Black Vultures For Feathered Friday!

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Today, for #featheredfriday, I'll be sharing some photos of black vultures. I took these at the Conowingo Fisherman's Park. The black vultures tend to stay in the area closest to the trail there. I also caution you to continue reading at your own risk and I take no responsibility for any nightmares you may suffer after reading and seeing my photos..lol.

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Black vultures have black feathers, bare black wrinkled heads and white patches under their primary feathers. You usually will not see their white feathers though unless they are in flight or if they have their wings spread open. Sometimes they will sit with their wings spread wide in what is called the "horaltic pose". They do this to increase the surface area of their body so that the sun can more easily warm them. I wouldn't say they are a pretty bird but they are interesting and do help to clean up roadkill.

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Don't expect any pretty sounds from them either as any noises they make sounds like hissing and or grunts. I didn't get close enough to hear any of those sounds and I'm perfectly okay with that too!

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Alright so maybe they aren't all that scary! You know what is though is when you think you've seen them all and then you walk just a few feet onto the trail and it is so quiet and then your husband tells you to look up!

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Yeah! I wasn't expecting that! 😱

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Thank you @melinda010100 for #featheredfriday!!

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19 comments
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Nature's garbage collectors. They do a necessary task of keeping our world clean! Your photos are quite amazing. I don't know if I have ever seen that many gathered together! Thanks for sharing these guys with #featheredfriday!

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Thank you Melinda!! This is the only place that I've seen so many. I also watched some of them fly up to what looked like an abandoned structure. They are pretty neat to see out at Fisherman's Park. 🙂

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Great shots, Dee. The closest I ever got to a vulture they were flying overhead at skiff Lake. I haven’t seen any here on the Island. 💕

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Thank you Jo!! I've only seen one near where I live and that was on a dumpster at an apartment complex nearby. I was surprised to see one there as Conowingo is the only place that I've seen them otherwise. 😉

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What a wonderful sight to see @deerjay, undertakers in the wild!

They appear somewhat smaller to the vultures we have, I have attached a link to a site that has some awesome photography and facts if you interested https://dewetswild.com/2015/09/05/south-african-vultures/

Really a bird we need to keep everything neat and tidy!

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Thank you @joanstewart!! The South African vultures look pretty cool! I do like the coloring more on the ones you showed me! 😉

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WOW thats a lot of them and you got great shots of them

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Thank you @tattoodjay!! They do seem to really like it there and are always congregated in the same area. Makes getting some photos of them easy. 😊

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Thats cool that they’re have a spot they Ike where you can get shots of them

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Holy cannoli, @deerjay! Those guys & gals are gorgeous! Their heads are definitely prettier than the Turkey Vultures that hang out around here. And while those shots are wicked spooky, I'm so glad your hubby told you to look up!

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Thank you so much @traciyork!! It sure was a bit eerie to look up and see so many but very cool as well. 🙂

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Ok, this is one of the coolest things I have ever seen! How amazing (and a little intimidating)!

By the way I like how you mentioned the sounds they make...I have heard clips of their scary, scratchy grunt-hissing and it is pretty bizarre! They arent able to sing or chirp because they lack a syrinx, along with the other vulture species, emus, and ostriches (I think there is another one or two types of birds that also lack the organ).

Super cool post! Thanks for sharing!

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Thank you @passerine!! I've heard them also on clips from the internet. Bizarre is a good word for it indeed..lol. 😉

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