Couple shocked as vulture falls through roof of their home after its wings froze solid in blizzard... but flies off after it thaws
A frozen turkey vulture fell out of
the South Dakota skies on Tuesday - after its wings become iced over as
it was flying through a severe blizzard.
The unfortunate bird landed with a thud on the porch of Sioux Falls pastor Adam Weber, sat straight upright and then made to hide under a table on the decking.
'My wife was making breakfast, and she suddenly yelled, "Adam! A large bird just fell out of the sky!",' said Weber to the Argus Leader about the appearance of the unexpected guest.
Weber, who is a pastor at
Embrace Church, explained that the bird was totally iced over and
managed to sit straight upright under the table on the deck.
The bird moved around a bit, letting Weber know it was still alive, and allowed him to get close enough to it to take a photo.
Spending the night under the table while his wings thawed out, the bird left during the night.
Weber said that when the turkey vulture landed on his porch he called Animal Control who informed him that they had received a number of similar calls that day about frozen turkey vultures falling from the sky.
Officials with the service told Weber that they couldn't offer any real assistance and that he should monitor the bird.
'I felt bad for the guy, I really did,' Weber said to the Argus Leader. 'I hope he's alright.'
Animal Control Officer Lisa Brasel said numerous people have been complaining about the presence of the birds, as her office received more than 20 reports between Monday and Thursday alone.
'Everybody in the world is calling them in,' she said. 'People are creeped out.'
A Sioux Falls Animal Control officer told the Argus Leader that when wild birds are covered with ice, they are unable to roost in trees and will stay on the ground until they thaw out and storms pass.
Incredibly, this wasn't the first frosty bird to land on Weber's house. A
second turkey vulture fell from the sky onto his roof, but hasn't moved
and appears to be dead, Weber said.
The area has suffered extreme weather over the past week - with heavy snow fall causing disruption to the whole state.
Turkey vultures regularly migrate from Canada and the north of the USA to South America - sometimes hundreds of thousands of them fly at the same time - in one of natures great sights.
The unfortunate bird landed with a thud on the porch of Sioux Falls pastor Adam Weber, sat straight upright and then made to hide under a table on the decking.
'My wife was making breakfast, and she suddenly yelled, "Adam! A large bird just fell out of the sky!",' said Weber to the Argus Leader about the appearance of the unexpected guest.
Bird drop: A frozen turkey fell out of the South
Dakota skies on Tuesday - after its wings became iced over as it was
flying through a severe blizzard
Shock: The unfortunate bird landed with a thud
on the porch of Sioux Falls pastor Adam Weber, sat straight upright and
then made to hide under a table on the decking
Again: Incredibly, this wasn't the first frosty
bird to land on Weber's house. A second turkey vulture fell from the sky
onto his roof, but hasn't moved and appears to be dead
The bird moved around a bit, letting Weber know it was still alive, and allowed him to get close enough to it to take a photo.
Spending the night under the table while his wings thawed out, the bird left during the night.
Weber said that when the turkey vulture landed on his porch he called Animal Control who informed him that they had received a number of similar calls that day about frozen turkey vultures falling from the sky.
Weber said that when the turkey vulture landed
on his porch he called Animal Control who informed him that they had
received a number of similar calls that day about frozen turkey vultures
falling from the sky
Bad weather: A Sioux Falls Animal Control
officer said that when wild birds are covered with ice, they are unable
to roost in trees and will stay on the ground until they thaw out and
storms pass
'I felt bad for the guy, I really did,' Weber said to the Argus Leader. 'I hope he's alright.'
Animal Control Officer Lisa Brasel said numerous people have been complaining about the presence of the birds, as her office received more than 20 reports between Monday and Thursday alone.
'Everybody in the world is calling them in,' she said. 'People are creeped out.'
A Sioux Falls Animal Control officer told the Argus Leader that when wild birds are covered with ice, they are unable to roost in trees and will stay on the ground until they thaw out and storms pass.
The area has suffered extreme weather over the past week - with heavy snow fall causing disruption to the whole state.
Turkey vultures regularly migrate from Canada and the north of the USA to South America - sometimes hundreds of thousands of them fly at the same time - in one of natures great sights.