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Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Catching some rays


Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) in spread-wing posture on Salmon Creek Beach. 

A couple of weeks ago I noticed a few Turkey Vultures in this position on the upper beach.  Do you have a guess about the wingspan of a Turkey Vulture?  (Answer is below the next image.)


Turkey Vultures have a wingspan of ~1.75 meters across (~70 inches or 5.8 feet).

They use this position to warm up in the morning, or to dry their wings.  If you look closely you can also see that their tails are spread broadly, too.


With nice shadows, this next picture illustrates the sun's position behind the vultures.  I can almost feel the warmth of the sun on their feathers!


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