Himalayan Vulture, Qinghai, China

[Craig Brelsford]

It pays to be in good shape on the Tibetan Plateau. We saw Himalayan Vultures (高山兀鹫, gāoshān wùjiù, Gyps himalayensis) perching on hilltops near the road. Elevation: a lofty 4380 m. I wasn't going to miss a chance to get close to these imposing birds. I walked straight up the hill, stopping only when I began to feel dizzy, catching my breath, then continuing. Usually one sees these common birds soaring hundreds of meters above; here, I managed to capture the bird taking off. I found this vulture at Qīngshuǐhé (清水河), Qinghai, China. Nikon D3S, 600 mm, F/9, 1/3200, ISO 1600, hand-held.

[Satish Ranadive]

Absolutely superb take off pose.
I like the wing position, HA ,beautiful colors, inclusion of hill top with green vegetation and nice BG.

Regards,
Satish.

[arash_hazeghi]

very nice, TFS species from China we often don't see on this forum, it must have been quite a challenge to hike with the Nikon 600 and then handhold it. You got good exposure, details and I like the darker clouds in the BG. I might crop this one tighter removing space from top and left a bit

[christopher galeski]

good capture,nice flight pose with good detail,TFS.

[Richard Flack]

Awesome shot Craig and even more impressive given the landscape. Lovely wing position and BG. Love the inclusion of the hill top. TFS

[Marina Scarr]

Killer wing position and composition here. Great to see a new species from China. You could do as Arash suggests with your crop which would show off your bird more, but the OP works as well.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Craig, I like this flight pose, and overall well exposed and sharp. Good job climbing to that altitude, and I can only imagine was lies below the 'edge' of the plateau you shot this from.

[Bill Dix]

Imposing vulture, indeed. Thanks for sharing this species. Great flight position, and the inclusion of the hill is very nice. I agree with the crop suggestions above if the IQ holds.