Valentine’s Day usually brings to mind cardinals, roses, and all the pretty stuff. Out at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, my Valentine’s theme this year is a little different.
I have been watching a pair of Black Vultures that keep coming back to a big tree next to the road. A few days ago, I photographed what looks like the same pair again, acting like they are getting serious about nesting season.
Then they did something I did not expect, they started nuzzling like an old married couple.
This is the kind of behavior I rarely catch, because it happens fast. They stayed close, worked the perch together, and kept checking the area like they were already settled in.
A Valentine’s Day Pair I Can Count On
This spot has become one of my regular check-ins when I drive the refuge. The tree is easy to see from the road, and the vultures are often close by when the timing is right.
What I like most is the teamwork. Black Vultures are social birds, and pairs often stick close, especially as nesting season approaches. When I see two birds holding the same perch and watching the world together, it reads like a partnership.
It is not flashy, but it is steady. That feels like the point of Valentine’s Day anyway.
Wildlife Notes
When Black Vultures are settling into a nesting cycle, I pay attention to a few simple things. I look for a consistent pair, repeat visits to the same area, and that “hanging around home” feel instead of roaming.
Black Vultures do not build the kind of stick nest people expect. They commonly use protected places like hollow trees, downed logs, or other sheltered sites. If this roadside tree has worked for them before, it makes sense they would check it again.
I also watch how they use the space. If one bird shifts and the other follows, or they keep matching each other’s body language, I take that as a good sign the pair bond is active and they are planning ahead.
If you want to see what it can look like when the season moves forward, here’s a post I wrote about a youngster making the jump into the world: Young Black Vulture Leaving the Nest.
Photography Notes
This was a roadside setup from my truck, which is often the least disruptive way to work a familiar perch like this. I shot with my Canon EOS R5 Mark II and the Canon RF 200–800mm F6.3–9 IS USM.
I used a beanbag on the open window for steady support. That matters, even at faster shutter speeds, because it helps keep framing precise and takes the strain off my arms.
Settings
- Camera: Canon EOS R5 Mark II
- Lens: Canon RF 200–800mm F6.3–9 IS USM
- Focal length: 258mm
- Aperture: f/10
- Shutter speed: 1/2000 second
- ISO: 1000
- Exposure compensation: 0
- Support: Beanbag on open window of my truck
At 1/2000, I had plenty of speed to freeze any head movement. The sky was clean, so I leaned into a simple composition and let the pair carry the frame. I also left extra room around them, because two birds together can feel cramped fast if the edges get tight.
Closing
If you are looking for a Valentine’s Day message from nature, I will take this one. Partnership does not have to be pretty to be real.
This Black Vulture pair is back at their roadside tree again, and I will be watching to see what happens next.