A few months back I was coming home, late enough in the summer to still have some light. This was also well before the maddening ritual of “daylight savings time” compels us to dance our shifty-eyed dance around the Great Ferret under a gibbous moon to celebrate the coming of the winter equinox. OK we don’t do that last bit but at least then it would be consistent and probably make a cool movie – and by “cool” I mean straight to video under the title “Finicky Fred Ferret Finally Finds Food” to be mistakenly purchased by some parents as a children’s classic, which sadly it would not be.
Anyway, there I am coming home, driving past the land fill when I see a sight I am certain I have not seen before. There in the sky above me are dozens of black winged vultures, swirling in a great spiral no more than 200 feet off the ground. Let me take a moment here and note that the phrase “black winged vultures” contains a level of redundancy not seen since the pyramidal-shaped pyramids were constructed by plucky bands of Egyptian pyramid builders. Vultures *without* wings would be fearsome terrestrial predators lurching unevenly toward you, chopsticks clutched menacingly in cruel talons, their intentions quite clear.
OK, now where was I? Oh yes the massive black winged spiral of DEATH. It is not uncommon to see a vulture or two by the side of the road doing that thing vultures do. But this huge flock? herd? school? of vultures made no sense. I mean what were they going after, a fallen brontosaurus? I know that vultures will roost together for protection in numbers, but this massing in the sky was new to me, a sight I will not soon forget.
whoisfenton 