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Re: Vultures all over the world
Posted: March 27th, 2020, 10:30 pm
by Marbzy
The male returns after a minute:
Honey!
I forgot the shopping list.
Re: Vultures all over the world
Posted: March 27th, 2020, 10:34 pm
by Marbzy
This time he's off for good:
The female:
Re: Vultures all over the world
Posted: March 28th, 2020, 10:43 pm
by Marbzy
28 March
I don't know this pair well enough to tell them apart until I've seen the yellow band on the male's leg. I couldn't spot it today, so I'll just avoid any reference to the birds' gender below. (Actually, I can't even tell whether two or more birds were involved...).
CV1 incubating:
CV2 has just arrived:
CV2 takes off:
Re: Vultures all over the world
Posted: March 28th, 2020, 10:48 pm
by Marbzy
Four minutes later a CV (CV2? CV3?) descends directly in the nest:
CV1 takes his/her precious time, but eventually gets up, allowing the other CV inspect the egg:
Then it's kisses:
Re: Vultures all over the world
Posted: March 28th, 2020, 10:53 pm
by Marbzy
CV1 leaves the egg to the mate:
CV1 then spends half a minute on the branch to the left of the nest:
And then CV1 is back after five minutes:
Re: Vultures all over the world
Posted: March 28th, 2020, 11:04 pm
by Marbzy
More kisses:
CV1 returns to his/her perch:
CV1 has got bored and transferred to an alternative perch:
Re: Vultures all over the world
Posted: March 28th, 2020, 11:06 pm
by Marbzy
One head to the right, the other to the left:
Finally, CV1 is off:
Re: Vultures all over the world
Posted: March 29th, 2020, 8:00 pm
by Marbzy
29 March
The story of another changeover, or: they like to do it in instalments:
17:41:48
the male arrives, lands on a branch, does some gardening
17:42:26 the female gets up, exposes the egg
17:42:36 the female makes a false start, then a proper jump to the branch in front of the nest
17:42:54
the female is away
17:43:34 the male jumps to another branch, closer to the nest
17:44:08 the male jumps into the nest and inspects the egg
17:44:17
the female is back - she lands plonk in the nest; they both inspect the egg
17:44:35 kisses
17:44:52 more kisses
17:44:59
the female is away
17:45:19 the male lies on the egg
17:48:55
the female returns with a twig
17:49:58
the female flies away
17:50:30 the male rearranges the new twig
...
Re: Vultures all over the world
Posted: March 29th, 2020, 8:31 pm
by Marbzy
...
17:53:53
the female is back with more nest material, the male gets up
17:54:16 kisses
17:54:37 the male is off onto the branch on the left
17:55:02 the female settles down on the egg
17:55:51
the male takes off
17:59:37
the male is back with another twig
18:01:40 the female rises to her feet
18:01:48 the female jumps onto the branch to the left of the nest
18:01:52
the female flies away
18:02:12 the male begins to settle on the egg, it takes him about a minute to find a comfortable position
Mission accomplished
Re: Vultures all over the world
Posted: March 31st, 2020, 1:53 am
by Marbzy
30 March
Un-be-lie-vea-ble:
Just a reminder: this is central Spain
The poor bird's back and wings are almost completely white
Re: Vultures all over the world
Posted: March 31st, 2020, 1:54 am
by Marbzy
Shaking off some of the white stuff:
But it's not going to be an easy night:
Re: Vultures all over the world
Posted: March 31st, 2020, 2:19 am
by Marbzy
These guys are simply fascinating. Here's the scene at 15:47:17:
Then the incubating adult rises to (presumably) her feet:
And another CV lands on one of the branches away from the camera:
Re: Vultures all over the world
Posted: March 31st, 2020, 2:23 am
by Marbzy
Seconds later a fourth CV flies past:
A curious standoff:
The CV who landed a minute ago is a yellow-band wearer (hence probably the legitimate father):
Re: Vultures all over the world
Posted: March 31st, 2020, 2:24 am
by Marbzy
Are they going to come to blows?
Far from it:
And the yellow band wearer is the first to depart:
Re: Vultures all over the world
Posted: March 31st, 2020, 2:34 am
by Marbzy
Seconds later, the incubating adult is left on her own - all the commotion and no changeover:
Given the apparent lack of hostility between the two CVs one of whom is not a parent at this nest, you have to wonder what sort of relationship they have. They seemed to have a good old chat with just one instance of behaviour that could be interpreted as openly aggressive (at 15:54:49 the yellow-banded CV clearly pecked at his interlocutor's neck). Could they be chicks of the same parents? Here they are again during their "kissing" routine (presumably, a form of greeting allowing them to identify each other):
So many questions, (so many vultures), and so little time...
Re: Vultures all over the world
Posted: March 31st, 2020, 7:10 pm
by Birdfriend
Thank you
Marzby for your continuous work here.
Pic from now:
Re: Vultures all over the world
Posted: March 31st, 2020, 11:27 pm
by Marbzy
Birdfriend! Sierra de Guadarrama was just crazy today, wasn't it?
31 March: the day when a black vulture turned white
Things looked weird in the morning:
Only to become ridiculous just an hour later:
Then came the time to shake off the white coat:
Re: Vultures all over the world
Posted: March 31st, 2020, 11:31 pm
by Marbzy
Jump!
Livin' on the edge
Going to the loo was useful exercise, but how do you climb back down into the hole?
Re: Vultures all over the world
Posted: March 31st, 2020, 11:34 pm
by Marbzy
Right foot in front...
Stability regained
So this is what it means to dig deep
Re: Vultures all over the world
Posted: March 31st, 2020, 11:37 pm
by Marbzy
45 minutes later:
The snow cover is broken again:
Out to the edge: