Monday, January 21, 2019

The Vultures

Several days ago, I opened the local paper to see these headlines.

 Yes, the vultures love it here; more and more come all the time. We now have several hundred. Almost every day, you can see them circling overhead. A group of flying vultures is called a "Kettle".
Driving by the river, we spotted this group. They had found a meal. A group of vultures that is feeding is called a "Wake".





More were flying in. They may be graceful in the air, but on the ground they hop around in a clumsy and ungainly way.


I'll leave you with this thought: They mate for life.

“Fear the vulture, and the vulture will come. Fear nothing, and you are the vulture.”
 Suzy Kassem Fear

15 comments:

Nancy Chan said...

Maybe I have been seeing too many National Geographic documentary shows, vultures are usually associated with death.

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

How exciting to see these big birds.

Ann said...

I've always thought they were one of the ugliest birds Ive ever seen. I wonder what it is that has attracted them to your area.

Hootin Anni said...

We have a lit of them here, too. I tend to ignore 'em. lol

MadSnapper said...

I am one of the few people in this world that likes vultures. I think they are wondrous and our world needs them. God's Garbage Guys is what I call them. without them our world would be a stinky rotten mess. they clean up roadkill and other things that die, they don't kill they just clean up the dead. undertakers in the sky. they are ugly but I like them anyway.. your photos are really good of them. I once got a few of the ones in a tree in our back yard. but none on the ground like this, they are so graceful in flight, and from the underside are beautiful

George said...

They definitely ae not beautiful birds, except perhaps when they're in flight.

LV said...

Definitely not my favorite. Always felt they were nasty.

Heidrun Khokhar, KleinsteMotte said...

Why are there so many at your location? Is there a lot dying along that river? That would be a concern. Or is it normal for them to be around that area?

Tamago said...

I've never seen vultures up close, but they are really huge. Their red face is a bit scary!

Inger said...

Wow! They come through our passes here in October every year on their way to somewhere....

Ruth Hiebert said...

They are ugly as can be on the ground. There must be a good supply of 'roadkill' for them to gather like that.

World of Animals, Inc said...

Thanks for sharing these photos with us. Now we know the terms Kettle and Wake are for vultures. They really are scary looking when you see them up close. Great post and photos. Have a wonderful day.
World of Animals

Rose said...

What a quote! We have vultures come over our house/town a lot. And they come real low. And they used to roost on this big tower by the police station.

Chatty Crone said...

We had a vulture in the neighborhood once. Have no idea why - do you know why they were there by you? And that quote - I am trying to figure it out.

Sandi said...

Kettle and wake... who thinks up these names? ;-;

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