Our Vultures!!
Last year we had a pair of Black Vultures lay 2 eggs in one of the sheds on our land. We named the mom Gertrude (Gertie for short) and the dad Mortimer (Mortie for short) and the baby they had was Henrietta. We've been seeing them (just mom and dad) fly around near the shed for the last couple of weeks.
We had been hoping they would be back again and on Friday we discovered the egg! We checked last week and there wasn't an egg so we know she laid the egg sometime in the last week. Incubation period is 37-41 days (differs slightly on different websites). We will be counting down the days until the egg hatches. Until then, we cannot go down to the shed very often... Gertie is not *attached* to the egg and we don't want her to abandon the nest site. I will go once a week to check on everything.
Last year, only one of the two eggs hatched. The other was eaten by a predator (after talking with Bob today, we think it was a opossum). There are threads in this section of all the pics from last year's baby. I'm SO excited!! I just hope the egg makes it! Keep your fingers crossed!
Oh and Bob also told us that BV's can lay an egg approx every other day, so there's still a chance that she may lay one or more eggs. :xfingers:
Here is a picture of Gertie - sorry it's so shaky but I was on a 28x zoom without a tripod!
Here is the egg. It's a little blurry but I will bring my tripod next week when I go to check.
The shed is located in the woods, near a field. The shed hasn't been used in years (it used to be a drying shed when this place was a tobacco farm, about 20-25 years ago) The shed is in great shape and from what I've read and heard, is a perfect nesting spot for vultures. We keep the doors closed... Gertie gets in through the top area where I've drawn the arrow.
Here is Gertie up in a tree watching us and waiting for us to leave
This is not the picture that I hoped to capture. I didn't have time to zoom but I snapped it anyway. Up close, her wingspan is incredible! And the sound her wings make as she flies away... swoop, swoop, swoop, swoop.
I'M SOOOOO EXCITED!!!!!! :hyper:
And a darn good thing I have someone experienced (Bob) to turn to with all my questions. Poor guy, I hardly gave him a chance to answer today before I asked another one. :lol:
Last year we had a pair of Black Vultures lay 2 eggs in one of the sheds on our land. We named the mom Gertrude (Gertie for short) and the dad Mortimer (Mortie for short) and the baby they had was Henrietta. We've been seeing them (just mom and dad) fly around near the shed for the last couple of weeks.
We had been hoping they would be back again and on Friday we discovered the egg! We checked last week and there wasn't an egg so we know she laid the egg sometime in the last week. Incubation period is 37-41 days (differs slightly on different websites). We will be counting down the days until the egg hatches. Until then, we cannot go down to the shed very often... Gertie is not *attached* to the egg and we don't want her to abandon the nest site. I will go once a week to check on everything.
Last year, only one of the two eggs hatched. The other was eaten by a predator (after talking with Bob today, we think it was a opossum). There are threads in this section of all the pics from last year's baby. I'm SO excited!! I just hope the egg makes it! Keep your fingers crossed!
Oh and Bob also told us that BV's can lay an egg approx every other day, so there's still a chance that she may lay one or more eggs. :xfingers:
Here is a picture of Gertie - sorry it's so shaky but I was on a 28x zoom without a tripod!
Here is the egg. It's a little blurry but I will bring my tripod next week when I go to check.
The shed is located in the woods, near a field. The shed hasn't been used in years (it used to be a drying shed when this place was a tobacco farm, about 20-25 years ago) The shed is in great shape and from what I've read and heard, is a perfect nesting spot for vultures. We keep the doors closed... Gertie gets in through the top area where I've drawn the arrow.
Here is Gertie up in a tree watching us and waiting for us to leave
This is not the picture that I hoped to capture. I didn't have time to zoom but I snapped it anyway. Up close, her wingspan is incredible! And the sound her wings make as she flies away... swoop, swoop, swoop, swoop.
I'M SOOOOO EXCITED!!!!!! :hyper:
And a darn good thing I have someone experienced (Bob) to turn to with all my questions. Poor guy, I hardly gave him a chance to answer today before I asked another one. :lol: