They are about as punctual as the swallows of Capistrano, but larger - much, much larger.
Big, dark turkey vultures with bright red heads have returned from the southlands to spend the summer near Richfield.Dave Okerlund says it's a sure sign of spring.
Okerlund and Dennis Larson, who keep tabs on the annual spring return and fall departure of the huge birds each year in the Richfield area, have amusingly formed the Valley Vulture Viewers.
Okerlund is the self-proclaimed president, and Larson is treasurer. They say membership in their club is easy: There is nothing to buy and there are no dues to pay. All one has to do is enjoy the spring arrival of the birds and report sightings.
The two have concluded that the birds, sometimes called buzzards as well turkey vultures (Cathartes aura), arrive on March 19. There are generally just a few to begin with, then an entire flock shows up a few days later. The birds have very seldom missed their anticipated arrival date, Okerlund said.
"Turkey vultures are common throughout Utah," according to Frank Howe, avian program coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources. The birds settle here to breed, building stick nests primarily on ledges and in caves.
A migratory species, turkey buzzards spend the winter in Mexico and the southern United States, heading north in the spring, spreading throughout much of the United States and into Canada. "That's why people are seeing a lot of them right now - we're at the beginning of the migration," Howe said.
During the journey, they'll set up roosting sites in cottonwoods and other creekside trees, collecting in flocks numbering from six to 100 or more birds, he said.
In Richfield, the big birds roost each night in large trees along the canal south of the City Cemetery. They can be seen in the morning spreading their wings, catching rays to warm themselves and waiting for the earth to heat, Okerlund noted.
A large bird of prey, mature turkey vultures are brown-black, with silver-gray flight feathers. Mature adults have a small, bald red head. Wings can reach a span of 6 feet.
They can be entertaining - if you're easily entertained. When flying, the turkey vultures laboriously search for thermals that will help them gain sufficient altitude for an easy glide to their favorite buf-fet.
The vultures are basically carrion eaters - scavengers, Howe said: "They eat stuff that's already dead."
"Most of the bird's time is spent soaring gracefully over the land in search of the animal carcasses on which it feeds," reports one entry on the Web. "The vulture's keen senses of both sight and smell aid in the location of rotting meat."
Okerland and Larson don't know how far the vultures roam in search of food, but they return to the trees near Richfield before the heat of the day dissipates. If there is a wind, they have to do a lot of maneuvering to arrive safely at their roosting area. Their numbers seem to increase every year, and now there is a flock of some 30 birds.
Richfield isn't the only popular summer haven for the buzzards. They have adopted several cities throughout the country as sites for their seasonal homes.
Although Richfield hasn't joined the bandwagon, some communities have created "buzzard festivals" celebrating the arrival or departure of the birds. One such event is the Kern River Valley Turkey Buzzard Festival, held in California each September when an estimated 10,000 vultures depart to spend their winter months in warmer climates. There is even a Turkey Vulture Society, based in Reno, Nev.; information is available about the organization on the Internet at (www.elguru.com/vulture/).
Not everyone, however, is equally fond of the vultures. Although they admit to watching and enjoying the graceful glide of the birds, Kristy DeMille, Teresa Winkel and Kathy Christensen of Richfield, who walk early mornings in the Richfield City Cemetery area for exercise, say the "fallout" from the birds can be annoying.
The occasional result can be a particularly bad hair day, they laugh.