Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2014/03/31

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Subject: [Leica] Rüppell's Griffon Vultures
From: cummer at netvigator.com (H&E Cummer)
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 20:59:38 -0700
References: <mailman.903.1396300916.81306.lug@leica-users.org>

Hi Luggers,
First some information from Wikipedia:

"These are large vultures, noticeably outsizing the closely related 
White-backed Vulture, with which they often co-occur in the wild. Adults are 
85 to 103 cm (33 to 41 in) long, with a wingspan of 2.26 to 2.6 metres (7.4 
to 8.5 ft), and a weight that ranges from 6.4 to 9 kg (14 to 20 lb). 

Both genders look alike: mottled brown or black overall with a whitish-brown 
underbelly and thin, dirty-white fluff covering the head and neck. The base 
of the neck has a white collar, the eye is yellow or amber, the crop patch 
deep brown. Silent as a rule, they become vocal at their nest and when at a 
carcass, squealing a great deal.

R?ppell's Vultures are very social, roosting, nesting, and gathering to feed 
in large flocks. They can travel fast when needed, cruising at as much as 35 
kilometres per hour (22 mph), and will fly as far as 150 kilometres (93 mi) 
from a nest site to find food.
R?ppell's Vultures commonly fly at altitudes as high as 6,000 metres (20,000 
ft). The birds have a specialized variant of the hemoglobin alphaD subunit; 
this protein has a great affinity for oxygen, which allows the species to 
absorb oxygen efficiently despite the low partial pressure in the upper 
troposphere. A R?ppell's Vulture was confirmed to have been ingested by a 
jet engine of an airplane flying overAbidjan, C?te d'Ivoire on November 29, 
1973 at an altitude of 11,300 m (37,000 ft). During August 2010 a R?ppell's 
Vulture escaped a bird of prey site in Scotland, prompting warnings to 
pilots in the area to watch carefully due to the danger of collision.
R?ppell's Vultures have several adaptations to their diet and are 
specialized feeders even among the Old World vultures of Africa. They have 
an especially powerful build and, after the most attractive soft parts of a 
carcass have been consumed, they will continue with the hide, and even the 
bones, gorging themselves until they can barely fly. They have 
backward-pointing spines on the tongue to help remove meat from bone. 
Despite their size, power and adaptations, they are not the most dominant 
vulture in their range, which is considered to be the even larger 
Lappet-faced Vulture. They were declared an endangered species by the 
International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2012."

They have nasty personalities which suits their ugly looks. Here they are 
fighting:

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Howard+Cummer/Tanza2014/Vulturefightw.jpg.html>

And here is a series on the landing approach which I found so fascinating:

Wings back

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Howard+Cummer/Tanza2014/VultLandWgBkw.jpg.html

Wings forward

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Howard+Cummer/Tanza2014/VultLandWgForw.jpg.html

Wings forward again

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Howard+Cummer/Tanza2014/VultLndWgFor1w.jpg.html

Ready for touch down

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Howard+Cummer/Tanza2014/VultureLanding2w.jpg.html

All taken with the XT 1 and the 50 - 200 zoom using continuous AF.

Please look large,

C&C always welcome

Howard
> 



Replies: Reply from jayanand at gmail.com (Jayanand Govindaraj) ([Leica] Rüppell's Griffon Vultures)