November

It's getting cold. The leaves are almost gone. I have to shop for ingredients to bake for Thanksgiving. Must be November! Above are black vultures ruffling their feathers on a roof. Below is a pretty poem by Clyde Watson.

November 

“November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.

With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.

The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring.”

Click on the photos to enlarge.

 

Favorite Vulture Quotes

Black vultures, Coragyps atratus, are dramatic looking birds. They're big, with just over a five foot wingspan, and have creepy looking featherless skin heads, the better to eat carrion with. Click to enlarge for a closer look.

A couple of vulture quotes: 

"Fear the vulture, and the vulture will come. Fear nothing, and you are the vulture." Suzy Kassem

"Don't play dead with the vulture. That's exactly what they want." Kevin Nealon

And a couple of vulture jokes: 

Two vultures eating a dead clown. First vulture says to the other, "does this taste funny to you?"

A vulture boards a plane with three dead mice. The flight attendant says,"I'm sorry, only two carrions per passenger." 

Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!

Ponies and Vultures

I'm enjoying a short vacation in Maryland near Assateague Island. Firstly, although they are not urban, here are a few pictures I took yesterday of the famous wild ponies at Assateague National Seashore.

And secondly, geez there are a lot of vultures around here! I'm accustomed to seeing vultures circling high overhead. It is surprising to me, though locally common, to see turkey vultures and black vultures up close sitting in fields, dining on roadkill, and resting on the rooftops. For example...

A pair of American Black Vultures, Coragyps atratus. 

Click to enlarge any of the photos.