Going Nomad |
Photo credit: davidpwhelan at Morgue File We're at Lake Mead once more. Summer time at Lake Mead is unforgiving; temperatures as high as 45 degrees Celsius, which increases as summer goes by. I recently learned that the area host an incredible number of animals who have adapted to the harsh environment. There are numerous amphibians and reptiles, including the Gila Monster, different snakes, there are 19 species of bats, there are big horn sheep, mountain lions, many different fish in the lake, beavers, name it. They have adapted to the harsh environment and make it work. There is also a large population of Turkey Vultures (oddly not mentioned on Lake Mead National Park's website. And I looked up animals at Lake Mead because I wondered, what can here possibly live (and die) to support such a large population of Turkey Vultures? Well, a lot. I find these birds incredible. We have them in Canada, but I have only seen them in Squamish; here they are in abundance (madly protected thankfully; $15,000 US fine or 6 months in prison for taking one). They are gorgeous. Their wing span can be as wide as 6 feet, and they are masters at gliding the warm air, effortlessly looking from above, or more, smelling from above for their next meal; they have an amazing nose (unusual for a bird) and they smell out their next meal, keeping the desert clean and free of rabies. They are so good at smelling out a meal that other vultures such as Black Vultures join them for guidance toward the next go-to place. This very early morning, one last swim in Lake Mead, and there were these four youngsters to welcome me to the shore. Turkey Vultures lower their body temperatures at night (to just over 1 degree Celsius) to preserve energy, so they are hypothermic when they wake up. They sat there quietly throughout my swim, and I speculated that they were warming up a little before disappearing into the skies, riding those thermals again.
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