king vulture, costa rica

Ornately beautiful or grotesquely ugly? You be the judge. 

Photographing these birds is a totally bizarre experience... Scraps from a local slaughter house are placed in a clearing in front of a blind to attract this very species. It was over 40°c and maybe 90% humidity inside the blind, which is constructed with oddly fancy tile work, when considering the rancid meat pile a stone’s throw away, and features pleather office chairs fit for a boardroom. Dripping sweat, you look out through the one way glass in hopes a King will drop down into view. All the while, a gang of Black Vultures is inches away from your face, fixated on their own reflections and meddling with the caulking along the window's edge. Wildlife photography? I'm not so sure. A rare chance to see this incredible bird and realize what strange things people will do for pictures? Most definitely.

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