| Common Name | Black Vulture |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Coragyps atratus |
| Type of Report | Rare Species |
| Date of Observation | 12/24/2016 |
| Number Observed | 3 |
| Reporting Observer's Name | Ronald Payne |
| Mailing Address | 496 Weybridge St. Middlebury, VT 05753 United States Map It |
| Email hidden; Javascript is required. | |
| Date Completed | 11/10/2018 |
| Latitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 43.989698 |
| Longitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | -73.128901 |
| Place Name | Lower Foote St. |
| Township | Middlebury |
| County | Addison |
| Vermont eBird Checklist URL | ebird.org |
| Time of Day | 02:31 PM |
| Length of Time Observed | 8 minutes |
| Maximum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 1500 |
| Minimum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 150 |
| Noteworthy Weather Conditions | Overcast, cool, light rain. |
| Optical Equipment Used for Observation | Pentax 8x42 DCF |
| Observer’s Previous Acquaintance With This or Similar Species | This was my 6th time observing this species. |
| I certify that any attachments included with this report were captured during this observation event. | |
| Description of Habitat | Composting facility that works with food waste, plant waste, wood waste & animal manure. American crows were also abundant at the site. |
| Behaviors Observed | Flew in big flaps and long glides. Seen briefly circling together before landing in tree. Harassed by American Crows. |
| Description of Vocalizations | No vocalizations heard. |
| Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation | These birds were spotted by another observer earlier in the day in the Middlebury Village atop the old Courthouse on Rt. 7. I thought that it would be neat to get a picture of Black Vultures perched on top of the old Courthouse, and I live five minutes away, so I drove over but there was nothing up there but pigeons when I arrived. But, I had an idea of where they might have gone, so I went down to |
| Relative Size & Shape | About 1/3 bigger than nearby American Crows. |
| Head | Featherless, dark gray. |
| Feet & Bill | Black bill, feet not seen well. |
| Upper Back | Black. |
| Lower Back & Rump | Black. |
| Wings | Black upper and underiwng coverts. Black flight feathers except for prominently silver outer primaries. |
| Breast, Belly, Flanks, Under Tail Coverts | Black. |
| Tail | Black, short and triangular shaped not projecting far behind wing feathers when in flight. |
| IMPORTANT: What similar species were eliminated when making the identification and how was this bird different? | Turkey Vulture was eliminated by placement of silver feathers on the outer primaries rather than all flight feathers, and short triangular rather than long projecting tail. |
| Other Notes & Comments | I was told this observation fell in a period of time when an RBA was still required for this species. |
| This report was written from notes taken: | Immediately After |
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