Alongside the dry bed of Feliz Creek, vultures feasted on the carcass of what could be a fox this morning on the west side of Sanel Valley.
The Audubon Society identifies Mendocino County as a region where Turkey Vultures are common all year around where they will be seen using their keen sense of smell to locate carrion. Turkey Vultures mainly feed on deceased animals, but have been known to eat “decaying vegetable matter, live insects, or live fish in drying-up ponds.”
Vultures are a prime example of the wonderful world of collective nouns within the animal kingdom. As per ConservationAfrica.net, a group of vultures while perched in a tree can be called a “committee,” a “venue,” or sometimes a “volt.” When vultures are feeding on a carcass, they are referred to as a “wake.”
MendoFever’s newest column, MendoMoments, is dedicated to showcasing the land, animals, and people that make up Mendocino County. All Mendocino County residents and visitors are invited to participate. Send photographs to matthewplafever@gmail.com including a description of what your photograph depicts, where it was taken, and any other important details.
Earlier Chapters
- MendoMoments: A Glass Beach Squirrel Gets Ornery When It Does Not Get a Snack
- MendoMoments: A Barn Owl in the Backyard
- MendoMoments: Lost in the Maze of Brooktrails
- MendoMoments: Noyo Harbor’s Baby Ospreys Emerge
- MendoMoments: Memorial Day at Russian River Cemetery
- MendoMoments: Soaking Feet in a Cool Creek
- MendoMoments: The Super Flower Blood Moon Descends Behind Duncan Peak
- MendoMoments: A Little Library in the Hamlet of Hearst
- MendoMoments: Thunderheads Gather Above the Mayacama Mountains
- MendoMoments: Lake Mendocino Through the Lens of a Newcomer
When they circle high it is called a kettle. All pathogens end with the vulture, plague, small pox, Ebola. They are natures true garbage service. Dicolfenac caused the extinction event in India that currently has the worst rabies epidemic in world history. Dogs and rats doing the job vultures used to handle.