Black Vulture

The heat wave has become a memory, and the weather has been just perfect for walking—and for anything else outdoors. I decided to head in a different direction this morning, and since I wasn't spending so much time looking down at flowers, butterflies, and odonates, I went back to scanning the sky for birds. At first glance, I thought this was just another turkey vulture, but when it turned, I could clearly see that it had light wing tips: definitely wrong for our common "buzzards." This was a black vulture, a rarity in our area. They're common south and west of Pennsylvania, and I sometimes see them here during migration. There is, however, a small colony that has established itself the next town over, and from time to time, one or more of the birds pays us a visit.