I just saw them, at least a half-dozen, majestically swooping over the back yard before roosting in the tall pines.
They’re at least two weeks ahead of schedule, probably due to unseasonably warm weather. I’m a bit concerned for them (it’s supposed to get down to 24F tonight). Do you think I should leave out some fresh hamburger?
There’s no surer sign of spring in Ohio.
*I think ours are the turkey vultures, but I’ll need to get up close for a firm ID. But not too close.
Well, they probably wouldn’t say no to the hamburger, but I doubt that you need to do it. I’d worry more if it stayed at that level for several days. A few nights they can probably handle just fine.
Try binoculars for the definitive ID. Post pics if you can. 
Cool! One time I was driving on a country road in Ontario and wondered why there were a bunch of black garbage bags moving around on the road up ahead. It was a small group of Turkey Vultures with their wings wide open, sunning themselves on the road
Guess i am spoiled, i have them all year round in Florida.
24f wont bother them
I don’t purposely feed them, don’t want to make them dependent, since they are always here. I don’t suppose one hamburger meal will do any harm though.
You’re actually concerned for the well-being of turkey vultures?
Um, okay. I guess I shouldn’t judge, and I suppose they do have their part to play in the ecosystem.
Your confusion at someone’s concern about wildlife confuses me 
The other vulture (black vulture) would not likely be seen as far north as Ohio. It would have distinctive white wingtips, conspicuous in flight.
That was one freaking fantastic article! Thanks for linking that, Jackmannii!
It’s kind of like Capistrano…
The swallows return to Capistrano, the buzzards return to Hinckley.
Actually, the swallows haven’t been returning to Capistrano–at least not in the numbers they had been in the past. One of theories about their absence is that a lot of their nests were destroyed during building restorations. They’ve tried building fake nests and even playing swallow songs on speakers but they haven’t had too much luck getting the birds to come back.
The other theory is the Swallows have gone to taller buildings, such as the nearby mall.
My neighbor had turkey vultures nest in his yard last year. They stuck around all summer and tore apart everything on his back deck, including umbrellas, seat cushions, his Jacuzzi cover, even the fake owls he bought to scare them off.
I would definitely not recommend feeding them or in any other way encouraging them to hang around.
I grew up in Strongsville (but moved away the instant i graduated HS), and always heard the tales of Hinckley and the buzzards, but not once did I care to go see them. Now I’m married to this insane 4th generation birder and I’m scared I’ll have to go back to Strongsville just to see the damn things.
You’re lucky. A “insane” birding friend of mine married a girl and took her to Calipatria, Californina, on their honeymoon. Birds love Calipatria, but humans are no so enamored of its hot muddy agri-slum environment of field chemical sludge seeping into the toxic soup of the Salton Sea.
Huh.
Ours just seem to roost awhile, and then depart for inviting locations with more and better carrion.
Yup, I’ve dragged out there just so she could see a god damn road runner, specifically. But also a bunch of other stuff.
Perhaps more scenic are the Great Blue Herons who return to the Cuyahoga Valley Nation Park here in Akron OH ever February-March.
The bears are awake! Our bird feeder (heavy black shepherd’s hook) was bent down to the ground overnight Friday.
Turkey vultures are year round residents here in coastal NJ. My sure sign of spring is the return of the osprey. Normally, this happens March 23-26. Maybe this year will be different. In another thread someone pointed out that cold isn’t the reason birds move out, it the lack of food.