Turkey Vulture in flight

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Turkey Vulture in flight, Colorado

While washing the dishes, I noticed a black shape out in the field behind my house.  I ran to get my camera with its long lens; looking though it I could see it was a turkey vulture, so I went outside to get some shots.   I was careful not to disturb them, and they let me get fairly close, at which point I saw that they had  dead prairie dog.  By then there were a couple vultures, and then a third one flew in which is the one in the photo above.

“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 eagle or osprey. But if it’s soaring with its wings raised in a V and making wobbly circles, it’s likely a Turkey Vulture. These birds ride thermals in the sky and use their keen sense of smell to find fresh carcasses. They are a consummate scavenger, cleaning up the countryside one bite of their sharply hooked bill at a time, and never mussing a feather on their bald heads.” — Cornell Labs

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