American Robin … Trap Pond State Park, Laurel, Delaware … 2/11/22

“Surprise!”

(via)

Lesser Flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor)

© Josep del Hoyo

The fan bearing Crowned Pigeon looks majestic.

Eared Grebe. Los Osos, California.

In honor of vulture awareness day, let me ask you a question.

Do you love vultures?

You should.

Here’s why:

1, They are simultaneously the most majestic, and the most f*cking derpy of birbs. Observe -

2. THEY’RE SO FUCKING BADASS. We all know that they eat dead things. Eww, right? Wrong. They’re capable of digesting fucking rabies, cholera, hundreds of strains of bacteria that would straight up kill your ass given the chance. They deserve ALL of the respect, but they don’t get any, because ‘eww they eat dead things’. 

3. THEY ARE FUCKING AMAZING AT WHAT THEY DO - Some of the highest flying birds ever recorded, with amazing eyesight and smell. Vultures are highly specialised - yes, that means they sometimes have bald heads. So what? People are all over sphinx cats and those semi-hairless dogs.

4. If you think they’re ugly, well, look at these precious babs and tell me you still don’t feel anything:

I have more reasons, but, look, I’ll just get straight to the point: 

THEY’RE GOING EXTINCT, AND MORE PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW.

Populations of some vultures have fallen more than 90% in the last 20 years, and that’s scary as fuck. Reasons for this range from livestock carcasses being contaminated with certain drugs, to poachers killing them off because vultures give them away. But whatever the reasons, they’re dying off fast, and we need to act before it’s too late. We need to help protect them and conserve them as much if not more than some of the ‘cuter’ endangered creatures. 

So what can you do? Here are some useful links if you want to learn more:

http://www.rspb.org.uk/joinandhelp/donations/campaigns/vultures/

http://www.hawk-conservancy.org/Documents/HCT_IVP_leaflet_2013_E_ver.pdf

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/africanvultures

http://www.tusk.org/vulture-conservation-project

http://www.save-vultures.org/

http://www.birdlife.org/europe-and-central-asia/news/international-vulture-awareness-day-%E2%80%93-no-cause-celebration

http://www.vulpro.com/

https://tristatebird.org/adoptavulture/

https://webcamvultures.wordpress.com/adopt-a-vulture/

http://www.wwfpak.org/species/Vulture.php

Please consider helping our seldom appreciated vulture buddies, either by donating, or even just by helping to change their bad reputation!! 

They really are amazing birds ~ thank you for sticking with my long-ass post 

:P 

I have no idea why, but these black and white birds are really catching my eye today.

wow didn’t know it did that

European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster)

© Pete Blanchard