Thursday, October 13, 2022

Owls and Vultures

 

Design - "Mr. Owl's Wintergreen Gala"
Designer - Artful Offerings
Fabric - 28 count Patina linen
Fibers -GAST - 2 strands over 2 threads
Started - 13 October 2017
Completed - 9 November 2017

So on Tuesday and Wednesday I got to view a pretty cool Willamette Valley migratory phenomenon - a Turkey Vulture kettle.

Kettling is a migratory behavior shared by raptors.

While the birds seem to be flocking together, their goals and behavior are still individual—they are not actually cooperating in any way other than to share airspace. All other aspects of this behavior, such as the timing of the flight, direction, location, and even the altitude, are based on the best possible flight dynamics for each individual bird to save energy, conserve strength, and fly more efficiently. (Source: The Spruce https://www.thespruce.com/glossary-definition-kettle.... )

This was a group of around 30 birds.

They soured and swirled...

...and slowly drifted off to the south. 

Wednesday's group was larger. 

And yes, once again Turkey Vultures.

I counted upwards of 40-50 birds.

In Woodland, Washington over the weekend, a group of dedicated birds counted over 1000 migrating turkey vultures.

One of my photos captured a small group of Cedar Waxwings flying at a much lower altitude.
How fun!

No comments: