Black Vulture in Wayne Co. - 23 Aug 2026

After adding Red-necked Phalarope to my Wayne County list I headed home and spent the morning in the garden digging up tree roots and sod with the hope of transplanting more field wildflowers. By lunch time I was EXHAUSTED. Then I saw the report of a Black Vulture at the dump next to Crosswinds Marsh.

I headed to Haggerty Road and drove to the dump where several birders were (hopefully) on the bird. Unfortunately it was inside the construction fence and low against the hill of the dump so the view required climbing onto the roof of the car. For the next 30-45 minutes I was standing on the rear seat of the car and trying to balance the scope on the tripod on the roof. That took considerable effort and considerable discomfort.

A quarter mile away a group of Turkey Vultures were perched atop metal construction equipment while dozens more Turkey Vultures flew overhead and drifted in and out of view over the dump. When I arrived it was thought that the Black Vulture was perched on the brown railing right of the blue railing in the image below. A vulture with a black head was visible but it was impossible to tell if it was our bird, or not. I spotted a second black-headed vulture on a white construction railing further left.

For 30 minutes we had to wait for one or the other to stretch or fly off in order to see the silver wing-tips that would differentiate the Black Vulture from the Turkey Vultures. Finally, the bird to our right took off and it turned out to be a juvenile Turkey Vulture.

Luckily, a few moments later a black-headed vulture appeared on the fencing in front of the equipment and began to stretch. I was able to make out silver primaries through the scope and believed it to be our Black Vulture.

When it finally lifted off we immediately saw the silver wingtips and short tail. Now it was a matter of trying to get it in focus as it took off toward the dump before circling back and returning to the construction equipment. Flocks of European Starlings destroyed autofocus as the Black Vulture disappeared behind them but I managed to get enough images to verify ID.

As it returned to roost I was able to get some nice comparison pics next to the Turkey Vultures.

When it landed it disappeared out of sight behind the Turkey Vultures. I took this as a queue to head home. A Michigan State Lifer (#329) and a Wayne County Lifer (#262). Incidentally, we look for Black Vulture every fall during the Detroit River Hawk Watch season and have not had one in the past 10+ years.

Crosswinds Marsh, Wayne, Michigan, US
Aug 23, 2026 2:47 PM - 3:39 PM
Protocol: Traveling
0.046 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Cloudy, breezy, 74F.
5 species

Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  20
Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus)  1     Black head and black wings w silver primary linings. Seen in flight. Pics. Perched on fence and structures next to Volvo tractor.
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)  36
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)  20
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  250

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S386294146

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)