Landing gear
As a Griffon Vulture approaches, with its fingered-wings spread, and its tail deployed downwards to brake its flight, it gets ready to …
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 is ‘massive’.
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, as well …
Seeing faces
There’s a strange faculty which humans and other animals have. It’s the ability to see faces in things where there aren’t faces. …
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, high in …
A Raven and a Griffon Vulture
Ravens are large birds. They look like toys next to Griffon Vultures.
Snarl
Golden Jackals use their levator labii superioris muscle to snarl. The name means ‘raiser of the upper lip’. This Jackal’s top lip …
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 …
A Golden Jackal arrives
As we sit in the hide at dawn in the Rhodope Mountains, marvelling at the enormous Griffon Vultures which have just arrived, …
The magic of Griffon Vultures in the Rhodope Mountains
We’ve spent a day in a minibus travelling east from Lake Kerkini in Greece to the Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria. In the …
Real life Griffons
Britain used to have vultures. Yes, real-life vultures, I’m not talking about high pressure mobile phone sellers; I’m talking about the birds. …