Back into the autumn sunshine, at the country fair and sheep dog trials
I was sat on a wall waiting for the boys to return from buying me a bacon buttie, (I rather like this idea of them being old enough to do such things on their own, that and the fact if I can’t actually see them it doesn’t mean I need to go into a blind panic thinking they have been abducted by aliens or snatched by a passing vulture.) idly watching the ‘falconry’ display at the show, regular readers might remember we saw a display a few weeks ago at Chatsworth country fair, this was by a different company and they didn’t quite capture our interest like the previous one, somehow the birds didn’t look quite so bright eyed and bushy tailed.
In my last post Kathy mentioned an incident at a show she had seen,with a vulture going AWOL and true to form this vulture took a trip around the show ground
Seriously ugly or beautiful, what’s your vote?
It flew up the show ground
stopping for a rest just behind me, maybe it was just as well my buttie hadn’t arrived, not sure I would have wanted it landing on my wrist.
After a brief pause, it took off again
With a fly past for a photo opportunities.
Past the plant stall, back in to the show ring
My vote is that it’s beautiful in an ugly sort of way, especially in flight; just as well it didn’t get a sniff of a dead sheep up on the moor, or it might have taken off for good, destined to a life off frightening passing ramblers, just like the
I once heard that part of the reason we find babies and puppies etc cute is that, to encourage our nurturing instinct, we are programmed to find the proportions of them appealing. In particular the fact that the baby’s head is proportionately very large in relation to their body, compared to adults. Maybe one thing that is unappealing about the vulture is that their head is disproportionately SMALL in relation to their body? Not to mention the fact they eat decomposing carcasses, which may have something to do with our instinctive revulsion!
Ugly in a beautiful kinda way! I think any bird, particularly of that size looks amazing when they fly, effortless.
Terrific photos! I agree that they’re much better to see flying than on the ground. I also think that I’d be a bit apprehensive if one got too close! xx