26 days old Eurasian Griffon Vulture chick

Yes, I have to confess I went to the Zoo of Duisburg again to meet the Eurasian Griffon Vultures. The "little" chick is growing so fast that I don't like to miss a moment. By now it's almost as big as a Thanksgiving Turkey!

This time I was very lucky: Because of the surprisingly hot and muggy weather the vulture-parents plumage got too warm for the chick. That's why it was sitting or lying panting inside the nest all the time, pefectly observable!

Hehe, after few minutes two zoo keepers where coming closer and one of them was ecstatic shouting: "Ooooh, monster-baby!" Yes, it is!!! The tiny hatchling became a handsome chicken, although it's not even four weeks old.

Panting for breath, damn muggy today! Every movement is getting an enormous effort for the weak "little" vulture chick...

...but it already learned how to clean it's "feathers" as tidy as it's vulture-mommy!

The strong legs have to be cleaned, too!

By now the chick has got an impressing wing length!!!

Doesn't the chick look very human on this picture? As if it would lay his tired head down on his folded arms (wings)... adorable!!!

Crop bloated with food.

How fluffy vulture-mommys white ruffle is... especially while the chicks neck is still naked.

Tired again...

Vulture-daddy cleaning his plumage.

Stretching exercises next to the nest. Vulture-mommys muscles got very tired of caring for the chick...

... and after stretching, when being able to move again, vulture-mommy is leaving the nest and vulture-daddy takes care for the chick.

Now vulture-daddy is caring for the chick and feeding it with fluid carcass.

24 days old Eurasian Griffon Vulture chick

(Addition from Thursday, 26.04.2012)

Today I had an interesting discussion: Am I feeling lonely when spending so much time at the Eurasian Griffon Vultures enclosure of the Zoo of Duisburg? Especially when I am waiting half an hour or even longer without anything happens!? Good question! But missunderstanding!!! First of all vulture are my favorite hobby and I can spend many hours watching vultures without getting bored. If I had a vultures enclosure next to my window I would never need tv again. I guess most people cannot understand that... but there are other hobbies, similar time-consuming, nothing happens until this special moment that's worth the waiting: Fishing or paragliding. When fishing you just sit there, not moving at all, just waiting and waiting and when you catch a fish most of the time you will release it again. But you had a wonderful, relaxing time. The same when paraglider are staying on top of a hill with their glider prepared for take-off... and then the themals change and they have to wait for better weather conditions. I had such an experience in South Africa when doing my first tandem flight. One hour we were just waiting, watching the windbag, not being able to move cause my pilot and me were already clamped together... but for the great experience of paragliding I would spend an hour waiting for better thermals again and again. Furthermore waiting for a great experience can be very exciting and fascinating, like when waiting at the vultures enclosure for the vulture chick creeping out from under it's parents plumage ;-)

When spending my time in the zoo I also like meeting friedly people like the eye specialist with his sweet, little son. I was late afternoon, the doors of the zoo already closed and there were just few people left in the zoo. When he saw me standing next to the enclosure with my camera at the ready he got curious and asked me if there's a vulture chick inside the nest. Unfortunately the chick was hiding and he just saw his back... but because half an hour ago I had the chance to watch the chick I was able to show him some pictures. We were talking about vultures and he asked a lot of questions. And you all know, I love talking about vultures and sharing my fascination ;-) 20 minutes later the vulture community welcomed a new member I proudly guess... or at least someone how will see vultures with different eyes now and respecting them.

My conclusion is that a zoo isn't a lonely place but joins! And I learned something new today: There is a Turkish fairytale exciting where vultures are shown in a POSITIVE way!!! I really have to look for this fairytale and a translation...

After such a nice talk I cannot wait to go to the zoo again. Maybe some more nice meetings are waiting for me!?