Close encounter of the bird kind

[Rich A]

I was up in CO riding Rt 92 (from Gunnison to Delta), rounded a corner, and missed this large bird by I'm guessing 3 to 5 feet. Dunno what it was; at first I thought it was a raptor, then a vulture, now I'm thinking it might have been a common black hawk (which curiously enough, is supposed to be rare but it should have had some white on it's tail feathers). In any case, I'd be interested in hearing what it was if anyone knows.

http://vid56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Taurragon/Bird_zpsfgdtokgr.mp4

The aspens were at their peak a couple of days ago and the weather fine. Rt 145 was spectacular.

Rich A

[Caffeineo]

He thought you might be dinner......then decided you were to big and fast. Very cool video.

[Bulldog9]

We call those Turkey Vultures Back East

[JeffOlson]

Although he veered off, he did so casually. I doubt you frightened him!

[Guzzistajohn]

In the ozarks that's a turkey buzzard. Good thing you missed him.

[Lannis]

We call those Turkey Vultures Back East

Turkey vulture here in Virginia too.   I missed one by a little less than that last weekend ... dangerous things!

Lannis

[Mark Harpell]

Yup...dangerous.... .this was a turkey....

[Dukedesmo]

I wouldn't want to hit that on a bike!

We have problems with pheasants here, I've hit them in a car a couple of times and done significant damage, one time it went through the radiator grill, I had to power-wash the engine bay afterwards!

Luckily not hit one on a bike but I did hit a pigeon a couple of years ago on the Monster at around 60-70mph, it hit the headlight which broke, bounced off the indicator which is a flexible rubber stalk so just flicked out the way and then onto my knee where I ended up with a few feathers and guts down my boot. A foot or so higher and it would have hit me straight in the face which may well have ended differently...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhenL_DTTg8

[Red Dog]

Yep! Buzzard.
Bad thing about them is that if they get frightened they will purge to gain altitude.
They purge from both ends & you have never smelled anything like it.

Came up on a group of riders in Virginia back in the 70's that were pulled over by a big field.
One bike was laying on it's side & 4 or 5 guys were standing around looking disgusted & then the smell hit me.
One guy was standing with his arms stretched out covered in vomit & sh*t.
They told me he clipped the bird with his wind screen & it let loose.

[rocker59]

  I'm thinking it might have been a common black hawk (which curiously enough, is supposed to be rare but it should have had some white on it's tail feathers). 
Rich A

Rich,

The Common Black Hawk would be very uncommon that far north.  It's a Mexican bird that is sometimes seen along the border areas of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.

As others noted, what you saw looks like a Turkey Vulture.

[LowRyter]

Hwy 92 is just a great road to ride, at least the south half towards 50.   

[Moto]

Now I see a second actual use for those cameras -- identifying wildlife.

The only other use I've found is documenting those bizarre auto accidents in Russia.

Oh, and boulders rolling down mountainsides in Taiwan.

Buzzard. Good job.

Moto

[twhitaker]

There's a fellow who frequents the same rallys we do who would be able to tell us if it were male or female, full or purged, and indigenous to Ohio or not.

[Sasquatch Jim]

 Vultures sometimes puke at you as a self defense tactic.  It is usually very successful in driving away a threat considering
what they dine on.  You are lucky it didn't see you as a threat.

Quote; There's a fellow who frequents the same rallys we do who would be able to tell us if it were male or female, full or purged, and indigenous to Ohio or not.

 He must be a bird brain.

[jas67]

Over the summer I had a small bird hit me in the face, while doing 60 MPH wearing my 3/4 helmet.   It felt like I got hit in the face with a baseball.   

[Nic in Western NYS]

Vultures sometimes puke at you as a self defense tactic.  It is usually very successful in driving away a threat considering
what they dine on.  You are lucky it didn't see you as a threat.

Quote; There's a fellow who frequents the same rallys we do who would be able to tell us if it were male or female, full or purged, and indigenous to Ohio or not.

 He must be a bird brain.

What SJ said.  Looked like a Black Vulture, not a Turkey Vulture.  They look the same but the Black Vulture has a black head and the TV has a red bald head.

[Rich A]

What SJ said.  Looked like a Black Vulture, not a Turkey Vulture.  They look the same but the Black Vulture has a black head and the TV has a red bald head.

The reason I didn't think it was a turkey vulture was that it definitely didn't have a red head, and I didn't think it had a scaly head either, but after looking at the video carefully, I'm thinking it probably did.

Glad it didn't purge on me although that would have made for a very amusing video 

******

I once hit a bird going about 60--it hit me in the hand, somehow missing the clutch lever. If it had hit the handlebars, it might well have unsettled the bike. I hit small yellow bird another time. It exploded into yellow bits all over the frame and exhaust.

Rich A

[Sheepdog]

My brother hit a buzzard with my 2000 3/4 ton Suburban. It took the entire driver's side rear view mirror off. A coworker hit an Eastern Wild Turkey with his Ford Ranger. It went through the windshield and embedded itself in the rear sliding window. Guts and feathers coated the cab's interior.

Collisions with large birds should be avoided, for sure...

[Jurgen]

This was not the vulture we have in NM, so probably a black vulture.  Did not have raptor claws or raptor beak as far as I could see.  Good thing that you were not 1/10 second faster.  Jurgen