Florida Black Vultures and Ibis Bathe Together This Morning
December 19, 2012
After wrapping all 20 of the presents for my grandchildren at 7am today, I packed the presents in my car. It only took one hour and I made a present wrapping station in my spare bedroom. It was a pleasure knowing I had gotten exactly what they had put on their "Four Gifts" lists for me. The box of presents is well on its way to their home and will arrive in a few days.
But wait, there is more...
Later, on my way to work, I drove through the Greenway/Park to see the usual gathering of around 50 Florida black vultures. They were sitting or walking or standing on the bank of the river. Here are Florida black vultures, but not my photos:
Usually they are watching the ibis, both the white and the brownish ones, wade, eat, and bathe at the river's edge. Below are the two types of ibis I watched, but not my photos:
This morning I parked as usual, and sat at a picnic table, about 15 feet away, to wonder at the sight of nature up close. Funny thing, some of the vultures, about 10 of them, were bathing with the ibis, splashing, dunking their heads, flapping their wings in the water, and washing all over, just like the ibis usually do.
I'm curious to see if they are learning this from the ibis, or if they do this anyway and I hadn't seen it before. Some of the vultures, standing nearby and watching the sight, began to wander into the water and copy the other birds, too.
For comparison, a Florida black vulture, with a wing span of about 5 feet, weighs about 5 pounds, like a large chicken. An ibis has a wing span of about 3-4 feet, and it weighs about 2-3 pounds.
Yet here they were having a swimming play date together, all while I sat and watched. I love nature up close and undisturbed. Don't want to go overboard, but make Number 17 on my activities list "Birdwatching up close."
I'll be sure I take my camera to the park every morning now.
