Two Black Vultures were hanging around on the ground at the end of the dike along the big pond at Donnelley Wildlife Management Area on Saturday. They were oddly indifferent to human presence, just flying up into an oak tree as I got closer.

It had been a cold morning, just down to freezing, and they both seemed content in the sun as the day warmed up.

This one actually hunkered down on a branch, as if to stay awhile.

Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
November 27, 2021

I love to watch Black Vultures, at least from afar. They aren’t that attractive but are skillful flyers and do a fabulous job keeping dead stuff cleaned up. I was happy to spot this pair perched high in a pine tree.

It turns out as I looked around and heard the distinctive flap-flap-flap of Vultures taking off that there were dozens of them, sitting in and flying around a stand of pine trees.

The cloudy sky wasn’t a great asset to these images, but you can see how the birds arranged themselves.

This last image conveys the massive size of the trees and some of the soaring that was going on.

October 20, 2020

It was morning, before 9am, so I was surprised to see these Black Vultures hunkered down in this dead tree. Perhaps they had been the early birds and already completed breakfast.

It was hot (82 F/ 28 C) and hazy, so resting was probably a good idea but some spot that was less exposed to the sun might have been a better choice.

This dead tree has lost a pretty good chunk since the last time I photographed birds here… Wood Storks in a Dead Tree