Once again, a long write-up. It's mainly to note my experience as a diary entry. So, bear with me. Partially, the photos are small in pixel size to prevent slow speed connections/loading time. They all can be enlarged for closer viewing. Since it's Halloween, I wanted to share the ultimate Halloween Bird...the Wicked Looking Vulture.
Black Vultures - photo shared in 2012 - taken in Texas Hill Country
BLACK VULTURE habitat range:
here
I was the only one at Pollywog Ponds on this particular Tuesday. For the most part, that didn't surprise me in the least. The area isn't a 'popular place' for birders because it's not well kept. The half mile walk is most always high grasses, water moccasins, oftentimes broken tree limbs in the path, and the year 'round mosquito population...if you're not drenched in repellent, they'll carry you off and feast on you!! But...it was a beautiful day, mild temperatures, no wind, sunny. On ground, the bird population was almost nil. Yet, the quietness, I was soaking in with relish!! Just me, the dew laden grass path, and nature. Into the heavily wooded area about 25 feet, a large owl startled me from my reverie. I tried to follow its flight path visionally but lost it in the dense canopy ahead. When I arrived at the ponds, I found very little bird activity. One Common Egret, an Eastern Phoebe singing the "Phoebe Chorus", a Northern Cardinal, a Lincoln's sparrow, two American Coots, a pair of cormorants, a Swainson's hawk flying high above the river at the end of the trail.
Lincoln's Sparrow [2] and Swainson's Hawk
Eastern Phoebe
So, I started heading back to drive to Bazemore Park about 10 miles from Pollywog Ponds. While heading back to the car, I sighted in on a Black Tern, an uncooperative [Least?] flycatcher that refused to give me a face on stance showing just its back feather pattern, a Tennessee Warbler, and a Spotted Sandpiper, in its winter garb, flew in and did its dance for me while I took photos.
Spotted Sandpiper [winter plumage]
Least Flycatcher and Tennessee Warbler
Black Tern
Nearing the open area where I had parked the car, I heard a bird call and stopped to inspect the trees behind me for any movement in and around the branches. I didn't see anything and the song wasn't heard again. For some reason, I looked up. I felt in awe and quite humbled!! Something I have always wanted to see, but until this day...never have I witnessed such a phenomenon of nature. Of course my photos do NOT show the sight well, trust me when I tell you the sky was like someone opened up dozens of black pepper shakers and tossed the entire contents to the wind!! The cobalt blue sky was literally freckled with black! Swirling, soaring, silent...masses of black. I was stupefied; observing!!! Miles upon miles of migrating vultures!!! While I watched in a near trance, I soon was trying to estimate the numbers. From where I stood, probably 2500 to 5000 [turkey vultures] strewn across the sky!! I was sure that was too high a count, but maybe not so far off after all...........
Top two photos are of no zoom lens...just straight from the camera. LOOK CLOSER IN THE SKY...see the black pepper specks? Those are hundreds of Turkey Vultures on the move. I'm not sure you'd call this 'migration' since these birds are considered 'permanent' residents. But surely,
not in these masses...
Zooming in....then,
really zooming in!
The next morning, I opened the frequented site online and read this:
At about 9:45 am, we were on CR 77 heading toward the Nueces River plain when the first vultures started taking flight. Within minutes there were lots of little "fountains" or "geysers" of vultures popping up as far as I could see along the course of the riverbed. It was pretty cool. After another 15 minutes or so, they started to group together and search for bigger thermals, and the groups started moving west and south. I had to drop Norm at the airport, so from that time onward I would occasionally glance at the skies - pure blue with no clouds - I did not envy the hawk counters at Hazel Bazemore that day. Erik just walked in the door and announced "Today we blew away yesterday's Turkey Vulture count - over 80,000!!!" Just one stream was over 27,000 birds and took over an hour to pass by -
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