It was dark and overcast yesterday morning at Huntley Meadows Park and became more eerie when a Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) started to circle lower and lower around me. Eventually it landed on the broken tip of a nearby tree.
After closing its wings initially, the vulture suddenly opened them wide and left them open for an extended period of time, perhaps to let them dry—it had been raining earlier in the morning. The wing position reminded me of the Double-crested Cormorants that I occasionally see with wings extended to dry them after an underwater dive.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Nice shot, especially that last one!
Thanks. I was happy the vulture stayed in place while I circled around it to capture the correct angle for the last shot.
The last image in particular is beautiful and unusual, Mike! As you say reminiscent of a cormorant.
Thanks, Chris. I was drawn to that last image and circled around the vulture to get that angle (a kind of reversal of roles). I was uncertain about whether folks would find it to be a bit too stark, so I led the post with the images with the autumn leaves.
vowwww..amazing..
Thanks.
These are beautiful photos, Mike. It’s hard to choose, but I love the colors in the first one
Thanks, Dan. Some readers really like the images with colors, while others are drawn to the monochromatic starkness of the final shot. I usually will post multiple images when I can’t decide for myself. Why limit myself to chocolate or strawberry ice cream when I can have them both?
I like the focus in the first one. The way he stands out against that soft background.
Thanks, Dan, for sharing your views. I’m never quite sure how others view my photos and it’s tough for me to be unbiased when doing so. Sometimes the backstory of the photos colors my perceptions and emotionally influences the way that I look at them.