Lion Country!

[Dennis S]

Sunday night I was headed to a neighbor's house to borrow a few things needed to keep the four day party going for Barb's 60th birthday party. At the end of our primitive dirt road down the mountain, I turned off the headlights to admire the stars. I stayed in the car.

When I turned the lights back on, I saw four mountain lions coming up from the river. Seeing any mountain lion in the wild is rare. This was a mother with three yearling cubs. The cubs were about the size of a medium build dog. In my limited experience, three cubs are rare. Two are much more common. This mother must be an exceptional hunter to have three strong and healthy cubs this far into the year. I had been seeing more vultures than usual, and now I knew why. It takes a lot of hunting for four lions to be fed.

Sometime I should post one of the pictures I have of a vulture in flight. Their flight pattern are incredible, and beautiful. They can ride the air currents for miles without flapping their wings.

I have had the pleasure of seeing nine different mountain lions (six of them cubs) since moving to the Jemez. This is truly lion country. I think there is a cave somewhere in the approximate area of this picture. There is a small river on top of the mesa, and a larger one at the foot. And plenty of game in between. This is truly lion country.

 

[twinmaker]

I love it when I happen upon any type of wild animal, especially a mother with her offspring. Of course, I've never happened upon a mountain lion here in North Carolina. Our daughter and son-in-law's house backs up to some woods in rural Virginia, and the deer are a common sight coming into their backyard. You can literally stand at the kitchen window or sit on the deck and watch them. Thanks for sharing, Dennis. LINDA

 

[Dennis S]

Flying High

Flying High

People here call these guys "turkey vultures". They are beautiful to watch, without ever having any wasted motion.

 

[Mary]

This is truly lion country.

And in the winter . . . .?

Sorry, Dennis, I couldn't resist a pun!

It is beautiful country. Just be careful when you're out hiking, and stay IN your car after dark!

 

[Bina]

People here call these guys "turkey vultures". They are beautiful to watch, without ever having any wasted motion.

Fabulous bird! I'm just checking my Field Guide, our turkey vultures don't have any white on them at all.....looks like a rough legged hawk in the dark phase, but with a red head?

 

[Dennis S]

Bina--I am no bird expert, but I can contribute the following observations: These are pretty big birds. Their wingspan is probably between three and four feet. They soar through the air in a way I associate with a carrion eater looking for a meal on the ground. They commonly go for several minutes at a time without flapping their wings.

There have definitely been more of these birds around our valley & mountain than usual. I am thinking this increase can be associated with the hunting requirements of four mountain lions. Another indication of lions on the mountain: It has been awhile since we have three or four deer grazing on the side of the road "dumb & carefree". As my dad used to say, it seems like "the low berries have been picked".

By the way, we certainly do stay inside after dark. That's good advice that we share with guests.

 

[Dennis S]

Upon further review

Upon further review

After thinking a little more about it:

I think the wingspan is probably between 2.5 to 3.5 feet.

 

[Mary]

After thinking a little more about it:

I think the wingspan is probably between 2.5 to 3.5 feet.

Is it a caracara? They're found in New Mexico and are primarily scavengers. They would be considered turkey vultures by locals.

 

[Bina]

Okay, we are narrowing it down.
It's not a turkey vulture, they have a wing span of 6 feet and no white. They soar with their wings straight out, no bend.

Black vultures have no red head...

The caracara has similar black and white with some red skinned cheeks, but it has a white throat....

There are similar dark phases of hawks....no red head....I give up

 

[Dennis S]

I didn't want to exaggerate, and maybe I underestimated the wing span. This is a big bird. This is the best I can do as far as enlarging the picture. Does this give any extra clues?

 

[Bina]

Dennis, the picture is great; this is an impressive size of bird!

Going back to the turkey vulture descriptions in both my field guides;
very short neck, small red head, longish squared off tail, broad 6' wings, soaring, scavenging, black colour......the white underside of the tail and flight feathers is stumping me.

Maybe vultures cross breed......????

 

[Dennis S]

It is very conceivable to me that the wingspan from tip to tip could be six feet. Our deck is high enough that we sometimes look down on them in flight. They seem entirely black when looking from above, except for the head.

One came low over our deck, and was actually flying below the tree tops. Barb & I figured it had seen something interesting, and walked through the ponderosa pines where it had gone. We were about 200 yards from the house. We found a stump that a bear had recently dug under and pushed over. I wondered if the bird was just curious, or thought there was a meal there.

The thing I love about these birds is how easily they explore the canyons and mountain tops. One thing about living here is the extremely rugged terrain. We have a few acres, and will probaly never set foot on much of our own land. My son found Indian ruins within 500 yards of the edge of our property-neither we, or anyone else up here seems to have known they were there. But these birds explore it all with their splendid eyesight. And they soar for miles by just catching the right updraft. It is the most splendid form of transportation I have ever seen.

 

[Bina]

Sounds like you live in a great place....I'm a little nervous of the lions since I'm no longer a very good tree climber or runner.

And I think I will venture to say that your big, black, bird friend is indeed a turkey vulture with a slight colour variation.

I hope to do some birdwatching this weekend, weather permitting.

 

[Mary]

Dennis, the picture is great; this is an impressive size of bird!

Going back to the turkey vulture descriptions in both my field guides;
very short neck, small red head, longish squared off tail, broad 6' wings, soaring, scavenging, black colour......the white underside of the tail and flight feathers is stumping me.

Maybe vultures cross breed......????

According to the Peterson field guide that I have, Hawks,"there is a report of a hybrid between this species and the Black Vulture.
The description given of a turkey vulture is: head is red, featherless, and covered with wrinkles and warts. Beak is ivory. Entire body is brownish black, with upperwing coverts and lower breast and belly somewhat browner. From below,flight feathers are silvery and wing coverts are black, forming two toned underwing pattern. Underside of long tail is silvery but darker than flight feathers.

In Dennis's picture, the bird appears to have a red head and an ivory beak. I'm not finding other hawks that fit that description. However, the picture doesn't show a silvery tail.

I think you need to try and take some more pictures, Dennis!

 

[csutherland]

Flying High

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

People here call these guys "turkey vultures". They are beautiful to watch, without ever having any wasted motion


But, are they ever ugly up close! I recently saw a group of 5 or 6 sitting in a circle on the ground. They were enjoying a dead animal.

 

[Dennis S]

I will look for more pictures. (I have been droping hints about a new camera lens for my birthday). I hadn't thought about it before, but I have never seen one on the ground, let alone eating. Some of you may remember a piece I wrote after stumbling across a big bull elk in the last days of his life. When I went back to check on him, I was not surprised to find he had died that evening. (I wouldn't have gone near that spot without being armed-too big a prize for bears or mountain lions).

But I didn't see any vultures.

 

[Susan BAV]

Big Cats and Big Birds

Big Cats and Big Birds

A mountain lion ate our neighbor's dog recently; they found evidence and could tell that it was a mountain lion from the huge bloody footprint on their concrete patio. They immediately put their house up for sale...

We had a bobcat on our roof a few weeks ago and it, or another one, has been seen running by our mailbox recently at night. I DON'T walk out to the mailbox at dusk or later anymore...

I think turkey vultures/buzzards mate for life. Their heads change from black to red as they mature. I believe they can have up to an eight-foot wingspan, although usually six-feet. You have to see them fly over a vehicle or something to get an idea how far those wings really reach. Beautiful and amazing creatures, despite the fact that one of their favorite things to eat is carrion...