We just don't pay enough tribute to turkey vultures.

Though they are one of the most common buzzards in America (more than journalists), they don't seem to get the same accolades as eagles and hawks.

I mention this because this weekend is the 13th annual Kern Valley Vulture Festival.  Check out this announcement on how to celebrate this proud bird.

Some people don't get excited about turkey vultures because they are, well, ugly. Their heads have all the charm of a decaying turnip.

But let's not stop there. Turkey vultures have a great defense system. Stinky, half-digested barf.

You get a whiff of that stuff and boy do you back off.

The other interesting thing about these soaring birds is the defaecate (go tinkie) all over their legs.  This separates them from a lot of other animals that like to aim that gunk away from their own bodies.

But with the vultures, the somewhat wet guano actually slithers down the legs and helps  keep them cool. You just don't want to overheat chewing up on road kill.

We do a lot of education here on these blogs. Glad I could help.