And some Old West Dudley family history.
This is a common posture for Turkey Vultures and researchers believe it may serve a variety of functions under different conditions.
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
This photo was taken on the morning of April 3, 2016 as the Turkey Vulture was “sunbathing” on a rock in Box Elder County, Utah. Typical of vultures its wings and tail were widely spread and fully exposed to the warmth of the rising sun.
Researchers suggest a variety of possible functions for this behavior including heat loss when the bird’s temperature is above the thermal neutral zone and heat gain, particularly on cool sunny mornings (as this morning was). Collectively the two behaviors are referred to as thermoregulation. When their feathers are damp or wet it’s a method of drying their plumage and I’ve heard speculation that it may also be a method employed to use the UV in sunlight to kill harmful bacteria on their plumage. After all, the dietary habits of vultures are far from sanitary.
Besides its behavioral aspects I like this image for its mood. The combination of a Turkey Vulture perched on lichen-covered rocks in a sagebrush/rabbitbrush setting always reminds me of the romance of the Old West which I’ve always had a strong interest in and affinity for, especially given my family history. My great-grandfather Joseph Smith Dudley (yes, the Dudley’s were early Mormon pioneers) and his brothers drove freight wagons loaded with supplies from Utah to the Montana mining fields (usually to Fort Benton but also to “Last Chance Gulch” which eventually became Helena) through most of the 1870’s. I’ve done extensive research on Joe over the years and following is an excerpt from a Dudley family history web page I created several years ago that might explain part of my fascination with the history of the Old West and my family’s connection to it.
- “In one incident the Dudley brothers lost a horse on the trail so they stayed behind with their wagons to look for it. The other men with wagons refused to wait and went ahead. The Dudley’s found their horse and left the next morning to catch up with the rest. When they caught up with the others they found “freight wagons burned, men scalped and their horses run off”. Bill (Windy) Davis, a contemporary who knew them as freighters, said of the Dudley brothers – they were all “6 foot, straight as arrows, good looking, well educated men” who “the outlaws respected” and that they “drove some of the best horses and largest freight wagons that pulled into Fort Benton”.”
So yes, when I see a photo like this one (or even a similar scene while I’m in the field photographing birds), I often wonder how many times Joe saw something similar on his way to Montana, with the reins in his hands as he cussed a team of stubborn mules or horses (Joe was known to cuss a blue streak…).
And who knows, maybe there were even vultures circling overhead when Joe and his brothers found their scalped friends.
Ron
Addendum: As an afterthought I decided to include a photo of Joseph Smith Dudley taken in 1912 when he was 61 or 62 years old.
Image courtesy of Utah State University Special Collections – Compton Collection. Used by permission
It’s my understanding that Joe was tough as nails, crusty and hard-nosed but well-respected in the early Mormon community. He killed a man named Henry Wadman with 3 pistol shots to the head in 1879 when they got into a nasty fight over Joe’s first wife (not my great-grandmother) because Henry and Matilda Dudley were having an adulterous affair during Joe’s extended trips to Montana. Testimony at Joe’s trial for murder indicated that Henry was the attacker and after 5 days of testimony the jury found Joe not guilty, apparently for reasons of self defense.
Before the trial Matilda left Joe, initially claiming she did so because of Joe’s habits of “horse racing and smoking” but during the trial she testified that the actual reason she left him was because Wadman had “induced me to leave and I was guilty of criminal intercourse”.
I love my family history, warts and all. And there sure are plenty of warts…
After reading through the comments, I’m glad that I’ve found my people: fellow “warts!” I say, if you can’t put the “fun” in “dysfunction,” why bother? 😉
Well said, Marty!!!
LOL Marty! Yep, us warty folks have found our people and our home, haven’t we? HEHEHE!
I love vultures! I say he’s doing the TV equivalent of “jazz hands” in that shot! 😉
I also love your colorful family history. “Joe was known to cuss a blue streak…” I woulda liked this guy!
This is a fun type of post and any time you want to combine scavengers and the Old West, I’m game!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Marty. It was fun for me to write too.
Three Cheers.
Hooray for vultures. A very necessary bird. That we don’t have.
And another hooray for family history (and history more generally). I know next to nothing of mine for complicated reasons, and mourn.
And a third hooray for warts. Much more interesting almost invariably than the saints.
Thanks for all three, EC.
