Turkey Buzzards in McLean

Every Saturday we go for brunch at McLean Family Restaurant followed by grocery shopping at the Safeway across the street or the Harris Teeter further down the road. It’s not uncommon to find deer along the roadway that have been struck by cars. That was quite common in the Midwest. In fact, it almost happened to me once coming home from work. It does take your breath away. And there are specific spots along the GW Parkway that we always see the deer feeding and always pay close attention to their whereabouts. So yesterday we saw a flock of turkey buzzards sitting along the median in the road. And that means only one thing. Because it wasn’t in full view, it looked like they were just hanging around, until we made a u turn and saw what was really on their minds. What was left of the deer carcas was just the head and a few bones. It must have been there for awhile. And up in the trees were three sentries keeping watch above on the action below. We have seen these huge birds many times - once sitting around a fence in Charlottesville and up on the chimneys in McLean. It is a rather disgusting sight to come upon this feast, but when you read about these buzzards you do learn to appreciate them. It’s a gross job but somebody’s got to do it.