Following Vultures

I hit the brakes and bumped a curb. Ok, I drove over the curb. Zoomed in on them through the windshield. Got out of the car in slow motion and approached three Black Vultures resting after they feasted on a squirrel that met its fate on a residential road.

Dang! Don’t want a silhouette. The sun was all wrong. Tip-toed back to the car. Slowly drove by their resting place to have the sun behind me and parked again, just scraping the curb this time.

Stalking these vultures was easy in comparison to my first vulture photo shoot. I didn’t have a construction crew to entertain and didn’t lose a shoe.

Black vultures are constant in our area but I rarely see the Turkey variety. There’s a probable reason, seen at the end of this post.

Handsome is not an adjective for a Black Vulture but I do gasp when I see its wing span.

Bald patrol officers,

sporting their black velvet capes and always obliged to keep our roads and sidewalks clean.

I worry about their safety in traffic. They must be wise enough to avoid many mishaps because I haven’t seen a Vulture casualty on the road yet.

When I see a Vulture, I think of Lynne. Not that she looks like Vulture, by any means! Lynne’s cute. She’s intrigued by them, especially the larger red-headed Turkeys. They're very ugly. Sorry it’s not a red-head, Lynne! I’ll keep looking.

My birds in flight photos are so bad. Perhaps it’s because I don’t get out enough to watch them during take-off and landing, or I get too excited and lose footing when my neck is cranked way back. And what’s worse, I have some weak toes after an accident. Need to work on toe exercises for better balancing, I guess.

I received a new field guide this week for young birders. I’m not a youngster but I’m a beginner birder and I love this guide! You can never have too many field guides.

From southeast Ohio, Bill Thompson III, editor of the Bird Watcher’s Digest wrote this guide for children with the help of his own children, Phoebe and Liam. Bill’s a gifted writer, musician, photographer, and expert bird watcher. His poetry rocks, too. I always enjoy the humor he delivers in his books and on his blog.

If you’re an adult gardener who wonders what bird is pecking at your berries, or if you’re paying attention to birds for the first time, this guide’s for you. Perhaps you know a young naturalist who would enjoy The Young Birder’s Guide to Birds of Eastern North America. In this guide, every species is entitled to a “WOW!” fact.

And remember, birding is very cool. In Bill’s words, quoted for kids, “Birding is no longer considered a hobby for little old ladies and absent-minded professors in funny hats.” Yeah. Those who watch birds and crave a hike in the woods are the best. Even if you're a little old lady like me ;-)

Thanks, Bill!