I remember rounding a bend at dawn, just east of Bisbee, Ariz., and coming
upon turkey vultures so perched facing the early sun.   It was an
impressive, and moving sight.   Driving on along toward Cave Creek Canyon,
it occurred to me that they -- not eagles -- may have been the inspiration
for the Native Americans' "Thunderbird" petroglyphs seen in the West.

The silhouette fits more precisely and their silent, black presence,
bearing an aura of mystical connection with dying and Nature's recycling of
life itself, just might make more "sense" to a lone hunter amid the canyons
than "our" modern pop-cultural assumptions.

Obviously this idea needs commentary beyond my knowledge, that of a trained
archaeologist or anthropologist, but it seems intriguing never-the-less.

Leo Weigant




On 8/16/07 8:45 PM, "Philip Brody" <> wrote:

> Don Burggraf in a comment today describes a Red-shouldered Hawk on a hot
> day with it wings open and wonders if the bird was doing this to cool itself.
> Large birds roosting with wings akimbo ­this may not be quite the right word-
> are not unusual. In June off Hunting Quarter road I watched one of the
> summer resident Yellow-crowned Herons on a low branch taking such a
> position among others over a period of time. I have nice photographs of this.
> The day was not particularly hot. In mid-July I watched an immature Great
> Blue Heron with open wings high in a tree bordering the southeast edge of the
> Hughes Hollow east impoundment. As I watched through a scope the bird
> appeared to be panting- if a bird can pant. The temperature was in the 80s
> and the bird was shaded in the tree branches. Of course we see Anhingas
> doing this so as to dry out their wettable feather after a swim and I have
> often seen Turkey Vultures doing this roosting in the Sun.  Turkey Vultures .
> I¹ve always thought they rid themselves of parasites this way.  So there may
> be a number of reasons for these poses. The Yellow-crowned Night Heron I
> thought was incredibly bored and so was posing. First side view, then with
> back toward the photographer and head twisted forward, then with wings
> akimboŠŠ. 
> 
> Phil Brody