SpeakEasy
Western New York
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Joined: 04/22/2016
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Did you know that vultures can be the enemy of your RV and your tow vehicle? This came as news to me in a recent visit to the Everglades. I first heard about it when I was reading reviews of the campground at the Flamingo area. A camper had written that while he was camped there, vultures had attacked the rubber seals on his truck. He said it was so bad they had to leave. This was a negative review of the campground. It was so outlandish that I sort of dismissed it. Sometimes people will write just about anything if they are in the mood to write a negative review. I tend to filter things like that pretty critically.
Then, a couple days later, I was at the Royal Palm Visitor's Center. I was reading a display that the park service had put up. It was about the vultures. They attacked my rig, but I"m ok now.
Who knew?
-Speak
* This post was
edited 05/17/19 06:52am by SpeakEasy *
It's just Mrs. SpeakEasy and me now (empty-nesters). But we can choose from among 7 grandchildren to drag along with us!
2014 F-150 Super Crew Short Bed 3.5L Ecoboost
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JoeH
Apollo Beach,FL
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Yes-- there is a county park up by Tampa that I've seen the vultures picking at parked vehicle weather stipping. They also have a sign warning people of the birds and possible vehicle damage .
Joe
2013 Dutch Star 4338- all electric
Toad is 2015 F-150 with bikes,kayaks and Harley aboard
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Guy Roan
Florida
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I am not sure if that was me, but a few years ago we were camping at Flamingo and paddled at Nine Mile Pond leaving our three month old Dodge Ram at the put in.
When we returned the vultures were sitting on our roof racks and there were peck holes all along the door rubber molding.
Prior to Hurricane Irma the N.P. used to have a large container with tarps and bungee cords at Flamingo that boaters could borrow, but we noticed that it is gone this year.
Ever since we now bring a big tarp and bungee cords with us.
Guy
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Old-Biscuit
Verde Valley
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Joined: 06/20/2009
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While staying at CG at Lake Camanche CA evening time the Wild Turkeys would roam thru CG
They would stop off in front of our truck and clear the front bumper of bugs
Bears will peel open a car door like a pop top can to get inside for water bottles
Black Birds hop from vehicle to vehicle in Walmart parking lot pecking at windows, mirrors, bumpers etc
Is it time for your medication or mine?
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deltabravo
Spokane, WA
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Old-Biscuit wrote:While staying at CG at Lake Camanche CA evening time the Wild Turkeys would roam thru CG
They would stop off in front of our truck and clear the front bumper of bugs
I have the luxury of not having to leave home to have the turkeys do that dance around my front bumper. They are treating it as if it's a giant mirror, and will do it long enough that they leave a trail in the gravel in my driveway.... they kick all the gravel away.
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Deb and Ed M
SW MI & Space Coast, FL USA
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I get it, that some birds will learn there are dead bugs on a vehicle (my daughter's chickens stormed my car when I visited the other day - they too were picking dead bugs off the bumper) - but I sure don't know what a vulture's desire to tear up weather stripping is about ????? But thanks for the warning!
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D.E.Bishop
Eagle Rock, CA
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The Kias(alpine parrots not cars) on South Island, NZ, will rip off the rubber wiper blades from cars. Birds can be weird fellows.
"I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to go". R. L. Stevenson
David Bishop
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Edd505
Elephant Butte, NM
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I was in FL driving a class 8 and woke to knocking on the windshield. I throw open the curtain to find a pelican eating bugs the window.
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S Davis
Western WA
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I had an experience with Turkey vultures out on Orcas Island here in the north puget sound, I was on my way back to the mainland sitting in the ferry line up. There was a two hour wait for the next boat and a lot of people will park in line and go sightseeing, I was sitting in my work truck and all of a sudden this huge turkey vulture swooped in and landed on a car that was about 20' ahead of me.
It was hanging onto the top of the drivers door with its talons into the crack, you could hear it scratching the car, it sat there for a minute or so looking like it was drunk with its head kind of weaving around looking like it didn't feel so well. All of a sudden it puked its lunch on the car roof, it looked like a bloody carcass. It sat there for another minute or so and then flew off, it was about this time that the smell hit.
There were a few people that had seen this happen and one guy went over to the car and tried to get the gooey mess off the car, he was just finishing up pouring a bottled water over the roof trying to get it off before it started to eat the paint when the owner came back. I think the funniest part was watching the guy try to explain what had happened and what he was doing to his car, waiving his arms like a big bird with the car owner staring in disbelief.
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johnhicks
Wandering below the Gnat Line
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I vaguely recall reading that some rubber weather seals smells (to them) like rotting carcass.
-jbh-
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