#257-365 Regal

The second last of my shots from the Taronga Park Zoo Free Flying demonstration. In the last post Veejayr asked if the Sea eagle was as scary as it looked, which made me take another look at the shot. And I did not see scary at all, so checked them all and I guess it is a "Boy" Thing or maybe just the eye of the beholder, None of these birds are scary (to me) they are all gorgeously elegant examples of Mother Nature's Best works! And yes they are killers, generally very effective killers which is why they are still around. Which brings me to todays post.
I had this guy sitting in reserve, not sure of the best fitting theme title. I settled on Regal because that is how he looks to me! This guy is a member of the second largest birds currently flying the world skys. He is an Andean Condor, which is second in size only to the Albatross. If you want an idea of this condors size check out the keepers feet to the left of the birds head. Enlarged I see this shot as a fantastic display of that magnificent wingspan - A really regal portrayal of a regal bird.
As is the case with me though, things aren't always what hey seem! this isn't a bird of prey in the literal sense, Yes it does kill (occasionally) but mainly it eats carrion, it is a Vulture! The Sea Eagle (species) of yesterday also eats carrion but generally it kills to live, as does the Bald Eagle and the australian Wedgetailed Eagle etc. they are Birds of Prey - Killers! now don't get me wrong I am not disparaging carrion eaters, they clean up the earth really well so that I can enjoy walking around without a peg stuck on my nose! In fact the most important creature on earth is the Dung Beetle, Boy is that important.
I stand by the fact that this bird looks regal in this shot, but if you had seen him in the display bumbling around, scrambling over the rocks to catch up with the keeper in his desperate attempts to get the food on offer, you too would not have had a first thought of regal, it was only Vicki's comment that prompted this line of reasoning, he is regal as is his job, the thought that these guys nearly became extinct is frightening, can you imagine a world without them, or a world without Dung Beetles even more terrifying.