If you ever read the name MARTIN S LOWNEY, then you are reading lies. Google him. He works for the US department of agriculture's inspection service. He is a government pawn. This is what happens when big government is in control. It's scary. This entire site IVILLAGE is full of people (Rhizo 1?) working to spread false information. They are called "SCHILLS". When someone knows a little TOO much information, be wary. THEY PROBABLY ARE PAID BY YOUR TAX DOLLARS TO SPREAD LIES. These birds are harmless and CARRION EATERS- meaning carcass eaters. They keep down disease, not spread it. They are probably just smelling the afterbirth on the calf. MR LOWNEY spreads these mythical situations across the web. It's repeated and passed down as fact. It's not. It's more big government lies ruining our country. You need to watch out for this government- not the vultures.

I found this discussion by accident and thought I'd mention something about this type of bird. I agree with the rehab center. Google farmers and vultures and see what pops up. They hunt by locating vulnerable animals. This may be a newborn calf, lamb, goat, feral kittens, nestling birds, fledglings, etc. The newborn animals get their eyes pecked out. The mother can't prevent it because they hunt in large groups. The newborn animal then gets pecked to death and flesh is ripped off it's body while still alive. It's never good to see something die a slow death but in this case, I agree with the rehab center. Let nature take it's course.

Thanksgiving is the only day we eat turkey. The rest of the time, give me a roast capon or a duck prepared almost any way at all. DH and I are just not turkey lovers. My niece makes a very fine brined and roasted turkey, but once a year is enough for us. We're sauce and gravy people. Stews, braises, casseroles - we love them. I do a fair amount of cooking and a lot of dining out, and we hold that a fine sauce is a work of art. Even though we eat a lot of steaks and roasts, a great sauce is always to be admired. There are too many bad ones around to not acknowledge when something is done correctly. One of our favorite restaurants does a great poached monkfish. This is the fish known as "the poor man's lobster" for both its taste and texture. It's a great little fish, with wonderful flavor. But nap it with Amoricaine sauce, and it rises to a whole 'nother level. This is a Bretonnese classic, and for good reason. Red wine and marrow Bordelaise on a rib-eye? Absolutely! Black truffle cream sauce on a filet? Yum! Mop that goodness up with a well made starch - roasted fingerling potatoes, barley risotto, fresh pasta, freshly baked bread rolls. Gravy and sauce was the way to extend meat to feed a lot of people. Most of the world still loves sauced dishes as treasured childhood memories. Like soup, they are warmth and comfort, soothing and homey. Chicken strips that are velveted and steamed with lop cheong sausage (classic Chinese technique) are stunningly tender, almost as soft as sous vide but we like the flavor and texture better. Perfect with a roasted garlic-oyster sauce gravy over lots of rice! Far better than stir-frying or roasting. As Charles Phan of The Slanted Door restaurant in SF points out in today's WSJournal, steaming is considered the ultimate test of a professional chef in Asia. Getting back to the NY Times' and Pepin's suggestions for steaming, one of the greatest dishes in Chinese cuisine is steamed sliced chicken breast with thin slices of Hunan ham. My mother introduced me to this dish (she took classes from one of the leading Chinese restaurateurs in San Francisco) and it still ranks with DH and me as one of the three finest poultry dishes we've had in our 45 yrs of dining. A glaze should always be light. Heavy-handedness is the mark of a bad cook. Peking Duck would not be the same without the glaze applied, for example.

Sometimes they sit in one of our huge pine-trees, wings slightly spread, sunning themselves. I always tell them to go somewhere else, I am not ready yet LOL