Today is Buzzards Day. This March 15 holiday is sometimes called Turkey Vulture Day, as this is another name for these under-appreciated birds.  Bizarre as it may seem, today we celebrate them. It’s not like they are cute or cuddly, or any other pleasant adjective for that matter. So, before we continue, let’s make certain we know what we’re celebrating. A buzzard is also known as a Turkey Vulture, or simply called a Vulture. Buzzards are scavengers. They eat roadkill or carrion. By definition, they eat the dead and putrefying meat of animals….. yuck. Now, aren’t you glad to know that we’re celebrating buzzards today?

Turkey vultures are migratory birds. In the fall, they migrate to the warmer climates of Mexico, Columbia, and Ecuador.  In the spring, they return to many parts of North America.

How on earth did we ever get to the point of having Buzzard’s Day? Walter Nawalaniec, a Cleveland, Ohio patrolman and bird watcher, tracked the spring migration of returning turkey vultures to the Cleveland area each year. He told local reporter Robert Bordner and historian Eunice Morton that he had observed the buzzards had returned to the area exactly on March 15 for the past six years. History has since proven that Buzzards return to the Cleveland, Ohio area on March 15 most years.    

 Watching the buzzards return each year became an annual event in the Cleveland area. Along the way, serving and eating pancakes and sausage became part of the tradition for this day.

Did You Know?  The Migratory Bird Act of 1918 protects buzzards. Turkey vultures perform an important role in the ecosystem, cleaning the environment of dead animals.

I suppose if people call you an “old buzzard”, then this day is for you, too!