Some people find Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) to be creepy, but I think they are handsome in their own way and fill a useful function in keeping our roads at least partially free from carrion. I spotted quite a few Turkey Vultures on Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, some clustered on the ground and some circling in the skies.
The two vultures in the first photo were part of a group of five that were spread across a trail near the partial remains of what looks to have been some kind of animal. I did not want to disturb them, so I gave them a wide berth and continued on my way after capturing the image.
I had no such worry with the vulture in the second shot that was effortless soaring overhead and did not seem disturbed at all by my presence. It probably was my imagination, but at times it seems like the vulture was tracking me. I think I watched too many cowboy movies as a child in which a lost cowboy stumbled through the desert as vultures circled overhead, waiting for him to die.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
that is a beautiful shot of his wing span.. have a great day!
I love watching soaring vultures. Their wing spans rival those of eagles and hawks, which I also love to watch.
Nice Mike! They are interesting photo subjects! At Lake Woodruff NWR in Florida they had huge flocks of them there the first time we visited there. I would get there early and I had large groups by me as I was walking & photographing. They just followed me as I was walking. Very strange to be surrounded by them as I was walking and listening to them grunting! Plus they had quite the aroma around them. Especially strange when you were the only one there in such a large NWR.
Wow. I have never been close enough to a vulture to hear them grunt or to smell them. It is not surprising to me that they have a strong aroma.
When seeing these birds soaring above the highways, I try to imagine their wing span compared to cars on the road. THEY ARE ENORMOUS. M 🙂
From what I have read, their wingspan can be close to six feet. Yikes!
While not pretty, they are acrobats in the air. Nice capture of the wing span.
In my mind vultures are almost as impressive in the air as hawks and eagles. As for beauty, I have to agree that “pretty” is not the adjective that comes first to mind when I think of them. 🙂
The second shot is a real winner Mike.
Thanks. Soaring birds, like this vulture, are slightly easier to photograph than birds that are flying at a faster speed. 🙂
I’ve been startled by these flying out of the woods near the park I walk through. I wouldn’t call them handsome, but it’s hard not to be impressed by them in flight.
LOL, I think I watched the same movies! 😉
They do have a certain appeal. Carrion, Mike. 🙂
Thanks, Steve. Your cute comment reminds me of a cartoon I saw a while back with a vulture trying to get through security at the airport with a dead raccoon under each arm. The officials reminded him that only one carrion was permitted on-board for each passenger. 🙂
😀
While they may not be elegant in close-up portraits, they certainly are elegant in flight.
I totally agree, Gary. I love to watch them effortlessly through the air.