Tag Archives: Black Vulture

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A roosting Black Vulture was joined by a Wood Stork.

Black Vulture and Wood Stork
Black Vulture and Wood Stork

The Vulture was pretty much unfazed, even with all that flapping going on.

Black Vulture and Wood Stork
Black Vulture and Wood Stork

Settle down, look around…we’re at the top of the world!

Black Vulture and Wood Stork
Black Vulture and Wood Stork

The angle between these birds and my position created an optical illusion that these two birds are close in height. The Wood Stork actually is longer, weighs more, and has a slightly wider wing span.

Black Vulture and Wood Stork
Black Vulture and Wood Stork

Black Vulture:

  • Length: 23.6-26.8 in (60-68 cm)
  • Weight: 56.4-77.6 oz (1600-2200 g)
  • Wingspan: 53.9-59.1 in (137-150 cm)

Wood Stork:

  • Length: 33.5-45.3 in (85-115 cm)
  • Weight: 72.3-93.1 oz (2050-2640 g)
  • Wingspan: 59.1-68.9 in (150-175 cm)

From The Cornell Lab, All About Birds

St. Augustine Alligator Farm, St. Augustine, FL
January 20, 2023

Black Vulture Pair, Lounging

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.

Black Vulture
Black Vulture

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

Black Vulture
Black Vulture

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

Black Vulture
Black Vulture

Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
November 27, 2021

 

Black Vultures In Pines

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.

Black Vultures in Pine Trees
Black Vultures in Pine Trees

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.

Black Vultures in Pine Trees
Black Vultures in Pine Trees

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

Black Vultures in PinBlack Vultures in Pine Treese Trees
Black Vultures in Pine Trees

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

Black Vultures in Pine Trees
Black Vultures in Pine Trees

October 20, 2020

Black Vultures, Dead Tree in Silhouette

The dike where I took Black Vultures sitting in this tree takes a 90 degree turn which gave me a different vantage point for this post’s images. The sun was now behind the birds and it was very hazy.

Black Vultures in Dead Tree
Black Vultures in Dead Tree

The outline of the tree and birds is pretty interesting, as is the postion of the two Vultures seen here. The third Vulture is in that clump in the middle in the first image.

Black Vulture on Branch
Black Vulture on Branch

Black Vultures

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.

Black Vulture Laying on Branch
Black Vulture Laying on Branch

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.

Three Black Vultures in Dead Tree
Three Black Vultures in Dead Tree

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

Juvenile Black Vulture

As we approached the turnaround on one of the dikes in the wildlife management area we were visiting a juvenile Black Vulture stood in the middle of the road. Unfortunately he showed no fear of our car or us and only hopped along a few feet.

Ted finally got out of the car to gently urge him out of the driveway and he flapped/hopped up onto the gate, allowing me to turn the car without worrying about hitting him.

Juvenile Black Vulture
Juvenile Black Vulture

His still fuzzy head and hopping rather than flying identifies him as a juvenile. We walked around the opposite end of the gate and went on our way.

Juvenile Black Vulture
Juvenile Black Vulture

When we returned twenty minutes later he had relocated to the other end of the gate.

Juvenile Black Vulture
Juvenile Black Vulture

Quite regal looking, he ignored us as we passed back by and I saw him still there in the rear-view mirror as we drove away.

Juvenile Black Vulture
Juvenile Black Vulture