Vultures are the bain of my existence down here in Texas..everytime I see something soaring, I get my hopes up, but it turns out to be just another turkey vulture
As ugly as they are, they're fantastic soarers.
One thing I;ve noticed in my likmited experience is that hawks, et al seem to be bothered less by cars approaching at a creep than they are by people on foot. I have gotten a lot closer to several hawks, kestrels, etc by coming up on them in my car (assuming they're on the side of the road
) than I have on foot....as soon as they can see me/I get out, they're gone.