Birds of Inwood

Of all the wonderful sightings of birds this month, I continue to be haunted by the apparition of two great-winged creatures in Inwood Hill Park on the morning of June 13. They were Turkey Vultures.

I was walking in the Clove and listening to the musical song of the Wood Thrush when my eye caught something fantastical at the top the hill. I stopped in my tracks. 

As I raised my camera and zoomed in, I saw two enormous birds of prey in a “horaltic pose.” The pose refers to the practice of birds, mainly vultures, when they spread their wings to regulate body temperature, to dry off, or to control parasites. These functions are still speculation. Double-crested Cormorants also frequently display the pose after leaving the water. 

Most people see Turkey Vultures in flight, so seeing them perched in trees or on rocks may seem a little unsettling. Turkey Vultures subsist mainly on carrion and serve an important role in the ecosystem by disposing of dead animals.

Coming across two Turkey Vultures in these dramatic poses high in the trees, though, transformed a routine bird ramble into a Gothic forest adventure. I didn’t fully grasp what I was seeing until after I arrived home and could view the pictures in detail.

Opportunistic birds of prey looking for dead meat, Turkey Vultures carry around a host of associative baggage. While not considered a conventionally pretty bird, they are rather endearing (maybe just a little?) when preening.

These Turkey Vultures weren’t the only ones settling down somewhere on the island of Manhattan that day. On June 13, a birdwatcher in Central Park – @gigpalileo (Twitter) – shared a picture on Twitter of a Turkey Vulture perched on a tree in the Ramble.  

Nor was this the closest encounter with Turkey Vultures for me this year. On April 19, 2023 at 8:28 am, as I was walking up the park’s northern trail that winds under the Henry Hudson Bridge, a Turkey Vulture flew over my head by just a few feet and landed on a rock. 

On April 9, 2022 I had my closest encounter with Turkey Vultures in Inwood Hill Park. I was again walking in the Clove when I came across two of them on a branch about ten feet overhead. One flew off, and I had the presence of mind to take a picture of the one remaining.  

Mostly, though, I see them in the sky. On an overcast day, they complete an atmospheric mood.  

For an article published in The New York Times (June 5, 2023) about the decline of the American Kestrel, reporter Catrin Einhorn discusses the kestrel’s absence while noting an increase in Bald Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks, and Turkey Vultures.

In sum, seeing an occasional Turkey Vulture up close should not come as too much of a surprise anymore. They are among us.

Cover image: Turkey Vulture. April 3, 2023 8:16 a.m.

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