Said one vulture to another, "Why are people so unkind?"

 

Vulture chick enjoying pedicure near Tsondop Vlei

At a guess, I’m prepared to venture the thought that hardly any of you having a squiz at my blog celebrated International Vulture Awareness Day on 3/9/11.  Am I correct?

Vultures – hardly the super models of the bird world.  Like their human counterparts – undertakers - they are a much maligned and poorly understood species and rarely the subject of gala dinners.  The noble eagle, the elegant swan, the annoying magpie, just think of the number of footy teams who have sought their patronage and included their likenesses in their team logos.  Consider the possibilities – the Sydney Vultures or the St George Illawarra Vultures.  Yes?  No, not likely, although the Manly Warringah Vultures does have a certain ring of truth to it, n’est pas?

Well, I had the very great pleasure of attending a gala dinner hosted by Vultures Namibia to celebrate International Vulture Awareness Day and hardly anyone there even remotely resembled an undertaker.

If you paid any attention at all in biology class, you’ll probably vaguely recall that vultures are an ecologically vital group of birds although I don’t remember any teacher ever mentioning that populations of many vulture species are under pressure and some species are facing extinction.   Mind you, that’s probably because the last science class I attended was about 35 years ago and there were many fewer species facing extinction then as there are now. 

Really, does it matter? If footy teams don’t want to be named after vultures, what possible future role can they play?  In these days of economic rationalism, every species, including vultures, must justify their existence if they expect to retain even restricted land use and feeding rights.

Personally, I think they’d make excellent taxi drivers.  With their sharp eyesight and long flexible necks, they would have no difficulty in navigating peak hour city traffic and I feel certain there would be many less passengers willing to contemplate fare evasion.  Granted, they do smell a bit off but so do most taxi drivers on a hot Sydney day.  And given their reputation for efficient opportunism, in the early hours of New Year’s Day in Kings Cross, I reckon potential passengers would be genuinely thrilled to know great numbers of VTD’s are circling around William Street just itching to collect a fare.  OK, maybe a few over-enthusiastic VTD’s might fleece the occasional customer to the bone, but nobody ever said capitalism was perfect.

But seriously folks – a world without vultures?  Well, that’d be like a world without waste management specialists.  What would your home be like if the garbo’s didn’t come for a month, a year, a decade?

So thank goodness, the good people at Vultures Namibia and other raptor protection organisations around the world have made it their mission to study and protect these wonderful birds.  And often at great personal risk!

I was first introduced to the practice of bird ringing some years ago by Marc, an activity where you put up some nets which the birds unwittingly fly into, carefully prise them out of the net and then put a metal numbered ring around a leg, measure wing span and length, weigh and record this information for inputting into a bird database.

The process with vulture ringing is slightly different in that you only ever ring vulture chicks who haven’t left home and are still squelching off Mum and Dad.  To do this, you need to drive through large tracts of desert, across long dusty flats, over humungous dunes until you find a vulture nest which is always located at the very top of the canopy.

Now, here comes the fun part.  You have to get to the top of that tree, pop the chick (already bigger than the average Xmas turkey) into a bag, climb down said tree and then weigh, measure, ring and also put a yellow numbered tag on a wing so future sightings can be recorded in order to build some knowledge about the vultures’ range and then climb back up and restore chick to nest.  Quite a process, and not without its dangers.  Consider:

1. some trees are very tall – it is not unknown for vulturers to use up to 3 separate ladders to get to the canopy by resting each ladder on an ever higher branch of the tree
2. the camel-thorn tree is a popular choice with vultures.  “Thorn” probably does not quite accurately convey the nature of the pointy bits in camel thorn trees.  Suggest you think about the longest hypodermic needle you’ve every seen and triple the width.  Most vulturers include pruning shears in their kits to avoid “ripping their bloody arms off” whilst retrieving the chick.
3. the Namib Desert heats up quite a lot during the day and it’s usually extremely sunny, so add heat exhaustion; salty, sweaty eyes; taunt, burnt skin – you get the picture.

Of course, there’s always the chance that the 4x4 will break down and you run out of water.

 

Simple one ladder version of retrieving vulture chick

After all that hot, dry, dangerous work, vulturers certainly deserve the occasional gala dinner with delicious food and maybe even the odd novelty act.  So Elinor and I spent a day putting together a couple of songs and although I could’ve done with a couple of more days practice, Elinor and her sax were superb – see pix below!

Do you know that Diana Ross song ‘’It’s my turn?” – well, we did “It’s my tern” for all the birders of the world.  Lyrics (provided by E Durr) attached at the end of the blog – definitely worth a read.  Also more pix and info at:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vultures-Namibia/106853576041410

Elinor:  Derrr, do you know what the next chord is? AMO:  Mate, I can’t even see the page

Elinor kitted out in tan shoes with a pink shoelaces, A polka-dot vest … and a big panama with a purple hat band

   

George, Elinor & AMO in full flight

Could it be that Elinor D and Mick Jagger are one and the same person?

So thank you to all the birders and vulturers in the world and especially Vultures Namibia who have so generously welcomed me on their vulture ringing expeditions and given me the opportunity to wander, ever so briefly, in some of the most extraordinary desert landscapes on the planet.

You know, birders and vulturers are a passionate group of people who are making a positive difference, so much so, that your children and your childrens’ children will hopefully never have to live on a pile of crap because nature’s waste disposal management unit is alive and fully functioning.

But, if I may, a word of advice.  See the guy on the below?  Yeah, Holger – he’s one of Namibia’s vulture specialists.  You guys at VN need to give him a sabbatical.  He’s been vulturing and climbing trees for so long now, well, you’d have to admit, he’s starting to look uncannily like his subject.  You’ve got to give this guy a holiday!

So, that’s it for this blog.  Leave a comment if you’re in the mood (you have to set up an account to do this) and vulturers, your more serious comments about the current state of the vulture population in Namibia would be greatly welcomed.  

 

A big thanks to Clare for the pix and, until next time, it’s AMO signing off. 

It’s my tern

We can’t cover up our feelings for the love of birds

Or not go ringing cos I don’t have my combi

And if living for terns, penguins and vultures is what we’re guilty of

Go ahead and sentence us We will still ring

Mark says :  “It’s my tern  To ring what I can ring

I hope you understand, this tern is just for me”

But Heinrich says, “but it’s my tern With no apologies

I’ve given up the vultures Give me a tern please”

But Bridgeford says, “NOW it’s my tern If I don’t have all the vultures

At least I know I’ll take my share with the terns

Ain’t no use in penguins When they can’t even fly

So I’ll take a tern Cos the tern ain’t gonna hurt me

And I’ll let you have a go Though I know it won’t be easy

It’s now October With no more room for terns

For years I’ve seen my life Though the branches of the trees

And now it’s my turn To try and find the vultures

And if I should get lost At least I ringed a vulture

It’s my tern, no it’s my vulture

Yes it’s my vulture

And there ain’t no use of penguins They can’t even fly

So I’ll take a tern Cos it ain’t October

And I’ll have a go Although it won’t be easy

Bridgeford says, “it’s my turn To ring a bleeding vulture

I hope you’ll understand This vulture’s just for me

Mark says, “But it’s my turn To get all cold and wet

I sure would like to know

You’ll come with me on my quest

To ring a thousand terns It’s my tern

It’s my turn To start from number one

Trying to forego The damage that’s been done

Holger says, But now its your turn To reach and touch the sky

But you’re too short For the vulture way up high

Yes it’s my tern

It’s my vulture

No, it’s my penguin

No, it’s my tern