Bobby Williams

Some people call these birds buzzards, but that’s a name that doesn’t exactly convey their nobility. “Buzzz-erd” — yuck — somehow the word connotes something unpleasant. Rightfully, this fellow is called a turkey vulture — how does that sound? The turkey vulture has a place in our culture, clearing our roadsides of unwanted carrion. In the air, he is a graceful glider and a handsome lad, at least from a distance. They abound in the Wayne County area. Photographer Bobby Williams caught this one sitting on a fence at Ross Head Stables at the corner of N.C. 403 and N.C. 55 in southern Wayne County, having interrupted his o’possum dinner.