Author Highlights Monday Madness--Vultures in a tree

Lizzy Borden found an axe and gave her mother forty whacks! 

Now there's a story for Halloween.

<----- No that is not a tree full of vultures next to Lizzy Borden's house. That's the dead tree behind my son's house. #creepy

As most of you know, I had a Blue Jay adopt me (who has since migrated on). My son, however, seems to call vultures. I'm not sure what that means or even what that says about me as a mother.

They were there when he bought the house--waiting for him. Now they wait for him to feed them. Yes, they eat bread, but prefer road kill, which is NOT fed to his outside residents. And, it seems purveyors of the dead like their trees dead, too. There were about 20-30 more in the tree as I readied myself to take a picture. The next thing I  knew they fell from the branches and swept into the sky, leaving the rest, as you can see, there and quite content.

This got me thinking. I'm always seeing vultures circling overhead. My husband told me they always circle around a dead animal, but truthfully, I have no idea if he is right or not. So, I got to thinking, and researching.

The vulture is a remarkable critter.

First of all, they migrate. I see them all the time so I never thought they did, but they do. They head as far south as Venezuela and maybe Brazil and Argentina. This great migration occurs in September and October, so maybe they'll be leaving the tree soon.

Whodda thought?  Bears watching.

They ride thermals of hot air and when the thermal begins to cool down they leave the vent and head out to the next one. Eventually, that leads them to South America. Another thought I'd never of thunk.

They count them down in Mexico.

Not a job I think I'd like.

They are the ugliest creatures on earth with their naked, red, wrinkly faces and black wings. Plus, they are huge! Their wingspan must be five feet or more depending upon age. They eat dead animals, either road kill or natural death. We have a large deer population. Sometimes, the deer become so numerous they begin to die off from lack of food and other diseases. I have lost a few in the herd that lives out back of my house.  It is always sad and always announced by a visit from a vulture.

Now that I've thoroughly depressed you, it's back to writing. I have book 3 of Gemini Rising to work on. Chapter Four is almost done and I would like to have the series finished when the 2nd books comes out. *wipes sweat from forehead*

Seriously though, Gemini book 1 is a great book, one I am proud of writing. If you get a chance, give it a glance. Hum, can't help but wonder how much of the human population those vultures would eat if a comet ever did cross Earth's orbit.

Happy reading!!

(((hugs)))

Louann

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