We have the turkey vulture and the black vulture to keep things pretty tidy around here. The only thing I can recall having seen them not clean up is another vulture that was road kill.

Pretty neat birds, actually. And a very highly valued member of the sanitation corps.

I've got ties to a pretty valley in PA where they also have turkey vultures and a few black vultures. When I don't have my long lens with me I also see osprey, hawks and the odd bald eagle. When I do have the long lens it's mostly just turkey vultures.

For some days it was hot and humid here in Southern California. So bad that one could smell EVERYTHING, even the dead cats on the side of the road. I came across two within 3/4 of a mile and nearly gagged all the way to my destination. The smell is not to be forgotten.

IRL = Indy Racing League. You really LIVE in Baltimore and DONT KNOW about this race? I don't live in Baltimore anymore, yet I'm still aware of the impact of this race on the area.

And really? Labor Day? First weekend of September and the unofficial end of summer? You must not be American if the first thing Labor Day brought to mind is the English political party.

I worry if they think I am their next meal. Do they know something I don't?

One thing I've found about vultures: They're gonna' circle a lot longer than I'm gonna' lay there trying to trick them into coming down.

Eagles are carrion eaters, too. Well, actually they are opportunists that will eat carrion. An eagle is significantly bigger than a vulture when you come around a curve in the car and there is one in the middle of the road on a dead 'possum.

Ospreys are strictly fish eaters. And an eagle will dive on an osprey to make it drop its fish. Sometimes the eagle will take the fish by catching it out of the air as it falls. Sometimes the eagle doesn't even try. It just makes the osprey drop the fish as if to say, "Go do your fishing somewhere else. This is my territory."

I was once in my canoe heading for a tidal creek I wanted to fish for redfish. A large bird that looked familiar, but that I couldn't really recognize because of its color, was sitting on an oysterbar that I was going to pass. As i drew closer I immediately recognized the bird as an immature bald eagle as soon as it took to the air. The creek I wanted to fish had many birds on the water and on the oysterbars; pelicans, grackles, ducks, seagulls, cormorants, etc, etc. When the eagle jumped off the 'bar it was on it flew low, slow and right up the creek I wanted to fish. Everything with wings took flight and got the hell out of the area. Thought that was pretty cool.

Well lucky for me all i see on the streets is pigeons and rats laid out! I am surprised that rats would try to cross the streets.

Be careful with that train of thought, since I soon found that I had to change my cleaning tactics after I contacted our public works department. Upon learning some ordinance regulations that pertained to my cleaning efforts, I'm now able to avoid a few legal ramifications when cleaning our local public right of ways.

My new cleaning tactics are considerably slower than my previous ones, but I have gained an even more positive reaction with the public works department, as well as with the public in general.

I'm not contacting public works. They'll just have to come out and tell me what ever it is you are talking about. Anyway, our trails are Parks and Recreation department.

That's fine, your trails will benefit from your efforts.

Locally, our parks and recreation department is controlled by the public works department.

I found the public works department.

They have a way to report dead animals for removal!

I reported it, gave address, described exactly where so they wouldn't have to hunt.

Ticket status 2 days later: CLOSED!

Road status: No animals removed.

.................... they just ... decided not to bother. They didn't even go out.

I'm about ready to call city hall and tell them I'm not giving them a damn nickel of tax money anymore, since the city isn't doing its damn job. They don't even do their own tax collection; it's done by the state, who gives the money to the localities that impose their own additional taxes.

Seriously man, how long have you lived in Baltimore? As far as public services go, it probably ranks near the bottom of any major city in the US. Its abandoning its tax base by hiking property taxes forcing people into Baltimore County, it has a corrupt city hall with several prior mayors suspected of, investigated for, and/or convicted of fraudulent activities. The police department is under sever scrutiny for covering up and under-reporting crimes. The murder per capita rate is one of the highest in the country. There is a staggering amount of drugs that comes through the port and the associated organized crime that comes along with large scale drug trafficking. I'm pretty sure roadkill removal is near the bottom of their give a **** list.