Thursday, January 26, 2012

Beach scavengers

It's common to see Turkey Vultures and Common Ravens cruising Salmon Creek Beach, searching for potential food items.  

On 24 January, this vulture discovered a loon that had just washed ashore.  It appeared to be trying to pull it above the swash zone.  Vultures are scavengers, feeding on carrion.  Their genus name, Cathartes, means "purifier".


This raven may have been feeding before I encountered it.  It jumped up onto the driftwood, walked along, and then swiped its bill from side to side on the end of the log (perhaps to clean it).

 

It's always interesting to see what the waves wash in, and intriguing to note what attracts the gastronomic attention of these beach scavengers.

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