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Posts Tagged ‘Coragyps atratus’

Vultures overhead

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , on December 8, 2022| 2 Comments »

I often see vultures circling overhead when I am walking along the trails at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Although I have gotten used to their presence, I find them to be slightly spooky and I try to make sure I don’t stand still for too long a period, lest the vultures think that I am carrion.

Most of the vultures that I see are Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura), like the one in the first photo. Occasionally, though, I also see Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus). How do I tell them apart? As you can see in the second photos, Turkey Vultures have red heads, while Black Vultures have black heads. In addition, the pattern of the light feathers on the underside of the wings of the two vultures is different. Black Vulture have patches of light feathers near the tips of the wings and Turkey Vultures have light feathers along almost the entire length of the trailing edges of the underside of their wings.

Turkey Vulture

vultures

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Pensive vulture

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , , on December 28, 2021| 5 Comments »

Last week I spotted this Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) pacing about in an area adjacent to a small stream at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I don’t know if there were fish remains nearby or if the vulture was simply on its way to get a drink of water.

It looked to me like the vulture was in a contemplative mood, totally lost in its thoughts as it moved slowly forward. Of course, I may have been merely projecting on the vulture my mood at that moment—nature often has a soothing, calming effect on me and my long walks with my camera are a wonderful time for reflection.

Black Vulture

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Black Vultures in December

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , on December 24, 2021| 4 Comments »

There were a lot of Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) on Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, including one that smiled for me as as it posed for a portrait. The vulture was perched in a tree that so close to the edge of the trail that I had to zoom out to capture its entire body in the second shot. I am not sure why the Black Vultures were not flying much, but during the day I spotted a dozen or so vultures roosting together in different areas of the refuge.

Generally I see Turkey Vultures, which have bright red heads, more  often than Black Vultures, though we do have both species in our area. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “Turkey Vultures have an excellent sense of smell, but Black Vultures aren’t nearly as accomplished sniffers. To find food they soar high in the sky and keep an eye on the lower-soaring Turkey Vultures. When a Turkey Vulture’s nose detects the delicious aroma of decaying flesh and descends on a carcass, the Black Vulture follows close behind.”

With respect to the large group of Black Vultures roosting together, apparently that it normal behavior. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology notes that,  “Black Vultures are monogamous, staying with their mates for many years, all year round. They feed their young for as many as eight months after fledging, and maintain strong social bonds with their families throughout their lives. Black Vultures roost in large flocks in the evening, using the communal roost as a meeting place where foraging groups can assemble and adults can reconvene with their young.”

Perhaps the final captured captured a pre-Christmas family gathering of Black Vultures. I wonder how they celebrate the holidays.

 

Black Vulture

Black Vulture

Black Vultures

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Crow and vulture

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , , on October 31, 2021| 13 Comments »

I have seen groups of American Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) harass eagles and hawks many times in the past, so whenever I hear the excited cawing of of crows, I immediately start to look for a large raptor. When this happened on Thursday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I quickly spotted the dark shadow of a large bird in a tree and assumed that it was a Bald Eagle.

I was a bit shocked when I zoomed in on the bird and realized that it was a Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus), not an eagle. I had no idea that crows would chase vultures. Sometimes the crows would perch on branches of the tree close to the vulture and appear to try to convince the vulture to leave—this is what seems to be happening in the second photo.

At other times, the crows would aggressively buzz the vulture, flying right at the vulture and veering off only at the last second. I managed to capture the first image just as one of the crows appeared ready to attack the vulture from behind, but there was no collision. The vulture flapped its wings several times to try to scare off the crows, an action that did not seem to deter the pesky crows.  A short time later the vulture departed to search for a more peaceful perch.

Happy Halloween.

crow and vulture

crow and vulture

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Curious Black Vultures

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , on October 17, 2019| 11 Comments »

Two Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) appeared to be intently staring at me as I drew closer to them on Tuesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Were they sizing me up, hoping I might drop dead on the spot? As Halloween approaches, it is easy to feel a little creeped out in situations like this. Although I believe that they were simply curious about my presence, I did make sure that I moved around enough to ensure that the vultures knew that I was still alive.

Black Vulture

Black Vulture

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Gloomy day vulture

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , on February 26, 2018| 8 Comments »

What kind of bird would be a perfect match for a gloomy, fog-filled day? I might suggest that this Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) that I spotted this past weekend at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge would fit the bill admirably.

There was something shadowy, mysterious, and a little creepy about this large dark bird as it perched low in a tree and looked right at me through the fog. I felt a little shiver as I looked up at the vulture, but maybe it was just reaction to the cool temperature.

Black Vulture

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Vultures at water’s edge

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on September 22, 2017| 2 Comments »

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.

Black Vulture

Black Vulture

Black Vulture

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Black Vulture in a tree

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on April 2, 2017| 5 Comments »

As I rounded the corner of one of the remote trails yesterday at Huntley Meadows Park, I stopped abruptly—a large black bird was perched low in a tree almost directly in front of me. At first I thought it might be a wild turkey, but it turned out to be a Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus).

Most of the vultures that I see are Turkey Vultures, which have red heads, and generally I see them soaring high in the sky. When this vulture became aware of my presence, it flew to a nearby tree and looked down at me. I tried not to feel paranoid, but it looked almost like it was going to dive bomb me. The vulture perched in one more tree before finally flying away.Black Vulture

Black Vulture

Black Vulture

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Black Vulture in November

Posted in Autumn, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on November 16, 2015| 9 Comments »

My eyes are unavoidably drawn to large birds in the sky. For me, it doesn’t really matter if it is a hawk, an osprey, or an eagle or, in this case, “only” a Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) that I saw last week at Huntley Meadows Park. They are all impressive birds.

