This observation is a continuation of an earlier post documenting observations made at an active Black Vulture nest. The previous article can be found here: Black Vulture – A New Beginning.
A quick visit to the Black Vulture nest found everything proceeding as expected. This is approximately the 14th day of incubation. Very little had changed since our last visit, and the nest and eggs appeared to be in good condition.
While on site we witnessed the adult vulture stand and then manipulate the two eggs with its beak. This is a common behavior in birds. It is designed to rotate the eggs on a regular schedule and is essential to the healthy development of the embryos inside. After rotating the eggs the adult sat and returned to incubating the clutch.
A few minutes later the adult vulture was seen making an effort to look up. This behavior is recorded in the video below. We interpreted the behavior as the bird anticipating its mate’s return, but while we were there the second vulture did not show.
This observation is continued in this follow up post: Black Vulture – Nest Update 2
Observation Details
| County | – | Denton |
|
| City | – | Denton | |
| Date | – | Mar 3, 2012 | |
| Time of Day | – | Afternoon | |
| Temperature | – | Cool (50-69°F/10-21°C) | |
| Weather | – | Clear | |
| Habitat | – | Community-Church/School/Civic | |
| Type of Behavior | – | Nesting | |
| Gender | – | Uncertain | |
| Maturity | – | Adult | |
| Observer | – | Chris Jackson |
