{"id":92249,"date":"2021-07-15T04:57:59","date_gmt":"2021-07-15T10:57:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=92249"},"modified":"2025-09-16T14:17:04","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T19:17:04","slug":"turkey-vulture-an-aspen-and-a-smoky-haze","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/07\/15\/turkey-vulture-an-aspen-and-a-smoky-haze\/","title":{"rendered":"Turkey Vulture, An Aspen And A Smoky Haze"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"TurkeyTurkey Vulture perched in a Quaking Aspen \u2013 Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/800, ISO 500, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The last bird I photographed high in the Wasatch Mountains<\/span><\/a> three days ago was an adult Turkey Vulture perched in an aspen in a smoky haze. There were several vultures in the area that appeared to have been feasting on a road-killed marmot or rabbit on the edge of the road. Most of the vultures took to the air but this one remained behind perched in the tree.<\/p>\n

The smoke from western wildfires was pretty bad that day and practically every image I took showed evidence of the smoky haze in them. I am by nature a positive, upbeat person who doesn’t let things get me down for long but the smoky haze does get to me. It makes my head and throat hurt, causes eye irritation, and it makes me worry.<\/p>\n

I believe this is the only time I have ever taken images of a Turkey Vulture perched in a Quaking Aspen so despite the smoky haze I can detect in the photo I quite like it. I appreciate the over the shoulder look that I got from the vulture.<\/p>\n

Some of the smoky haze has cleared from the skies since I was up in the mountains three days ago and I should feel relieved about that but with all of the wildfires that we have burning in the west I know it is only a matter of time before the haze returns.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> 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","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The last bird I photographed high in the Wasatch Mountains three days ago was an adult Turkey Vulture perched in an aspen in a smoky haze.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":156347,"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":[27,4594,1315,26,773],"tags":[4004,1919,3803,2663,3940,4322,6583,4069,4104,6576,7791,153,10404,6699,2315,4427,2443,4618,4617,1770],"class_list":["post-92249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-morgan-county","category-turkey-vultures","category-utah","category-wasatch-mountains","tag-adult","tag-aspen","tag-aspens","tag-birds-of-prey","tag-canyon","tag-cathartes-aura","tag-leaves","tag-mountains","tag-perched","tag-populus-tremuloides","tag-quaking-aspen","tag-raptors","tag-smoky","tag-smoky-haze","tag-summer-3","tag-tree","tag-turkey-vulture","tag-vulture","tag-vultures","tag-wildfires"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/turkey-vulture-in-quaking-aspen-mia-mcpherson-9345.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-nZT","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":34731,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/01\/07\/a-turkey-vulture-in-box-elder-county\/","url_meta":{"origin":92249,"position":0},"title":"Turkey Vulture in Box Elder County – Nature’s Picker Uppers","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 7, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"When I photographed this Turkey Vulture in Box Elder County last summer it flew from the post it had been perched on and landed a bit further away where it quickly began cleaning its bill","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"An adult Turkey Vulture in Box Elder County perched on a post by a watering trough. Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/turkey-vulture-box-elder-mia-mcpherson-5101.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-box-elder-mia-mcpherson-5101.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/turkey-vulture-box-elder-mia-mcpherson-5101.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/turkey-vulture-box-elder-mia-mcpherson-5101.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":53414,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/08\/07\/photographing-immature-american-robins-in-a-smoky-wildfire-haze\/","url_meta":{"origin":92249,"position":1},"title":"Photographing Immature American Robins In A Smoky Wildfire Haze","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 7, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"While photographing some waxwings a flash of movement caught my eye and I spotted an immature American Robin reaching for a berry in a Utah Serviceberry shrub, I couldn't help myself, I had to photograph this young bird too.","rel":"","context":"In "American Robins"","block_context":{"text":"American Robins","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/thrushes\/american-robins\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Immature American Robin reaching for a berry, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/american-robin-immature-berries-mia-mcpherson-8960.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/american-robin-immature-berries-mia-mcpherson-8960.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/american-robin-immature-berries-mia-mcpherson-8960.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/american-robin-immature-berries-mia-mcpherson-8960.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":52571,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/06\/13\/photographing-turkey-vultures-on-a-june-morning\/","url_meta":{"origin":92249,"position":2},"title":"Photographing Turkey Vultures On A June Morning","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 13, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"As a bird photographer I have found that it is easy to make any species of owl look interesting and appealing in my images but it is more of a challenge to do that with Turkey Vultures but that doesn't mean I don't try. I will always try.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Turkey Vulture in front of a sage covered hillside, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/turkey-vulture-sage-fence-post-mia-mcpherson-1411.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-sage-fence-post-mia-mcpherson-1411.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/turkey-vulture-sage-fence-post-mia-mcpherson-1411.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/turkey-vulture-sage-fence-post-mia-mcpherson-1411.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":36989,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/03\/11\/turkey-vultures-are-natures-clean-up-crew\/","url_meta":{"origin":92249,"position":3},"title":"Turkey Vultures Are Nature’s Clean Up Crew","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 11, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Turkey Vultures are Nature's clean up crew. They consume road kill and other dead animals and and in doing so they clean up the messy stuff.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Turkey Vulture warming in the sunlight, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/turkey-vulture-adult-mia-mcpherson-5100.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-adult-mia-mcpherson-5100.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/turkey-vulture-adult-mia-mcpherson-5100.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/turkey-vulture-adult-mia-mcpherson-5100.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Mornings have still been fairly chilly here in northern Utah and the Turkey Vultures that recently arrived on spring migration have been taking advantage of the rising sun by thermoregulating to help chase off the chill.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Turkey Vulture thermoregulating close up, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/turkey-vulture-thermoregulating-close-up-right-mia-mcpherson-2262.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/turkey-vulture-thermoregulating-close-up-right-mia-mcpherson-2262.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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