Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Word Bird Wednesday: Turkey Vulture

Someone else who walks around the ponds left a note a couple of weeks ago (tacked to an oak tree- give me a break) stating: The Hawks are HERE!  Right, only they're TURKEY VULTURES not hawks.  And so, I am linking the turkey vultures to Springman's Word Bird Wednesday over at The Pine River Review.  If you enjoy watching birds, taking pictures of birds, or BOTH, HOP on over to The Pine River Review and join in or just have a look at all the wonderful creatures people from all over the world are sharing!


And now, the turkey vulture:


I have seen them for days but can't seem to get a decent shot of them in flight.  This is one of the better tries...they came in pretty darn close today and right over head.

This one shows the two toned underside of these creatures.  It was quite windy today and their flight reminded me of a surfer.  Only these guys surfed the air currents.



This one finally found a dead fish for his lunch. I couldn't believe how close he let me get, but it was probably because he didn't want to leave his meal.

Pretty sure he was irritated at this point. 

The wingspan can be up to six feet from what I understand.

He perched on a column near the pond and waited for me to leave so he could get back to his meal.  They don't seem to be afraid of people at all. 


15 comments:

Unknown said...

Fantastic shots of this american vulture!

theconstantwalker said...

Lovely images of a beautiful bird.

Springman said...

Wow! What great light you had to take pictures in. I feel like I haven't seen the sun in ages. This is an interesting collection of images. You have everything here from details to inflight shots. Your hard work is really paying off with the excellence of you blog! ;-)WBW

Unknown said...

Good views of a bird I have never seen before. Boom & Gary of The Vermilon River, Canada.

Becky said...

You did get pretty close. We have lost our Vultures till Spring now, but I am always amazed at how brazen they are when you get too near their food. We had a small flock attack our van one day when they were eating on a road kill and we drove too close.
Have a Happy New year.
B.

Mike B. said...

Great shots of these misunderstood, majestic janitors!

Liara Covert said...

Thanks for reminding us there are infinite ways to be inspired. We can choose to feel uplifted by everything the senses discern. Nature is a wonderful mirror for how we feel and all that we are choosing to remember about soaring to our highest potential.

holdingmoments said...

What a magnificent bird. They look so good as they soar in the sky.

Sondra said...

You got some great shots of this big guy! What would we do without the service they give cleaning up the unburied-

NatureFootstep said...

so great shots. They are amazing in an odd way. :)

Adam Tilt said...

Brilliant shots. I saw Turkey Vultures a few years back when visiting Florida. Very intimidating birds up close I can tell you.

Gemma Wiseman said...

A majestic bird! The two tones under the wing span is really interesting! Wonderful shots!

Larry said...

Excellent shots of the Turkey Vulture Pam! The in-flight shots are great, especially he photo of the bird flying away from you. Then the close up at the end, wow. This looks to be an immature TV, its head still turning from the gray-headed juvenile to the red-headed adult.

tiptoethruphylsgarden.blogspot.com said...

I just love the vulture.You got some beautiful shots,I love the unusual shot of him flying away from you,the colors in the body & the wings of the bird make me want to try & paint him as a picture,phylliso

Anonymous said...

Greetings from rain soaked Southern California.

I added myself to follow your blog. You are more than welcome to visit mine and become a follower if you want to :-)

May God bless you and your family in 2011 ~Ron

And always remember... Smiles don't have to be saved for a rainy day. It's good to waste them :-)