What Are You Looking At?
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
Canada
January 3, 2016 10:50am CST
Hay, mind your own business and leave me alone. This is my land, not yours so go away.
Just because I got a little wet while smelling around for my breakfast in the fields covered in dew and fighting to win the battle with that bloody dead rabbit. Yes he was dead but he didn't' want me to get past the fur to the meat. But I did it and now I'm soaked from head to toe.
So get back into your car and put that camera away because you are scaring me and I love this broken tree to sit on in the morning sun to dry my wings...
Please leave me alone.
The Turkey Vulture.
Before I got back into my car, the last shot I got was of it leaving. I was sorry I scared him or her. A magnificent bird that eats dead things is fun to watch. I guess their sense of smell leads them to breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Finding this image as I rounded the bend in the dirt road by my daughters house was too good to miss.
I see Turkey vulture in the sky hunting from up high and I see them eating dead animals on the side of the roads often. I have never seen one drying his wings before.
I hope I get to see it again sometime in the future.
Do you have Turkey Vultures in your neck of the woods? we often call then Turkey Buzzards too.
29 people like this
28 responses
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
3 Jan 16
I was amazed when I first saw him, he is beautiful isn't he?
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40294)
• Laguna Woods, California
4 Jan 16
What a magnificent photo of a Turkey vulture? I haven't seen a better one!
3 people like this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
4 Jan 16
I was stunned to see this when we went around the bend in the road. It was a lucky day for me.
@GardenGerty (160708)
• United States
4 Jan 16
Great shot. We do have them. Often see them circling. Helpful to clean up the roads, etc.
2 people like this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
5 Jan 16
Exactly what they do best, they are quite graceful when circling in the sky.
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
3 Jan 16
@PainsOnSlate Hmm, not so sure I'd want those.
1 person likes this
@deeraj005 (132)
• Mumbai, India
4 Jan 16
I've seen Turkey, I've seen vultures. Never even heard of turkey vulture. Are they crossbreeded?? Clarify plz! Nice pic, btw...
2 people like this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
4 Jan 16
This will help and No they are not crossbred.
Learn how to identify Turkey Vulture, its life history, cool facts, sounds and calls, and watch videos. If you’ve gone looking for raptors on a clear day, your heart has probably leaped at the sight of a large, soaring bird in the distance– perhaps an eagl
1 person likes this
@deeraj005 (132)
• Mumbai, India
4 Jan 16
@PainsOnSlate Oh! I get it ... Thanks...
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
3 Jan 16
We call them Turkey Vultures but I'm thinking they are the same thing. Your photo is just amazing I love it. Lucky you were in the right place at the right time.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
3 Jan 16
We call them buzzards but I looked on line and they are Vultures. I was blown away when I saw it in the sunshine. Same day my son was driving when I saw 2 deer on the road and I asked him to stop but he didn't because he wasn't listening to me. When he saw them they were running. It would have been another great shot... I love the area my daughter live in, so rural and so few cars.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
3 Jan 16
@PainsOnSlate That's a great place to get good shots of wildlife. I live in a small town and only have to go 1/2 a mile to get into the country. I see lots of wild turkeys out there just never close enough to get a pic. Now with this new zoom lens I'm hoping to get some, those turkeys are so skittish.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
3 Jan 16
@fishtiger58 my brother lives in the country, the turkeys come to his feeders and feast on what the birds drop. They are almost tame.
2 people like this
@ricki_911 (21625)
• Toronto, Ontario
11 Jan 16
That is a really good picture. Yes, we do have wild turkeys here. I see them crossing the road all the time.
1 person likes this
@GreatMartin (23672)
• Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
5 Jan 16
I love Mother Nature and her creatures--well, except for some human ones!
Good post.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
5 Jan 16
I'm right there with you, mother nature is amazing but occasionally there is a fluke like That crazy guy running for president for the Republican Party.
@bluesa (15022)
• Johannesburg, South Africa
4 Jan 16
Wow, what a fantastic photo! That wingspan is awesome. @PaintsOnSlate , I am glad I did not come across it though, I don't like to be near big birds, their wings flapping freak me out, but on tv or a photo it is impressive.
1 person likes this
@bluesa (15022)
• Johannesburg, South Africa
6 Jan 16
@PainsOnSlate , thank goodness for a zoom lens! :-)
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
6 Jan 16
I used my zoom to get the photos of it. It was far off the road in the edge of the woods, no flapping to be afraid of.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
5 Jan 16
It would probably the rural areas to see these birds. They are all over the us, most of Canada and all of South America
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
4 Jan 16
He was a big distance from me and I used my zoom. When editing it to get it bigger i wondered what he was standing on and on the photo of him flying away you can see the tree...
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
4 Jan 16
@JudyEv I can't even imagine not having zoom now that I'm used to it. I use it often as I'm sure you do too.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (340228)
• Rockingham, Australia
4 Jan 16
@PainsOnSlate That's another great photo. The zoom lenses are so handy aren't they?
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
5 Jan 16
Thank you, glad you liked it. I see them all the time cleaning up the road kill along the back roads.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
12 Jan 16
I was watching them circling the highways as we traveled this weekend. The are so graceful.
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
4 Jan 16
I just added a photo to Judy's comment showing the bird leaving so you can see the broken tree he was on. Thank you for your kind words, glad you liked the photo.
@Sheilamarie78 (2586)
• Canada
4 Jan 16
We used to see them all the time in Quebec. Now we only see them occasionally. Great photo, Marilyn!
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
5 Jan 16
After I wrote this I looked it up and this particular bird is only found in North and South America. Too big to fly to other countries...
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
4 Jan 16
They are everywhere in North America in the summer but they go south for the Winter, in both north and south America. They are skid-dish around humans but as big as they are they usually look at you until you leave...
@sgbrown (1638)
• United States
4 Jan 16
I love your picture! What a great capture! Yes, we have turkey buzzards here too. I can see them on any day as they seemingly float through the sky. They may be ugly birds, but they are very graceful when flying.
