Yesterday was a holiday in California, at least for those of us with state and federal jobs. After lunch, Martin asked if I felt like going for a walk to a local park; it sounded good, so off we went. Since it was sunny, he wore shorts and a tank top. I, of course, was decked out in my gothy finery, complete with black parasol -- we WERE going for a stroll in the sun, after all! There were only four other people there when we arrived; we passed the playground equipment and were wandering across the baseball diamond and back toward a small grove of eucalyptus trees when we noticed the vulture.
It was on the ground, all alone, in the middle of the sunny lawn, which was a bit odd as they usually hang out in groups. It seemed to be very interested in something on the ground, and as we got closer, we realized it was having lunch -- and from the long, fluffy tail we could see each time it was picked up, we could tell that lunch was a squirrel, or rather, what was left of one.
The vulture was a really beautiful bird, with dark, glossy feathers and a very bright red neck and head (much brighter than in this pic I found). It looked really out of place in the middle of a children's park -- yet at the same time, it looked perfectly natural. 'In the midst of life, we are in death', and all that. We were truly seeing the cycle of life and death, all in one small area. As we watched, a quote from a poem about the Mesopotamian kingdom of the dead and its queen, Erishkegal, passed through my mind, and I spoke the words aloud:
"Perfect are the ways of the Underworld."
That's interesting because I was riding through the country with my sister yesterday and we passed several vultures gathered together not far from her house.
ReplyDeleteVERY cool... I love gatherings of vultures! What do you call them, I wonder? If it's an unkindness of ravens and a murder of crows, maybe they should call it a cemetery of vultures. :-)
DeleteI've not ever heard of those terms. I guess I'm lazy because I just say a bunch of crows. As for the vultures, maybe we can call it a dinning hall filled with vultures in the cemetery.
DeleteROFL!!! "A dining of vultures', I like that! :-) And I have NO idea where those other terms came from, I've just always heard them or seen them written.
DeleteAwwww, you guys are so lucky! I've only ever seen vultures in zoos before. Never IRL! :)
ReplyDeleteThat is truly sad, they're lovely! I love watching them soar; we have at least one flock in the hills where our campus is, and we see them all the time there. Their wings are HUGE, they look just like the ancient Egyptian collars that look like vultures with outspread wings.
DeleteWhat kind of carrion birds do you have where you are? Have you ever seen them outside?
We have lots of ravens here, and hawks, eagles and owls. They're considered carrion birds, aren't they? I know there's vultures in Alberta but I've never seen them.
DeleteNo, actually those are all considered to be raptors, although ravens are listed as both (but ravens are ALSO listed as songbirds, can you believe it!). Carrion birds are primarily or solely scavengers, such as condors, vultures, buzzards, and something called a caracara (supposedly found throughout the Americas, but I'd never heard of it until tonight!). And in some areas, bald eagles are primarily scavengers, but not everywhere. It's weird.
DeleteSounds wonderful! In my opinion, a children's playground is the perfect place for a vulture!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree! I think a lot of children would have been fascinated watching it eat the squirrel, and not necessarily have been grossed out. Not for younger children, maybe, but the older ones. That's something city kids normally don't ever see.
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