Big black birds nest in the woods behind our house. I don't see them in the winter, but when the weather warms, what first appears to be a tiny black speck in the sky grows larger and larger until I can see its a big black bird. I see them regularly come in for a landing, and disappear in the nearby trees. This spring is no different. The birds are almost solid black, but when the wings are spread out in flight you can see whitish tips. The head of the bird is also whitish. The birds are huge, bigger than any other bird I see around here.
Not knowing what they were, I looked them up online. They call them American vultures, but they are more akin to a hawk than to a vulture or a buzzard. They eat carrion, but are not strictly a carrion bird and will pick up small living prey as well. Watch out squirrels and bunnies!
According to Wikipedia, the birds lay their eggs on the ground. It also says the birds have a keen sense of smell and of sight. That explains a lot about these neighbors of mine.
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