I love stories and photos of earlier folks, earlier times–especially the interesting ones with “warts”. Not so interested in the goody goody homogenized ones…I grew up with very independent, often rebellious characters, my mother in particular—and I miss them (probably why I went into teaching the “learning disabled” and the “disaffected”)…
I have both types of ancestors, Patty – some so clean cut they almost seem sanitized and others with warts galore. Without exception I find the latter group far more interesting.
Wonderful post! You’re a multi=faceted person and so are your followers. It is such a joy to read your comments and then follow up with all the comments. I love nature and history as well and the bulk of tv watching is PBS. They had a great show about butterflies this week and anything flying is my favorite nature subject. I look forward everyday to what you share. Thanks.
Betty, I watched “Sex, Lies and Butterflies” on PBS just last night!
And I get as much kick out of reading the comments here as you do.
Many birds “sun”. I think they like the heat of the early morning sun or to cool off on a hot day. I also feel it is for vitamin D, when they raise their feathers the sun can shine on the skin. IMO one challenge of rehabbing birds is vitamin D absorption from sun light. The Birds are kept in towel covered cages or darkened carriers for quiet, less exposure to humans and their own safety. Often in some birds raised from hatchlings I have seen poor feather growth on the head specifically around the eyes. I feel it is the birds way of having more exposed skin to try to capture more sun light and vitamin D. Once they are out into mews and more sunlight they feather up in bald facial areas.
I wonder if your grandfather knew William Streeper, the mormon pioneer who built the house my parents still own. He was also a freighter in the 1870’s he recorded many of his stories and adventures.
I enjoyed hearing about your experiences regarding sunlight, feather growth and rehabbing birds, April.
Since they were both freighters and most wagon freight leaving Utah in that time frame was headed for the MT gold fields I’ll bet it’s likely that Streeper and Joe did know each other.
Ron,
I have several pics of the same pose (and as you know, in the same area). It is nice to now know what they are doing. I had thought drying their wings as you say but appreciate the other information. Your pics are great but the education is even better. As far as warts are concerned, I knew you had some pioneer in you! Personally I am the wart in my family. I prefer to call it “black sheep” and when I use the phrase my wife gets quite upset with me. Maybe the truth hurts. Maybe it’s because I am the youngest in the family and at 64 I am still waiting to “grow up!” Nevertheless, life goes on and I am not likely to change at this point.
Thanks for the post and the education. Now my similar pics are more meaningful to me.
Best, Pioneer Ron,
Stephen
Sounds like we share much more than just our interest in bird photography, Stephen! Up to a point I’ve always reveled in my “wartiness”…
Almost forgot…the other thing about spreading their feathers in the sun is that the sunlight turns the oils in their feathers into useable Vitamin D, which works well with the calcium in the bones of what they eat. Ain’t vultures grand? They’re so perfectly designed for what they do!
I forgot about that one, Laura. And there’s also evidence that exposing feathers to sunlight helps to straighten them out into their proper shape, or so I’ve read in some of my research.
Yep the feather straightening thing is appropriate. Falconers use a two-sided metal tool with a shaft-sized gully down the middle, heated in hot water, to straighten a bent feather. It works to a point to prevent breakage, but only with slightly to moderately bent shafts. Don’t you just love nature? It’s just fascinating (along with history).
And I neglected to mention that Mr. Boring was anything but boring! Loved that guy–he kept me thoroughly engaged for the entire course.
WOW! This post was an unexpected treat! First, I love vultures. They’re just cool folks. They’re right up there with redtails (raptors, birds, critters) in my world.
Secondly, I LOVE American History (that’s where my masters degree is). I read historical texts just for fun and I’m fascinated with stories from The Way West. I’m pretty sure if I’d been around at that time, I’d have headed west, too, probably because of my warts. Anyway, in addition to everything else on your blog, I LOVE it when you share your family history. And let’s put ancestral warts under the heading of unique idiosyncrasies. LOL! Thank you again (and again, and onward)!
And HAHA! Yes, I’ve had a few murderous thoughts, however, the alternative could be worse!! I truly fear plunging into an updated version of the Dark Ages again. It’s pretty clear that humans will NEVER learn 😉
It’s funny Laura but as a kid and young adult history usually bored me to tears (even though my mother was a true history addict). But in the last 30 years or so I’ve slowly been seduced by its charms so now it’s at the top of my reading and documentary-watching lists.
