Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: turkey vulture

A pair of turkey vultures rose into the sky as I approached our front gate this morning, circling low overhead. They kept an eye on me as they soared overhead and eventually I lost track of them after taking some pictures and moving on to other subjects. Explored on April 8, 2017. Highest placement, #41.

6 more pictures in notes above! This morning I let the dogs out as usual and got their breakfast ready before calling them back inside. Only, when I opened the door, there were no dogs waiting for me. I called. No dogs. I yelled. No dogs. I took Pumpkin (my parrot) back upstairs and put her in her cage, and went out and went looking for the dogs, calling the whole time. Where could they be? I had my suspicions. Molly, our Border Collie, was the one who got them into mischief. It's always been something very stinky and very dead. I was not amused. After going around our lower forest and making my way up to our granite valley, I suddenly found Zoe, our Boxer, charging gayly in my direction, followed by Moosie, our Basset. But no Molly. "Oh no," I moaned, "She's found something reeking and dead to roll in...please don't be that!!" We got back to the house and still no sign of Molly. I went around back and yelled again, and there she was at the edge of the meadow, making her way at an easy 3-legged lope with tail high. When she got to the house, I was very happy to find that she didn't stink! Hardly any burrs...but...oh Molly...she'd been eating something that was freshly dead, so I washed the blood off her face and feet and let her into the house. Looking out back, I saw some vultures flying around and then land near the place I saw Molly running back from. I thought I'd go take a look after lunch. I went with my camera, not to take any pictures of something gruesome, but hopefully to get pictures of the vultures. And WOW, did I ever!! My best pictures of vultures yet!! I walked slowly over to the place where the dead animal was and the vultures flew close enough that I could take many pictures. It turned out to be a young deer, probably hit by a car and died where it lay. Almost all of it was gone, so though it was sad that it died, its death meant that many animals were fed...including Molly! We have coyotes, bobcats, foxes, feral cats, and though I don't think any are right here, there are cougars and bears in our county too. I love living in this wild place, but it's not always kind and I no longer get so angry when an animal is hit by a car because there are so many hungry animals that need to eat. At least their death helps others to live. James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931 – September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He is a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment, as expressed in the title of his most celebrated film, Rebel Without a Cause (1955), in which he starred as troubled Los Angeles teenager Jim Stark. The other two roles that defined his stardom were as loner Cal Trask in East of Eden (1955), and as the surly ranch hand, Jett Rink, in Giant (1956). Dean's enduring fame and popularity rests on his performances in only these three films, all leading roles. His premature death in a car crash cemented his legendary status. Wikipedia: James Dean Explored on September 4, 2013. Highest placement, page 2.

[best appreciated at full size against black] Dedicated to my Flickr friend, Joe the Phographer , who keeps insisting that I take pictures of birds in flight! :D These don't fill the frame but I hope they count, buddy! :D Yesterday Steve and I did our yearly burn, where we gather up all of our grass clippings, and at least one of the brush piles that I made while cleaning up our property. After the fire dwindles, one of us needs to stay outside near the embers to keep an eye on it. I enjoy the chance to wander around, take pictures, listen to the birds, and watch our dogs playing. At one point I noticed a trio of Turkey Vultures flying around on the thermals above me, and took a bunch of pictures. Turkey Vultures are found all over North and South America, from Canada to the southern tip of Chile. They are scavengers and eat carrion exclusively, using their keey eyesight and sense of smell to find their prey. This bird has no ability to sing and call like other birds, and can only grunt or hiss! Turkey vultures raise a pair of chicks in the months between March and August depending on latitude (Here they raise babies betwen March and June). Last year I wrote a picture essay about our yearly burn which you might enjoy reading! Here's the link! Burn, Baby Burn If you would like to know more about Turkey Vultures, Wiki has an extensive page here: Wiki: Turkey Vulture {Cathartes aura}

As I made my way back along our ridge line, my quiet movement startled three vultures in a tree just 10 feet away. The sound of their wings was like sails flapping in the wind!! I watched them fly up and away, circling off into the distance, and it was a wondrous thing to see such enormous birds gliding on the thermals! Turkey Vultures are found all over North and South America, from Canada to the southern tip of Chile. They are scavengers and eat carrion exclusively, using their keen eyesight and sense of smell to find their prey. This bird has no ability to sing and call like other birds, and can only grunt or hiss! Turkey vultures raise a pair of chicks in the months between March and August depending on latitude (Here they raise babies between March and June). If you would like to know more about Turkey Vultures, Wiki has an extensive page here: Wiki: Turkey Vulture {Cathartes aura}