Caught Out

 On my way to Santa Cruz one day during my holiday I stopped off at Mount Madonna State Park. I wanted to walk in the redwood forests again before taking a road trip across country. I had paused at a lookout spot to take in the views across the valley over the tops of the trees when all of a sudden this magnificent Turkey Vulture flew into the clearing in front of me. I scrabbled about to change my lens hoping that the vulture would hang around long enough for me to get a few shots. I think that being caught unprepared i didn't get the setting exactly right, a much faster shutter speed that the 1/800 sec that I used would have been preferable but even so I did manage to get some decent shots as the bird swooped and  turned in front and above me before heading off once again in search of food.

These birds were a common sight along the highways in California, presumably attracted by the amount of roadkill. Although they are not particularly pretty birds to look at they certainly play an important role and they look majestic when they're soaring high above on the thermals.

Whenever I travel somewhere new I am always keen to see the different wildlife and on this trip I was treated to some really wonderful sights. I didn't get to photograph them all but I am pretty happy with the results for those that I did. 

If you have enjoyed these then look out for future posts when I will be sharing more from my trip.

Patience My A***

 This is a rather fine specimen of a Griffon Vulture, or Eurasian Griffon which is found in southern Europe and across Asia. They can grow up to 122cm tall with a wingspan up to 2.8m so quite a formidable bird. I remember watching a vulture in a zoo ripping apart a goats leg, stripping the tendons away from the bone, it was really impressive to see the power in its claws and beak.

I like the watchful pose of this bird, hunched as if ready to launch into the air and catch some thermals in search of the next meal.

It reminded me of a picture on a t-shirt I saw many many years ago that had two vultures sitting in a tree surveying the dry landscape, they were scrawny and obviously very hungry and one was saying to the other "Patience my ass, I'm going to kill something".

This one won't have to worry about its next meal as it is resident at the National Centre for Birds of Prey at Helmsley where it obviously receives excellent care.

Fuzzy Head

Vultures have a bit of  a bad reputation as dirty scavengers but they're actually pretty impressive creatures.

Whenever I see vultures I think back to the Disney Jungle Book and the four vultures that taunt and tease young Mowgli. I don't so much remember the movie itself but the soundtrack which I used to listen to endlessly on a Decca portable record player in my bedroom.

The other memory I have from my early youth is of a advertisement for a T-shirt showing a pair of very hungry looking vultures sitting on a branch looking at a herd of animals down below. One says to the other "patience my ass, I'm going to kill something!"

Looking at this European Black Vulture there is beauty to see if you look closely. The close cropped fuzzy feathers on its head, the high collar of feathers around its neck and beautiful long eyelashes. 

European Black Vulture

Just look at this handsome creature. Vultures have a bit of a bad reputation as dirty scavengers but they actually serve a vital role in protecting the environment; by feeding off carcasses they help stop the spread of disease. 

There is so much power in this beak and jaws and that piercing gaze just goes right through you.

I watched this one feeding on what looked like a leg of mutton or goat. It ate everything, not just the muscle but the tendons and sinews, picking the bones clean.

A Scavenger Am I?

So there I was sat on the harbour wall at New Quay, watching the dolphins in the bay and eating a delicious pastie and soaking up the early afternoon sun when along came this beautiful Herring Gull. Quite clearly it was looking for scraps and its friend not quite so bold hung back a little waiting to see if it was worth getting a little closer.

Although these birds are quite common and known for scavenging food from tourists there is something quite regal about them and I think the first and last of today's pictures show this in the gull's pose. 

They can make a pretty fearsome noise too and as I focused trying to get a nice close up shot this chap started to screech really loudly. The second and third shots were taken seconds apart as the bird was mid screech. I have slightly cropped the second picture so it is possible to clearly see the speckled eye and the detail around the eye and inside its' mouth. I am really pleased with this particular shot and it shows that even something that may seem common and uninteresting is actually quite beautiful.