Turkey Vulture Tuesday

Guess what mom saw in our neighborhood last night? Oh, I guess the post title gave it away. It's true though. She saw a turkey vulture down the street from our house. She was almost home from work when she spotted this large bird with a bright red head in the distance. At first she thought it might be a wild turkey (we had one of those show up in our backyard back when it was only me and Sable in the house). Anymew, she remembered that the wild turkey she saw had a blue head, not a red head. As she got a bit closer she realized that it was a big ol' turkey vulture. Mom said it's the first time she has seen one so closely in the wild. There are a lot of possums in our neighborhood, and they aren't too smart when it comes to crossing the road. And turkey vultures eat deceased animals. I will just leave it at that. Mom didn't get a picture of the vulture, but here is one I found on the interwebs:

It's a rather magnificent bird in it's own way. And quite large, indeed. What surprised mom so much about see the vulture is where she saw it. We live in a residential neighborhood. Not in a rural area at all. But there are hawks, and occasional owl, and raccoons in the neighborhood, too. And bunnies...lots of bunnies. And squirrels. And chipmunks. What is the most unusual critter you or your parents have seen in your neighborhood or yard?