Abutre-preto

Um juvenil/1º inverno Abutre-preto (Aegypius monachus) na Ria de Alvor:




Canon 1DMk3, 100-400mm + 1.4TC. 1/160s, f/8.0 at 560mm, ISO 400


Colin

Gosh

Where did this one come from?

Did you 'count' it?

Hi Gonçalo,

I was walking my dog around the Ria yesterday afternoon when I saw this bird (flying) being "mobbed" by many gulls and clearly in distress. It landed on the water and rapidly became waterlogged (flapping its wings but unable to take off and fly). I went home and returned with my camera to find that the bird had made it to the shore and was trying to dry itself in the late afternoon sunshine:



I could not contact anyone at Cruzinha but someone (a young Portuguese lad who knew the name of the species and its rarity) had the the sense to call a local vet. I thought that the bird was either exhausted and under-fed or was ill from eating poisened food. I heard a rumour (unsubstantiated) that the bird did eventually fly before the vet arrived.

Being so close to such a majestic bird was rather unnerving, it is HUGE - I have only ever seen them soaring at great height in the Alentejo or on the Portugal/Spain border.

Best,

Colin

P.S. Of course I "counted" it

I took a lot of photos but the very harsh sunlight in the late afternoon has caused the "whites" to be burnt out and over-exposed beyond redemption.

The talons on this bird were larger than my hands and the eyes, together with that enormous and powerful bill, were quite amazing.




A magic moment, never to be repeated with a wild bird.


Colin

Hello Colin,

Very impresive indeed your pictures!

In your case, i would have called the SEPNA (GNR), because they would catch the bird and bring it to the Rehabilitation center in Olhão - RIAS (rias-aldeia.blogspot.com). There they are specialized in wild animals and sometimes local vets don´t know what to do.

In case of having another "meeting" with a injured or weak wild animal, just call the following number: SEPNA Portimão - 963212962 (any kind of wild animals! from little sparrows to Vultures, terrapins, mammals, etc...)

If you need any other information, just call RIAS - 927659313 - or send them an email: rias.aldeia@gmail.com

Best regards

Thijs

Brutal!
Os tais denominados "encontros imediatos de 3º grau"

Hi Thijs,

Thank you for that information. My reason for trying to contact Cruzinha was exactly that but I think that Marcial and family go away at weekends and the place seemed deserted.

I have now entered those numbers into my mobile phone.

Cheers,

Colin

Impõe respeito esse bicho!

Belas fotos!