Back in June when I lived in Rochester, NY I was walking back home and so surprised and excited to see a Turkey Vulture sitting right across a four lane road from me! (This is an overpass above a 6 lane highway! It amazes me all the drama in the natural world that plays out all around us as we blindly, aimlessly commute back and forth to work, school, etc) The poor thing was getting attacked by a Blue Jay. The Vulture just wanted to eat a dead squirrel on the side of the road but the Blue Jay wouldn’t leave him alone. The Vulture finally gave up and flew away. The Blue Jay was happy he got his way. And the squirrel went to waste, uneaten and decayed over the next few weeks.
Specific Feedback Requested
Anything
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Nikon D3400
ISO 1600
300mm
f/6.3
1/1000
Just sharpened
I like the lines of the fence and the tree coming together to frame that lovely bird. I’d crop slightly from the ULC to about that birch tree on the left to further emphasize the bird, but not lose the fence too much.
Vultures fascinate me, too. I’ve been meaning to pick up a book someone wrote recently about them. They’re often overlooked and even reviled, but your illustration with the dead squirrel is spot on. Without them we’d be dealing with a lot more carrion. Recognizing them as part of the regeneration process is key to understanding them I think. Did you know the stomach acids/chemicals in a vulture’s stomach can kill the cholera organism? Fascinates me. I really need to get that book.
@Kris_Smith The best book I’ve ever read about them is by Katie Fallon : Vulture The Private Life of an Unloved Bird. She also has a lot of information on her website. I want to go someday to an International Vulture Awareness Day it’s the first Saturday in September, they have them in different places all over the world! Some last a week long! Vultures are the best!
Vanessa, this is a fine look at this Turkey Vulture and it’s environment. I agree with Kris’s crop suggestion. Moving the bird off center lets both the bird and that leaning tree play a larger role in the viewing. Vultures can be quite persistent about a food source although in this case you make it clear that the Blue Jay was more persistent.
@Mark_Seaver@Kris_Smith
Thank you, Mark and Kris, for your feedback! I thought I would need to keep it original size to qualify for the fences category!
My original crop is mostly bird! So I cut out the “birch tree” lol! I had to laugh, that was an ugly light pole from the 6 lane highway below! I just didn’t think it added anything aesthetically. The Vultures actually live and roost outside of the city but they commute to the city as this area can be a good food source with so much roadkill!
And I do have to defend my Turkey Vulture friends, Mark. At least from my readings and observations, they are actually very laid back, very seldom aggressive, and usually back away from any kind of confrontation. Sometimes to their detriment, like having to leave a food source. That’s one of the reasons I love them so much! They are so sweet!
Thank you again, so much for looking and your inputs on everything! So what do you think of this crop? …
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