The European Buzzard or Common Buzzard is Buteo buteo - a hawk. But if you’re in the States (especially West), buzzard usually refers to vultures. (Maybe we’ll get around to changing this usage this once we get people to stop using “seagull.” 
)
** Second Guest**, if your vultures did 3 or so quick flaps between soaring (flapflapflap…soar…flapflapflap…soar…), chances are that they were Black Vultures. They look a little more “squished” than Turkey Vultures, and have pale areas at the tips of the wings. Turkey vultures flap more slowly and less often, and have a strip of off-white along the back of the wing.
There’s a large dump here in Middlesex County that attracts a good number of Turkey Vultures. It’s rather weird to see them roosting in someone’s conifers in a residential neighborhood. The roost sites are ephemeral - they use them for several days and move to another, nearby site.
screech-owl, what I would give to have a vulture stare at me through a window! Cool!