It is with tremendous grief that we woke up today to discover that, again, in Guelph Eramosa, another barn had been set ablaze. To understand the thinking behind burning someone’s else’s property is beyond our whelm of living. We just want to be assured that the culprits understand that old barns are natural habitats for turkey turkey vultures among several songbirds, etc.
Turkey vultures are masters at cleaning up all carnage that speeders in today’s society injure, hit, kill in their cars as they storm through the countryside without any regard as to what’s ahead or in their path. Turkey vultures belong to the same family as the California Condor which is an endangered species. They are not pretty with their bald head, but that allows no excess carrion meat to cling to their bodies. Their sense of smell is beyond human capacity. It is the largest olfactory system of all birds known to man.They don’t build nests, but find remote, hard to reach locations such as the floor of old abandoned barns. If one gazes at the sky on a cool spring night, you know that they have arrived and are ready to build their roost. Though they may appear enormous with their 6 foot wing span, they only weigh 2-4 pounds. This allows them to float in the sky using the thermal currents for a free ride. They usually live up to 24 years. Next spring they will arrive in our area and be unable to locate their source of rest. Not a person on earth escapes punishment, whether here or in heaven. We only hope that the OPP and fire department are so determinded to catch you that your day of reckoning will happen on earth. the most just punishment is that you would have to spend the rest of your days caring and conserving wildlife in Ontario with a special emphasis on the turkey vulture. They will return next spring and where are they to roost?
Blair and Patti Spedaler
Patricia Spedaler