american black vulture

Surprised to see this fellow up a tree next to me!

I think I am right with this id in Florida

Eating an unfortunate Leatherback Turtle hatchling

Black Vulture hanging out on an electric pole.

Too bad neither of these Black vultures was flying lower. This was a bit of a stretch for my lens. I've cropped it a bit to give you a closer view (the Turkey vulture aerial, on the other hand, is full frame). Still, you can tell the difference in tail shape and wing patches.

While taking a ride on the back roads in Florida, I noticed many vultures sitting on top of poles and lights on watch. I guess there is a lot to feed on in the waterways.

I Found three of them ripping into the contents of a trash can at a local mountain biking park.

These birds were a common site in the skies over Central Florida. This individual was photographed at eye level from a wooden tower at Gatorland. Black Vultures don't take to the wing until the heat of the day has created thermals -unfortunately this is when the sun is high in the sky & light...

This American Black Vulture painted a sinister picture as it perched hunched in a roadside tree above a Racoon roadkill.