Friday, June 15, 2007

Vultures have smelly feet.....

So the summer reading program has finally started! I must say that I think I had as much fun as the kids did. Auburn University brought their raptors. The first one they showed was a Black Vulture named Morticia. I will not go into all of the gross things they told us about Vultures but you must know this:



Every part of the Vulture is black, "Shut up!" you say, "the legs are clearly white." No my friend, that is bird poo. Vultures cool themselves by pooping on their legs (whatever gets you through the day my feathered friends). They can actually aim for each leg.....Don't know why this reminds me of that episode of Friends when Monica got stung by a jelly fish.


They also brought a falcon and a hawk. They got the hawk from a guy who thought he had killed it with his truck. He was driving down the road and it crashed into him. He pulled over and picked it up (BTW- the guys from Auburn told us that doing that is illegal) thinking it would be cool to show his kids. He got home and put it in his laundry room, less than an hour later it revived and went insane. He did manage to recapture the bird and get it to the raptor center. Good thing it wasn't the falcon, they have been clocked at over 220mph.


They had some really cool owls, but the best was Tiger. The golden eagle that is the mascot for Auburn. That was a big frickin bird! She was actually nuzzling the chest of the guy holding her, had she been so inclined she could have ripped his face off.......


*****Side Note: I know that the posts are going up later and later in the morning. The FlyingMonkeys don't have to get up early so I am no longer forced to arise at the butt crack of dawn.*****

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

My son, even when he doesn't have to wake up early, is still rearing to go at 6:30. Every damn day. Will I ever get to sleep in again?

J. A. Blackburn said...

Wow. Vultures poop on their legs to cool them. Who knew? I definitely learned something TODAY (just wait till I bring up that random fact at a cocktail party!!)

Mrs. Schmitty said...

I completely thought of that episode of friends as I read about the poo! ROFLMAO!

Anonymous said...

Wow! That sounds so cool, I am jealous. It is easy to forget that birds are varied and sometimes dangerous "animals". The reading program sounds like a blast!

The pooping on your own legs bit, though? UGH!

For the Love... said...

Nikki-no, you are screwed....see it becomes this crazy sleep cycle. While they are young they will train you to get up at dawn. Then as soon as you are trained, they will begin to sleep later. You however will, because of their intense training, will still rise at dawn. RESIST!!!! Before you know it they will be teenagers, sleeping till noon while you wander around thinking of ways to torture them! Break the cycle now!

For the Love... said...

Bananas-bird poo and a martini-good times!LOL
Mrs. Schmitty-glad it wasn't just me!
Momish-it is cool, every week they have some new program, reptiles, a magician, etc..BTW Reptile day will be the day I just drop them off..blech..

Trixie Twatwaffle said...

Outside one of the windows where I work, someone saw some baby vultures (which where huge). Baby vultures - not so tiny. Really. And (god love 'em) not cute at all. Really, not cute.