Peering through the vegetation at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge this past Monday, I spotted several large birds at the edge of the water. I thought they might be eagles or ospreys, but they turned out to be Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) that appeared to be foraging as the tide was going out.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
I would never have expected to see vultures wading in water. I guess it makes sense since they are opportunists.
It was a surprise to me as well. I couldn’t tell for sure if they were feeding, getting a drink of water, or what. Whatever the case, it was certainly unexpected.