Archive for the ‘Turkey Vultures’ Tag

Turkey Vulture Down By Wash   2 comments

Turkey Vulture Down By Wash — Image by kenne

waiting to take off

turkey vulture down by wash

Instinct will say when

— kenne

An Ominous Sign   1 comment

Turkey Vulture — Image by kenne

This turkey vulture landed in a mesquite tree 25’ from our patio.
This was two days after my best friend, Tom Markey had passed away — an ominous sign.
Or, had the bird become a little disoriented because of the monsoon storms?

(My camera lens focused more on the branches than the bird.)

— kenne

Old Age   Leave a comment

Turkey Vultures — Image by kenne

“Old age isn’t a battle, old age is a massacre.”

― Philip Roth

Turkey Vultures Migrating North   2 comments

Turkey Vultures Migrating North Image by kenne

The Tanque Verde Wash is an overnight home for turkey vultures
migrating through the Tucson area every October and March.

— kenne

Careless-weed Has Taken Over The Tanque Verde Wash Trails   2 comments

Images by kenne (Click on any of the images to see in a slide-show format.)

October is the time of year the Turkey Vultures are migrating south to Mexico, and for years they would overnight near the Tanque Verde Wash. 
I have many images of them in the trees near the wash. I planned to photograph again this year but was waiting to see the vultures circling up, 
usually around 8:30 AM. By this time in October, we have counted hundreds leaving in the mornings circling above headed south to Mexico. 

For days now, I’ve been looking skyward for the circling vultures with no sign of them. Was it climate change delaying the annual migration? Where were the turkey vultures? Maybe I had not been paying attention. 

So, this morning I grabbed my camera and walked down to the wash. I had not walked the trails along the wash since before the
summer monsoon.
What I discovered was shocking. First, there were no vultures to be seen. Second, almost all the trails had disappeared,
covered by two to three
meters of careless-weed (Palmer amaranth). This year’s heavy rains in July and August had brought on
a massive crop of this native weed.
I walked through thick weeds, sometimes over my head. When I did find parts of a trail, its
path would soon disappear in the weeds. 

Still, I kept walking, trying to find some old markers, especially the Margarita Berg memorial. Margarita had passed away in the spring of 2010, months before we moved to Tanuri Ridge in late June. At the time, I would often spend early mornings
walking the trails near the Tanque Verde wash, 
and in doing so, I discovered the memorial under a mesquite tree near the wash.
In fact, it was too close to the wash that the tree 
and the memorial were washed away in the winter of 2019.
However, pieces of the original monument were found and placed at the foot 
of another mesquite tree much farther north of the wash. 

After spending over an hour walking through the weeds, I found the memorial, hidden by all the careless-weeds — a weed worthy of its name.

As for the turkey vultures nowhere to be seen, could all the careless-weed growth of two to three meters cause them to feel their usual perches 
are now too close to the ground?

— kenne

The Death Court   Leave a comment

 

Three Judge Court — Photo-Artistry by kenne

The Death Court

Three judges in
black robes
set in stillness
passing judgment
on life or death
of a trespasser
only their hunger
will determine 
a verdict where
the end precedes
the beginning.

— kenne

Migration South   1 comment

Universal Flight” — Photo-Artistry by kenne

“When a person really desires something,
all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream.”

“. . .when we strive to become better than we are,
everything around us becomes better, too.”

“The closer one gets to realizing his destiny,
the more that destiny becomes his true reason for being.”

― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Turkey Vultures Take Flight   Leave a comment

Turkey Vultures Take Flight (09/28/20) — Images by kenne

After a brief stay overnight along the Tanque Verde Wash,
turkey vultures continue the migration south into Mexico.

Some see these birds as ugly, which is in the eye of the beholder, to some,
the bald head of a vulture is just another reason to admire them.

– kenne

Turkey Vultures Migrating North   4 comments

Turkey Vultures (1 of 1)-72Turkey Vultures Migrating North — Photo-Artistry by kenne

This is the time of year when hundreds of migrating turkey vultures
spend the night along the Tanque Verde wash, each morning they start
circling up seeking wind currents in their ride north.
This image is a composite of four images placed on a sky background.

— kenne

While On My Morning Walk   1 comment

Cactus Blossoms-72Cactus Blossoms — Image by kenne

Turkey Vultures-72Turkey Vultures Migrating North  — Image by kenne

The other morning we counted over 250 turkey vultures
leaving the Tanque Verde Wash just south of our community.
This time of year hundreds of turkey vultures spend the night in trees along the wash.

— kenne

Turkey Vultures Against A White Sky   1 comment

Turkey VulturesTurkey Vultures Against A White Sky — Image by kenne

“Turkey Vultures are large birds, cloaked in loose-fitting brown/black feathers that make them look shaggy and unkempt when perched.  The legs and feet are sturdy and unfeathered; the color, where not coated in excrement, is cherub pink.

The face is ruddy and wrinkled and topped with an embarrassingly sparse cap of feathers.  Its expression is uncommonly serene and there is something about it that suggests infinite patience.  Huddled on their perches, wrapped in shabby vestments, the birds look like a group of balding monks gathered in prayer.”

— Pete Dunne, The Wind Masters

Last Of The Migrating Turkey Vultures   1 comment

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Last Of The Migrating Turkey Vultures — Images by kenne (Three images in a slideshow format.)

Usually, by 1st of April, the last of the turkey vultures rousting overnight near the Tanque Verde has completed the spring migration north. This year we have counted upwards of 100 leaving each morning now well into April.

— kenne

Another Sign Of Spring   1 comment

Turkey Vultures — Annual Migration North   1 comment

Turkey Vultures In The Morning Sun — Images by kenne

The Morning Sun

Hope comes with the morning sun

Warming the body and the soul

Washing away yesterdays troubles

Providing a new beginning

To be lived as if it were your last —

Every minute being a gift.

kenne

Turkey Vultures March 2013

Vultures Circling the Globe   1 comment

Vultures (1 of 1) grunge art blogVultures Circling the Globe — Photo-Artistry by kenne

A symbol of death
Hot days and rising water
Time to start caring.

— kenne

%d bloggers like this: