Vulture Party...

William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the wonders of God’s creation.

​Matthew 24:28 And wherever the carcass is, there the vultures will gather.

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) perched in roost dead tree. Athens, Clarke County, Georgia. USA.

​Sunday, 3:43 PM – I went for a birding walk through the wooded greenspace of my neighborhood between morning and evening church services this bright blue but chilly Sunday afternoon. Not spying too many other birds, it was basically a vulture walk. Standing camouflaged under the tall snags, the vultures would fly in to perch directly above my head; their wings sounding like flapping plastic trash bags as they not-so-gracefully landed.

Every fall a mixed gathering of vultures descends upon our neighborhood. Thankfully they stay off the roofs but choose the several tall dead White Oaks to roost. There are two types of Vultures here in Georgia. The Turkey Vulture and the Black Vulture. If one has a clear eye on their head color, the difference is obvious. In the air when the head color isn’t as discernable, it is a little trickier. But size, color and how they hold their wings are good indicators.
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I was happy to get a shot of both species sitting side-by-side for comparison. I had to sneak into my neighbor’s yard to get closer. I could just hear them inside the house, “Honey, our crazy bird loving neighbor is in our yard again looking at vultures!” Oh well. 

Turkey Vulture (left) and Black Vulture (right); Clarke County, Georgia.

The following day (Monday, January 15) I was off from work for MLK Day. I sat alone next to my backyard fire pit watching over 30 vultures in the trees.  Again, not a cloud in the clear blue sky. Yesterday’s strong winds have died down a bit and the vultures are soaring in squadrons across the sky. Dozens upon dozens in the trees; groups soaring overhead; loners perching and lifting off from the snags… a true “vulture party”!

Black Vulture, Coragyps atratus, perched in roost dead tree. Athens, Clarke County, Georgia. USA.

​Just after 5 PM the vultures begin leaving the snags one by one in varying intervals. After sitting silent in the setting sun for quite some time, it would then enter in the mind of one vulture, “my turn”, and it would lift off and sail away eastward. As they passed nearly directly over my head, I had plenty of opportunity to practice panning for flight shots.
 
Just past 5:00 PM the treetops are still glowing orange in the setting sun, but all else has fallen into cool blue shadow. At 5:17 PM the last Black Vulture lifted off, and two minutes later the last Turkey Vulture took to the sky. Sunset is at 5:47 PM, my backyard fire is dying down and approximately 70 blackbirds fly high in the sky overhead from east to west, heading to their homes as I head into mine.

​Athens-Clarke County, Georgia
Sunny with a high near 44°
Sunrise 7:38 AM, Sunset 5:47 PM
Day length: 10 hours, 8 minutes
Moon: 2% waning crescent

Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura, in flight in blue sky. New world vultures are carrion crows that eat corpses, dead animals and roadkill. Athens, Clarke County, Georgia. USA.

Many vultures roosting in trees. Red headed Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura, and Black Vulture, Coragyps atratus, carrion crow, perched in roost dead tree. Athens, Clarke County, Georgia. USA.

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) perched in roost dead tree. Athens, Clarke County, Georgia. USA.

Black Vulture, Coragyps atratus, carrion crow, perched in roost dead tree. Athens, Clarke County, Georgia. USA.

Black Vulture, Coragyps atratus, carrion crow, perched in roost dead tree. Athens, Clarke County, Georgia. USA.

Red headed Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura, carrion crow, perched in roost dead tree. Athens, Clarke County, Georgia. USA.

Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura, in flight in blue sky. New world vultures are carrion crows that eat corpses, dead animals and roadkill. Athens, Clarke County, Georgia. USA.

Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura, in roost in dead trees in winter. New world vultures are carrion crows that eat corpses, dead animals and roadkill. Athens, Clarke County, Georgia. USA.