Even as a human knowing exactly what they are doing, it's hard not to be intimidated! Diving & screeching --- it's rather hairy!

I took a few photo's this afternoon that I thought I'd share.

Northern Mockingbird ............ and ...................Mourning Dove:


These two were taken through the glass doors; Carolina Wren and Northern Cardinal:


A flock of Wood Storks flew over this afternoon and I was able to get a picture of a straggler at the tail end of the group. My husband was in the garage working on his motorcycle and came to get me to tell me a large hawk was in the driveway with a bird in it's talons. I ran out there but the hawk flew off because a car was driving up into the cul-de-sac. I returned to the back porch and heard a hawk screeching and saw it land a distance away in a pine tree.

Wood Stork and ........................ Red-shouldered Hawk:

Hi there Lin! Good to "see" you in your avatar!

Nice shots.

Thanks Ann!

Great to see you in your avatar, Lin!!!

Got these shots of a turkey vulture yesterday. It was in our yard "cleaning up" something which I didn't have any desire too look too closely at. For the same reason; I didn't want to get too close to the vulture --- I have seen them up close before & there are things crawling on them EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyway, when I went out to take photos, it flew up into the oak.

Wow! Nice shots, Ann!!

I have never seen one of those. They are impressive!!

Really Janice? I think they are all over the US. They are humongous birds! Their wing span is amazing. When they fly over you, the sky definitely dims out for a bit. They are ugly though --- their necks & heads; but they serve a very valuable & useful purpose --- nature's garbage disposal.

Good shots Ann! We have them here in the summer but I have never seen them up close, just flying overhead.

Nope, Ann, never seen 'em!

Would like to, however, as they are very interesting to me.

Here's a link for them:
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/g...

It is illegal to kill them as they are so valuable to clean up carrion.

Thanks for the great link, Ann!

Ann, great shots of those Vultures!

Ann: Great shots of the turkey vulture! They are the strangest looking birds aren't they? I agree, they are all over Florida; we see them alongside the road all the time and we also have tons of the american black vulture here in Fla. too which I see more often than the turkey. I took these photo's of black vultures earlier this year down in Merritt Island, there always seems to be large flocks of them at Haulover Canal for some reason. A lot of fishermen launch their boats there so I wonder if they perhaps throw scraps out when they return and maybe the vultures, like the Pelicans scavenge the fish parts.


I took this picture @ 4 years ago. There was a flock of black vultures in my neighbor's yard. I don't know what the road kill was that they were fighting over but they were really getting into loud squabbles over it with one group trying to steal the meal from the other. This photo only shows a few that were present; others were across the road and a bunch were in the trees.

Now I'm sorry I didn't make a more concerted effort to get a close up of it. I just assumed (never assume --- lesson to myself) that everyone was familiar with the them. They have been a part of my life as long as I can remember. Yesterday I made only a half hearted attempt @ getting a photo. The next time I see one, I will do my best to get a real great close up shot for you guys.
I have great respect for them & what they do but it's sort of a love/hate thing --- I also have a great sense of revulsion about them. I can not tell you how many times I have seen them eating road kill that stinks to high heaven for a full 1/2 mile & has clearly been dead for a full day or longer.
I certainly had the opportunity, when it flew into the tree & felt much safer, to get much closer & get a great shot. Next time......

Here are some more links about them along with some great close up photos:
http://www.fcps.edu/islandcree...

http://www.in.gov/dnr/kids/585...

http://vulturesociety.homestea...

Thanks Rita!

Great shots Lin of the blacks!
I know you can relate to what I was saying about the love/hate thing. But they truly are majestic when seen soaring high, high above. Impressive!

Yes indeed I can relate! Can you just imagine what the roadways, fields, woodlands etc. would look like if there were no vultures? They sure do have their place in nature as a natural garbage disposal!

They are much prettier in flight; this is a photo from 2010 of the American Black Vulture in flight:

Great photo LIn, and is a wonderful example of how to tell the difference between a vulture & an eagle or any other bird of that great size. You can see the distinctive "fingers" off the wing tips; when you see those, you know it's a vulture!

The backyard birds (Jays, Cardinals, Grackles etc.) were making a ruckus this afternoon so I knew a hawk was around somewhere. I grabbed my camera and looked and looked and finally spotted it in the shrubbery across the water from my backyard. This picture is a bit blurry because I had to zoom in once I downloaded: