With a wingspan of up to 2.8 metres, the Griffon Vulture, which belongs to the goshawk family, is one of the largest flying birds in the world. This carrion-eating bird of prey has excellent eyesight with which it searches for carcasses while flying. Spain has large flocks of griffon vultures but thanks to reintroduction programmes in the French and Italian Alps, the species is now found there again. Increasingly, they are also migrating further north when food is scarce and it is no longer unknown in the Netherlands either.
A breeding pair of griffon vultures stays together all their lives, living and hunting in groups. If one bird has seen something and dives down, the others follow to join the dinner. The griffon vulture cannot tear open a carcass by itself but must wait for other predators to prepare the carcass for the meal.
Photography has been my passion since 1975. Whereas in the past I often photographed people, I now mainly focus on photographing landscapes, nature and animals... Read more…