Terry Pfardresher was hiking in a Redwood forest in Gualala when she heard a hissing sound. There on the edge of a Redwood stump was a Turkey Vulture chick. Terry took nature photographer, Craig Tooley, to the site and he got this photo.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has this to say about their nests: "Turkey Vultures nest in rock crevices, caves, ledges, thickets, mammal burrows and hollow logs, fallen trees, abandoned hawk or heron nests, and abandoned buildings. These nest sites are typically much cooler (by 13°F or more) than surroundings, and isolated from human traffic or disturbance. While they often feed near humans, Turkey Vultures prefer to nest far away from civilization."

Here is the photo Terry took several days earlier. The young bird hopped down into the hollowed out Redwood stump just after she took this photo, so we're sure that's where the nest is.

This is a rare sighting and I thank Terry for sharing it with us. Thanks also to Craig for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is his website: www.ruffimage.com