Dead Skunk and Turkey Vultures

Posted on May 26, 2011 in Creatures Driving Neighborhood

Two black bundles of feathers swaggered along the curb on Ridgeline Road. The turkey vultures held their scarlet heads even with the horizontal tilt of their tails. As we passed, they abandoned their carcass and flew into the trees. The brash, bitter scent of their prey — a skunk — blinded the nostrils.

Three hours after sunset ended the scavenging, the odor climbed the hill and barged in beneath the crack of the door.