{"id":54497,"date":"2018-10-08T05:31:13","date_gmt":"2018-10-08T11:31:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=54497"},"modified":"2025-09-16T13:25:56","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T18:25:56","slug":"autumn-turkey-vulture-portraits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/10\/08\/autumn-turkey-vulture-portraits\/","title":{"rendered":"Autumn Turkey Vulture Portraits – Why I Held My Breath While Taking These Photos"},"content":{"rendered":"

Turkey Vultures are migrating to warmer climates now so these might be the last photos I take of this species of bird this year.<\/p>\n

\"CloseClose up of a Turkey Vulture rousing – Nikon D500, f10, 1\/160, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

These autumn Turkey Vulture portraits are among the most difficult images I have ever taken because I was holding my breath and retching while I took them due to the awful odor of a road-killed skunk below the bird.<\/p>\n

I have sat for hours in freezing cold, slithered on my belly through mud and sand, been chewed up by biting insects, been so hot that my own sweat has blinded me, photographed birds while up to my waist in salt water. Those situations weren’t as hard as the few minutes it took to photograph this one Turkey Vulture because of the dead skunk that was below it.<\/p>\n

\"CloseClose up of an alert Turkey Vulture – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/400, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The smell of that skunk was so bad that my eyes watered and I held my breath for as long as I could while I tried hard not to gag while taking these Turkey Vulture portraits because that caused my lens to shake. You know it was really bad when I couldn’t wait to get away from a bird. I also hoped for a strong breeze to blow the stench away but it was calm.<\/p>\n

And the Turkey Vulture? It cleaned its bill, roused and simply looked around.<\/p>\n

\"AutumnAutumn Turkey Vulture portrait – Nikon D500, f9, 1\/800, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I can’t even look at these photos without remembering how dreadful it smelled while I took these close up portraits. It was just that awful. Despite the horrible smell I am glad I stopped to take these portraits.<\/p>\n

What is really odd is that earlier in the morning I had seen a dead skunk on the middle of the road<\/span><\/a> and had looked up a video on YouTube to remember the lyrics. (video is graphic)<\/p>\n

Life can stink but it is good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to view more of my Turkey Vulture photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

These autumn Turkey Vulture portraits are among the most difficult images I have ever taken because I was holding my breath and retching while I took them due to the awful odor of a road-killed skunk below the bird.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":156307,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,1148,1315,26],"tags":[4004,4540,970,4322,4142,4046,5657,3199,6832,2443,4618,4617],"class_list":["post-54497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-turkey-vultures","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-alert","tag-autumn","tag-cathartes-aura","tag-close-up","tag-portrait","tag-road-kill","tag-rousing","tag-skunk","tag-turkey-vulture","tag-vulture","tag-vultures"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/turkey-vulture-portrait-mia-mcpherson-6124.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-eaZ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":67041,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/03\/15\/memories-of-photographing-a-very-cooperative-turkey-vulture\/","url_meta":{"origin":54497,"position":0},"title":"Memories Of Photographing A Very Cooperative Turkey Vulture","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 15, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The memories of photographing this Turkey Vulture that spring morning have made me feel excited because these vultures are heading north now and soon I will have them in my viewfinder again.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult Turkey Vulture stretching its wing, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/turkey-vulture-wing-stretch-mia-mcpherson-9788.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/turkey-vulture-wing-stretch-mia-mcpherson-9788.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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of several approachable roadside Turkey Vultures sunning, preening, scratching and resting but I am happy with the photos of the birds.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sunning Turkey Vulture, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/turkey-vulture-sunning-mia-mcpherson-8995.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/turkey-vulture-sunning-mia-mcpherson-8995.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/turkey-vulture-sunning-mia-mcpherson-8995.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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Thermoregulating","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 26, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"In April there was a bright, sunny morning when I had several opportunities to photograph adult Turkey Vultures warming up after a chilly night by thermoregulating.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Close up of an adult Turkey Vulture thermoregulating in Box Elder County, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/turkey-vulture-thermoregulating-close-up-left-mia-mcpherson-2298.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/turkey-vulture-thermoregulating-close-up-left-mia-mcpherson-2298.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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