Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura), taking off

- No description given -

comments (2)

Ferdy Christant

Lion

Great shot, Joe. It's not often that the light works in one's favor in a mid-air shot, this being a wonderful exception. Posted 6 years ago
1. Joe Spandrusyszyn
  
  Lion
  
  I got really lucky this day. It was my first time to this area (I've been on the same trail a few times but at the opposite end), so I wasn't really sure what I was going to encounter. There was a lookout tower where I took this shot, and there were at least five Turkey Vultures hanging out on it (I couldn't ever see them all at once... there could have been as few as five or as many as eight).
  Bad news: They weren't phased by my presence, so I couldn't climb up the tower to look around like I originally planned when I saw it on the trail map (not without risking scaring and possibly angering the vultures at least).
  Good news: They weren't phased by my presence, so I was able to watch them for longer than I normally would have been able to and get a few great shots. I couldn't take as much advantage of this as I would've liked because the park closed at 6:00pm (I watched the vultures for about 20 minutes... got back to the park entrance at 5:50pm). Posted 6 years ago

The Turkey vulture

The turkey vulture is the most widespread of the New World vultures. One of three species in the genus "Cathartes" of the family Cathartidae, the turkey vulture ranges from southern Canada to the southernmost tip of South America. It inhabits a variety of open and semi-open areas, including subtropical forests, shrublands, pastures, and deserts.

Info 43 1

Similar species: Diurnal Birds Of Prey

Species identified by Joe Spandrusyszyn