vulture

Tag

By JL Neighborhood 6 photos July 31, 2017

Big birds, little birds, plain brown or black birds and one of startling color!

4-year-old bald eagle with a small fish for a pre-brunch appetizer!


The tiny brown-headed nuthatch has snagged one of her favorite sources of protein:

a spider from the web below her.


This brilliantly yellow bird is a prothonotary warbler.

They come for the summer nesting season.


A northern rough-winged swallow:

a tiny speed demon that loves to consume flying insects such as mosquitos.


There is WAY more branch here than osprey!

I would have loved to have been able to see him get it into his nest.


Closeup of a beautiful black vulture.

I really appreciate their contributions to the cleanup around the lake.

By lakeside home
This black vulture has good reason to be worried: people keep leaving litter in his beautiful lake home.
I see the vultures as part of nature’s maintenance force.
I would hate to see what a world without the vultures’ uncomplaining work would look like.
Please share the work of the Clean Jordan Lake Organization and the Army Corps of Engineers.
Tell others of the concerns of the vultures, the bluebirds, the eagles, the herons, the ecosystem we call Jordan Lake.

vulture litter sign

By colorful raptors

I always check out each bird in a vulture kettle.
The raptors of all sorts often soar in the thermals together.
This morning a red-tailed hawk joined the black vultures.
I happened to catch the two species at almost the same focal distance for a colorful photo.

WALK0481 Jul 22 2015 @ 09-55-17 Haw River red tail and vulture

By tag and bounce

_RK_1266 Cadet and vulture 2014

Cadet, who is the immature osprey on the upper right, has taken to harassing the immature turkey vultures, the bird on the lower left. Both these birds were fledged this year and their flying skills are still sloppy. But that didn’t stop Cadet from diving down on the vulture who had to twist awkwardly to get away.
I caught the moment as Cadet bounced off of the vulture.

By grooming

_RK_2260 vulture grooming 2014

Vultures often gently groom each other.
The soothing effect can be seen in the expression of the black vulture to your right – it is half asleep.