One of the members on the ealier iteration of BYC found a Turkey Vulture with an injured wing. They successfully rehabbed it. IIRC the only thing they had to beware of was its tendency to puke on the back of their chairs. They put down towels.
On hot, windy, August, days when we're out in stream drainages hunting fossils the Turkey Vultures will follow us for miles spiralling patiently. It is not unlike a recycling agency with prompt customer service.
When I used to rifle hunt up in WI, I'd feed the chickadees and woodpeckers the fat from the deer. The birds will actually follow where you pull the deer out to pick up little pieces from the trail. They certainly can recognize you as a hunter when you're all decked out in blaze orange too.
Anyhow, one season I was holding out for a big buck that simply wasn't going to show up. Every morning the chickadees would greet me out there and impatiently flit about. Finally on morning number 5 a chickadee landed on the barrel of my gun, looked me right in the eye and began 'talking' to me. While I don't speak chickadee, I'm quite sure it was telling me to shoot a deer already so the birds could eat. I obliged and took out the next doe that gave me a shot. Seriously, the flock of chickadees that showed up was kind of freaky.
We've had alot of the turkey vultures around lately. Well let me say that I don't know if there's more around or if I'm just noticing them more because there's less leaves on the trees.
I think they're more freaky because of their red heads!
Some people do look at things like that as an omen. And although vultures are usually associated with death, things that are usually associated with death ie...tarot cards...death usually indicates new beginnings.
we have alot of buzzards around here... especially since its hunting season and everyone dumps the innards of their kill down the road... I just tell them to go on Im not dead yet...lol