I’m lucky that history seduced me early on. By third grade, I was reading voraciously, way above my grade level. It was literature in general, but history in particular. Oddly, I had a 9th-grade Ohio History teacher named Mr. Boring…seriously!
Anyway, my mother called me a bookworm, and in her world, that was a very bad thing. I was supposed to be figuring out how to snatch an appropriate mate instead of keeping my nose buried in a book or going outside to explore wild things. Sadly, she and I never connected except on Native turquoise jewelry. After that, our relationship plummeted down into an uncomfortable abyss.
“I had a 9th-grade Ohio History teacher named Mr. Boring…seriously”
And in the late 60’s I had a botany professor at the U of U named, wait for it….
Dr. Seville Flowers! That’s the truth. The poor guy died during the first week of class…
LOL! That sounds like a name straight out of “Harry Potter.” So sorry he died.
Love your family story😊 We have Turkey Vultures everywhere ❗️ Must say they interfere with my Bald eagle watching. Once and awhile we will find sub-adults flying with them.
Have a great day
Thanks, Diana. Yes, those younger vultures are often easy to spot because their heads aren’t yet red.
Turkey Vultures came back this week and yesterday PM we had a heavy snow storm that dumped 2″. Today the snow is mostly gone! Thankfully the sun is getting warmer each day.
Looking at your shot with the wings outstretched I can’r help but think of how an Anhinga extends its wings to dry itself. Great shot Ron.
Family histories are very interesting, I have to say you have more interesting nuggets of information on your family than I do on mine. Fun post to read. Many Thanks!
You’re right about that comparison to Anhingas, Dick. Thank you.
Very cool vulture and relative shots! Ol’ Joseph had quite the soup-strainer. Interesting reading. Thanks for sharing.
“Ol’ Joseph had quite the soup-strainer”
He sure did, Dave. I actually had one quite like that for about 10 years. Sure glad I got rid of it!
I love the photo of your Grandfather. It is a good thing he was acquitted or you would not be here to delight us with your photography. (In North Carolina Martha’s actions with Mr. Wadman are called Criminal Conversation and Alienation of Affection. It is still law here.) Thanks to Ancestry.com I have found my half-sisters! I am the wart 🙂
Your “I am the wart” comment made me smile, Melanie. And gave us something in common!
I’ve often thought of how the jury, Joe’s defense lawyer and Judge Emerson’s instructions to the jury (which I have read) made my very existence possible. Otherwise Joe would have been “hung by the neck until dead” in his 20’s before he married my great-grandmother.
Criminal intercourse. That’s a new one on me.
Martha, for many years (and in many cultures) adultery was a criminal offense. In some cultures and in some states it still is.
Neat history Ron. Think of how they must have felt to come across the others in the party scalped.
I’ve thought of that often, Ed. It’s my understanding that they were friends so I can only imagine…
Interesting family history Ron. Fortunately the Dudleys have gone from their wild ways to funneling their energy into wildlife photography. In our close by Granite Mountain National Forest area there are two large old dead pine trees that the Turkey Vultures use for their morning warm up. Sometimes there are up to 30 of them. They all sit in those tress with wings wide spread for at least an hour every morning, and then they start taking short flights around the area until they are finally ready to head out and assume their duties as the local clean-up squad.
Everett Sanborn, Prescott AZ
Don’t kid yourself, Everett. I still have a latent wild streak… 🙂
Yes, individual vultures can hold this thermoregulating posture for up to 15 minutes at a time (based on some research I read).
I love the turkey vulture shot. For all their “warts” they are beautiful too. The family story is very interesting.Your philosophy about your family history is spot on. We all have warts in our background, it’s how you learn from them that counts. Great post!
Thanks, Laurie.
Years from now if anyone ever writes about my contribution to Dudley family history I’m sure there’ll be some warts in that part of the story too. I haven’t killed anyone, yet – but in this political and environmental climate, if pressed I’d have to admit that I’ve had some related thoughts… 🙂
Beautiful photo, Ron. 🙂 We really don’t have the vultures in this area – at least I’ve never seen one. A bird evoking mixed feelings in me and others for sure! Family history is fun – thx for sharing some more of it! 🙂
Interesting, Judy – it’s funny that I’ve never thought of it but I don’t remember EVER seeing a Turkey Vulture on our MT family farm. And looking at their range map in Sibley’s I see that there’s a small “scoop” taken out of their range near the mountains in NW MT where our farm is near Glacier NP.