Where the vultures gather...

Driving home tonight we passed this pile of walnut trees with 9 turkey vultures sitting on it! According to Wikipedia, Turkey vultures feed on carrion, have a 160-183 cm wingspan and lack syrinx (the avian equivalent of the mammalian larynx), so they can only hiss and grunt. I have no idea for this large gathering. I had already photographed bicyclers, since yesterday and today was the annual 160 mile (260 km)Seattle to Portland bike ride, where nearly 10,000 bicyclers make their way to Portland through our town. Come to think of it, maybe the turkeys where hoping for some exhausted and straggling bike riders...