I believe the gobblers would be on my lap in moments. However, they began moving back up the hill. They entered a field on top where I had just walked across.  I eased up and saw both longbeards.    

   I maneuvered around to see a deer; rabbit, a Brown Thrasher, a pair of wood ducks on a pond, and squirrels.  Later, I heard a gobbler open up as I walked in his direction. he had clammed up for some reason. As I eased into the area he was gobbling from I saw the image of a large Fisher crossing ahead of me.

Dogwood

I tried calling for response. I called in a hen who was very vocal. A gobbler began gobbling again and was definitely coming towards me, and this hen. I saw him with four hens. One hen spotted me so I failed to get any quality photos.

This morning I was at a different place to listen. I heard five different gobblers. I saw a hen in the field. I saw a lot of deer this day. They sure were moving! I saw squirrels, one rabbit, and six mockingbirds.            

Toads!

I fished in Crooked Creek for a time. All I caught were chubs. Toads were all about making their mating sounds. I could a lot of them along the shore along with strings of eggs.

Crooked Creek

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  Early Monday morning I was awakened by severe dizziness. Yes, the  vertigo was back after an absence since Christmas Day 2013. I have been doing therapy exercises, and was surprised to have two bouts along with the nausea, and exhaustion that accompanies this terrible condition. Monday was a wasted day. However, Tuesday, April 12th, found me feeling much better. A walk was needed for fresh air, and exercise.     

I left the house about 8:30 and began walking about just enjoying the cool, yet sunny morning. I was walking a right-a-way when I observed several gobblers about 250 yards away. One was strutting.

   I circled around and worked above where they were. I called and was immediately answered with a thunderous gobble. I move downhill and called again. Gil-obble-obble-obble! He was closing in fast!

In minutes I could see a gobbler approaching me. Shortly, I could see three more toms. A hen showed up, too. The other three gobblers didn’t allow for any photos. They stayed farther away and among some vegetation. The three were busy playing push and shove.

  I managed to take about six decent photos before the hen walked back with all four toms cold-trailing!

Later, at about 11:20 I heard another tom as I was returning to the jeep. I felt fairly well from my three hour excursion.                                                                     

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  I completed an entry here on March 4th with a title stating winter’s last hurrah! I guess winter didn’t read that entry for the last two days we have been seeing snow locally.  Approximately, two inches of snow fell overnight, and more is falling as I type this entry.

Canada Goose

Regardless, of the complaints I hear the last two mornings afield were very beautiful. I appreciate being able to spend a few hour’s walking about and observing nature’s beauty.

This morning I was out, and about, rather early. I failed to hear any gobbling. However, as the day progressed I would see a number of turkeys. I saw some in the woods, and saw some in fields as I drove home.

Yesterday, April 8, I heard a gobbler and called the big boy in a strutting, drumming, and spitting. If the hunting season was in place I would have had a fine meal of gobbler burgers in line! Two hens followed him down the hill, too. I called these three birds a little later on, but I could not get any photos. The dense brush and snow-laden limbs obscured any possibilities of that.

I saw four deer, and a gray squirrel, and two big fox squirrels.  

I took a number of photos of just the natural world on these excursions. Sometime in the future if I can not move about I will have these memory photos to rekindle my life as a woodland enthusiast.              

A few days ago, I took a walk near Adrian, Pennsylvania. I walked along a rural road and a railroad track. I saw a fox and discovered the den, as well. This day I would see some turkeys and two deer.

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