NATURE CLICKS #585 - TURKEY VULTURES

Turkey Vultures, Mississippi River, near lock & dam #11, Dubuque, Iowa

From early spring until it gets cold here they belong into the Mississippi Valley. Some people think of them only as ugly birds but they may have never watched really how elegant these vultures fly and soar in a thermal lift. I consider them as the environmental police along the Mississippi River. They feed on carrion and without their presence, often in large numbers, the Mississippi River would be at times very smelly.

I was eager to try out the new Nikon lens last Sunday along the river on both sides around dam #11 in Dubuque and over in Wisconsin. With the dam visible in the upper part of the photo I thought of an environmental portrait of the Turkey Vultures. Five of them rested on driftwood and the rocks of the flood wall. I could choose which bird I wanted to have in the frame and this one was among my favorites.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S

NATURE CLICKS #267 - TURKEY VULTURE

Nikon D300s, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HS         

I came across this Turkey Vulture a couple days ago while driving down the winding road to Finley’s Landing at the Mississippi River. The bird stood on a boulder beside a bridge that crosses the creek, which carved this little side valley of the big river. I’m glad I had the camera on the passenger seat, ready to shoot. The vulture gave me about twenty seconds to stop the car, lower the window, and finally make a few clicks. It is very rare to see a vulture beside the road in a decent setting. Mostly they feed on some roadkill and that is not always pretty. I don’t know what this one was after but I’m happy the bird gave me the chance to get real close before it took off.

The Turkey Vultures migrate south during the winter but we have seen the first ones back here already in late March. They are some of the most elegant flyers and have a very sophisticated immune system that protects them from disease associated with decaying animals.