Vultures

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As regular readers know, I have a soft spot for vultures. Apart from the fact that they prevent our being ankle-deep in roadkill, I think their flying abilities are simply amazing.

Turkey Vultures are particularly elegant fliers and most days they seem to drift endlessly around the sky without ever flapping their wings. I tend to think that if angels existed, they would fly like Turkey Vultures.

Black Vultures are not quite such masters of the air. In fact, one way to tell them from Turkey Vultures is the way they flap their wings fairly frequently. However, they still make impressive use of wind and air currents to stay afloat with the minimum of effort.

Of course, neither species is as impressive when on the ground. The photo below was taken on Longenbaugh Road last week when I came across a bunch of Black Vultures feeding on the carcass of a dead calf.

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