Fantastic series, Sunfish 33, nice colors ans detail, thanks for posting these.

Why the Turkey Vulture Vomits

The turkey vulture has few natural predators. Interestingly, turkey vultures often vomit when approached or harassed by predators, or when handled by researchers. The birds do not "projectile vomit," as many would claim. But they do indeed vomit when stressed, and this behavior may well have evolved as a means for vultures gorging on a carcass to off-load some weight when predators approach and the vulture has eaten too much to fly. (You can imagine how vultures will want to eat as much as possible, given the unpredictable nature of their food source, while still maintaining flight capabilities.) When turkey vultures vomit they simply cough up a lump of meat that can be fresh (if the vulture just fed) or semi-digested and foul-smelling. Some believe this regurgitant may "gross out" would-be predators, but this may be an explanation based on human sensibilities. More often than not, the regurgitated food may in fact be eaten by the predator, which takes the free meal rather than continuing to pursue the vulture.
. Excellent shots.love that #4 one.Rare(to catch on camera)....Tim

I was amazed to see this happen. The Caracara chased the buzzard out of the wooded area and over the wetlands. The Caracara then attacked the buzzard. Eventually the buzzard coughed up his meal. After that the fighting was over. The buzzard flew away and the Caracara flew to the ground to recover the food. It was only then that I realized there were two Caracaras. Each got a piece of the food and then flew back to the wooded area. You will notice that one Caracara has bands on his legs. This is one that had been released by the wildlife folks. I'm posting about 13 photos of this. Comments / critique appreciated.

I was amazed to see this happen. The Caracara chased the buzzard out of the wooded area and over the wetlands. The Caracara then attacked the buzzard. Eventually the buzzard coughed up his meal. After that the fighting was over. The buzzard flew away and the Caracara flew to the ground to recover the food. It was only then that I realized there were two Caracaras. Each got a piece of the food and then flew back to the wooded area. You will notice that one Caracara has bands on his legs. This is one that had been released by the wildlife folks. I'm posting about 13 photos of this. Comments / critique appreciated.

Amazing series of captures that tell an amazing story...great job :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Very interesting shots Sunfish, well done!!
Interesting that this Caracara is banded with several bands suggesting that this one, at least, had been studied. You might consider sending pictures to FL Audubon or the F&W Service to find out what the study was about and particularly how this particular bird fit into the study.
Great series!! Good lesson showing what vultures do when harassed by a predator.
Richard