In the eyes of the beholder...

I think vultures are strangely beautiful creatures.  They have such homely faces, and yet when they are on the wing they are things of incredible grace and beauty.  One woman's opinion, of course.

I joined a couple of friends for an outing up to Stateline, NJ where the annual hawk-watch is underway.  Situated 500 feet above the Hudson River this spot provides amazing views of the annual raptor migration, as well as stunning scenery.  Today was a slow day - we saw eagles, osprey, turkey and black vultures and a few red-tail hawks, but not the numbers that we'd see on a cooler, windier day.  We also got good looks at the resident pair of Peregrine Falcons but my photos were dreadful - tough light and I also don't think my hands weren't all that steady today.

Falcons aside, I was quite happy with this shot of an immature Turkey Vulture.  His head hasn't yet turned the distinctive red of adults, but he's already mastered riding the thermals with seeming effortlessness.  This is the only time I've ever been high enough to look down on soaring vultures - pretty cool to see those amazing wings from above rather than below.  I love the textures of the feathers and the beautiful rich brown tones.  By the way, this was shot full-frame and cropped only very slightly.  No other edits.  

Still feeling the trailing end of the cold with some sniffles and a cough, but definitely past the worst of it.  Looking forward to spending some time outside tomorrow.

As always, thank you for stopping by.

xo
Debbi