Battle is joined
Our workshop leader isn’t sharing the information that someone has been sitting in these very hides in the Bulgarian mountains for several days before us and has seen absolutely nothing apart from an eagle for five minutes. At least not yet. I think we’d all find that a little disappointing.
We have been lucky. An advance party of Griffon Vultures has landed and now a small family of Golden Jackals are here. I think there might be three Jackals although it’s difficult to tell because they are so well camouflaged. They are mobile and not always on this side of the rocky outcrop.
The Jackals and Vultures seem to co-exist peacefully until the moment they don’t. There is food here and aggression leads to a greater chance of their survival. One Golden Jackal wrinkles its nose back and snarls. Vultures lean their heads forward and spread their wings. There is ritual in their intimidation.
The Jackal runs past the crowd causing a commotion as huge Griffon Vultures attempt to intimidate it or get out of its way.
I wouldn’t like to be anywhere near the Jackal’s teeth or the Vulture’s beak and claws.
I think they probably feel the same way about each other, too.
More Golden Jackals
A Golden Jackal taking a chunk out of a Griffon Vulture The Golden Jackals are the next to arrive after the Griffon Vultures have descended upon the carcass outside our hide,… read more
Snarl Golden Jackals use their levator labii superioris muscle to snarl. The name means 'raiser of the upper lip'. This Jackal's… read more
Golden Jackals assemble The Golden Jackal family which has arrived on our mountain outcrop seems to consist of an adult pair and a… read more
A Golden Jackal arrives As we sit in the hide at dawn in the Rhodope Mountains, marvelling at the enormous Griffon Vultures which have… read moreMore from the Rhodope Mountains
Tenderness It's hard to identify the emotions of birds. We're separated by 320 million years of evolution since our most recent… read more
Landing gear As a Griffon Vulture approaches, with its fingered-wings spread, and its tail deployed downwards to brake its flight, it gets… read more
Wingspan Griffon Vultures have a wingspan of 2.3–2.8 metres, which is 7.5–9.2 feet in old money. The technical term to describe them… read more
The Ministry of Vulture Walks Griffon Vultures have a most curious walk. It's a high-stepping display walk with neck and wings outstretched. It looks ridiculous,… read more
Seeing faces There's a strange faculty which humans and other animals have. It's the ability to see faces in things where there… read more
Scruffy, aren’t they? Cinereous Vultures are scruffy. Ragged wings, unkempt body feathers and tattered tails. Maybe it's just moulting. Or maybe it's just… read more
Vulture gang violence There appears to be a strict social hierarchy and sense of corpse-etiquette amongst the Cinereous Vultures. These three have ganged… read more
Love is in the air for Bulgaria’s Cinereous Vultures It's been minus 9 degrees overnight and we've been in the hide since before dawn. It's vital we don't disturb… read more
A White-Tailed Eagle lands next to us It's near to the end of a long day marooned in a mountain-top hide, sitting in silence. I spot an… read more