This bird was one of four Black Vultures that were circling overhead as I wandered through a remote area of my favorite marshland park. I love to watch these vultures as they soar through the sky searching for the scent of something dead to eat.

Where I live, we have both Black Vultures and Turkey Vultures. Most of the time, they are easy to tell apart, because the white patterns on the wings are different and their heads have different colors. As you can see in the photos, the Black Vulture has a black head, whereas the Turkey Vulture has a red head.

When vultures are circling around me like this, I follow the advice that was given to me several years ago and make sure I move from time to time. I wouldn’t want one of the vultures to think that I was dead.

Black Vulture

Black Vulture

Black Vulture

Black Vulture

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Vulture stalking prey?

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on April 21, 2015| 4 Comments »

I know that vultures don’t really stalk live prey, but when this Black Vulture leaned forward from its perch on a dead tree, it sure looked like it was following something on the ground.

Most of the vultures that I see at my local marsh are Turkey Vultures, which have a distinctive red head, but occasionally I will also spot Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) like this one. I was in a remote area of the park searching for dragonflies when this vulture flew in my general direction and decided to perch for a while high on a nearby tree.

Initially the bird spent some time grooming itself, but then it assumed the pose that you see in this image. I tried to move closer to get a better shot and eventually I was almost underneath the tree. As I looked at my images on the computer, I initially thought that I might have photographed an immature Turkey Vulture, which also has a dark head, but I’m pretty sure this is a Black Vulture, because of its short tail.

When I was doing a little research on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website, one of my favorite resources for birds, I learned that Black Vultures often hang out with Turkey Vultures to compensate for their weaker sense of smell. “To find food they soar high in the sky and keep an eye on the lower-soaring Turkey Vultures. When a Turkey Vulture’s nose detects the delicious aroma of decaying flesh and descends on a carcass, the Black Vulture follows close behind.”

In addition to its pose, I was struck by the dead-looking eyes of this vulture, which I can’t help but find a little creepy. I am not really paranoid, but somehow I am happy that it had not fixed those eyes on me.

Black Vulture

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Perching vultures

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , on March 20, 2013| 4 Comments »

I was really struck by the unusual poses of these Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) that I encountered while walking along the canal path in Augusta, GA. The only other time that I saw Black Vultures in a tree, they were roosting and looked large and menacing.

These two vultures look like they have adopted a hawk’s approach to hunting by perching on a tree and waiting,  rather than by circling endlessly in the skies as other vultures do.

Vultures_blog

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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I want to soar like a vulture

Posted in Birds, Humor, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter, tagged , , , , , , on January 23, 2013| 6 Comments »

The Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) needs to improve its public image and what could be better in these times of economic difficulty than emphasizing its energy efficiency?  The Cornell Lab of Ornithology states that the Black Vulture “soars on thermals to gain altitude and to cover large distances with little energy expenditure.”

This past weekend we had warm weather and a breeze, which made it perfect for soaring. Normally I see Black Vultures very high in the sky and in groups, but this time I spotted a solitary vulture soaring at a a lower altitude, which permitted me to get some decent photos. The Cornell Lab notes that Black Vultures have a less well-developed sense of smell than Turkey Vultures and rely more on sight than smell to find carrion, which may be why they soar at greater heights than Turkey Vultures.

I propose that the Black Vulture become the new symbol for energy-saving practices. What do you think?

vulture1_blogvulture2_blogvulture3_blog

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved

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Black Vulture roosting

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on December 7, 2012| 6 Comments »

Earlier today I posted a photo of a colorful cardinal to counteract the gloominess of the day. Here is an alternative if you prefer instead to relish the grayness of the day—an image of a Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus ) roosting in a dead tree.

vulture3_blog

It was a damp, cold day today as I was walking through the marshland. I happened to look up and saw a couple of large birds perched in a dead tree. At first I thought they might be wild turkeys, but when I looked at them more carefully I realized that they were Black Vultures. Previously I had seen them soaring through the air and thought they were quite beautiful, with magnificent wingspans. When you see them up close, however, “beautiful” is not an adjective that springs to mind. To be generous, you might say that they look “distinctive” or “interesting.”

vulture1_blog

Why were they hanging around? I had no idea until I talked with some folks at the information desk in the visitor center. Apparently there is a dead deer in a nearby area and the vultures have been feeding on its carcass. I guess the vultures were resting in the trees in between meals.

vulture2_blogI processed each of these images a little differently, trying to compensate for the fact that there was not that much light,  which forced me to deliberately underexpose the photos. I think I like the first one best, the one that I desaturated almost to the point of making it black and white, although I like some aspects of the other two images as well.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Soaring Black Vulture

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on November 16, 2012| 5 Comments »

As the cool morning air was warmed by the sun last Monday, I caught sight of a group of seven large birds soaring together through the air. I could tell that they were different from the turkey vultures that I had previously photographed, but I wasn’t sure what they were. A friendly birder identified them for me as Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus).

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology website, one of my favorite places to go to learn more about birds, notes that the Black Vulture have a less developed sense of smell than Turkey Vultures, and have to rely on their sight, which is why they may soar at greater heights than the Turkey Vultures. More social than the Turkey Vultures, Black Vultures often travel in flocks and may share a common roost before they go off to forage. (I saw a whole group of them in a single tree earlier in the morning that I took these shots).

I am still in awe of these large birds with impressive wing spans. At the marshland park where I do a lot of my photography, there are a number of species of hawks, and I hope to be able to get some photos of them eventually.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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