Indian Vulture

[Debasis Bose]

Indian vulture.....are sometimes looked at in a negative light, mass being unaware that they play a very important role in efficiently disposing of carcasses and disinfecting the meat for consumption. Their strong stomach acid and high body temperature destroy corpse pathogens such as rabies and tuberculosis with little to no ill effects unlike any other animal. Their presence may be associated with death but they have qualities that are admirable when you acknowledge their patience in waiting and never attacking anything that is still living.
Shot in Bandhavgarh National Park, next to Rajbehera
Nikon, Nikor 70-200 F2.8, Shot @ 175mm F8, ISO 200, 1/400s, Handheld in panning mode.

[Shyamala Kumar]

Beautiful image.Vultures are so rarely seen that to see even an image of one is a treat indeed.Thanks for sharing

[Mrudul Godbole]

Agree with Shyamala, rare to sight a vulture flying so low. Was there a kill around? The tree cover in the background is cut, maybe including the trees in full would have been good. I know this might be a sudden sighting and you might not have got the opportunity to change the settings, but for future references, for photographing birds in flight, its better to use a high shutter speed, so using a high ISO is good to get more details. Look forward to more from Bandhavgarh. Thanks for sharing.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Great to see one that has just taken off. The upward wingstroke is nice.

Most of the times near Rajbehera grasslands and in Magdih zone one can sight the vultures. I had also sighted one that had fallen from a tree.

Vulture has a special place in our culture. Jatayu, the vulture had fought Ravana when he was kidnapping Sita. The ecosystem services the vulture render are enormous. Not sure how they started being seen as harbinger of death.

Thanks for sharing.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Roopak Gangadharan]

Nice flight pose. Agree with comments above.
TFS
Roopak