I was treated to a most pleasant glider ride by a friend in the 
Atlantic Soaring Club this afternoon.
A small gaggle of Black Vultures showed us a strong thermal, and the 
lowest of the four lowered
its talons at us as we approached. We were able to circle with them a 
few times and got close
enough to see lots of feather detail with the naked eye. That seemed 
to be too close for their comfort,
so they left us and the last I saw of them they were quite a bit 
higher than we were. A few minutes
later we had a brief look at a Broad-winged Hawk, but it declined to 
thermal with us.

Both sightings occurred between 3,000 and 4,000 feet. From those 
altitudes, we could see the ridges
near Frederick and well past Pooles Island to the south, although the 
Bay Bridge was not quite visible today.
We could also see a layer of pollution marking a temperature 
inversion aloft, which was putting a cap
on how high a bird (or glider) could go, although they still could 
get to 4500 feet or so.

On my way home, I saw two more Black Vultures with a group of seven 
Turkey Vultures in Cecil County
where Hances Point Road intersects Route 272, just south of North East.

--Pat

Pat Valdata, Elkton, MD | 
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."
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