Vultures, the birds people love to mythologize. From providing a source of power to the Shaman through its use of the forces of the earth to soar on heat updrafts, to its status as "eagle god" in middle eastern regions; the vulture has traveled through human imagination, and hence folklore, since we left pure instinct in the depths of consciousness. Some scholars have interpreted that the "eagle" which plucked at the liver of Prometheus was actually a vulture. However you choose to view vultures, one thing's for sure, they're curious creatures to many.When I show enthusiasm at the sight of a vulture, the young express the opinions and knowledge based in the modern disgust that plagues this unconventional bird. "They eat people!" "They bring bad luck!" "They like to kill people!" These are just a few little gems I have heard. After my birder zealous explanation for a vulture's place in a balanced and diverse ecosystem, the same young, incredulously, peer at me.
Today, I watched, without judgement or fear of their eating habits, as two enormous vultures playfully soared above my backyard. Flipping and turning, and dipping with wobbling wings, they road an upward heat current. They weren't hunting or looking for their next human victim. Rather, they were enjoying a ride supplied by the planet. Large, and a bit lumbering on the ground, in the air they're free.
Their bad rap is a shame.
No comments:
Post a Comment