Kosi the young Vulture

If you  hike to the Cross of Sunday lake you may see twelve vultures flying high above the cliffs. These great birds have been constant companions at Sunday and Breeches lakes for a long, long time.

The Turkey Vultures of Sunday Lake are big birds who fly usually in silence and you will rarely hear them making any of their typical calls.

 

Long time ago, before the Abenaki Indians had decided to build their temporary dwellings in St. Ferdinand and before Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas, the vultures at Sunday Lake were a happy and noisy bunch who did not care much about the other animals around the two lakes.  They would build their nest in a small corniche on the cliff so that not even a Bald eagle could bother their chicks. In the evening they would go looking for dead animals in the surrounding areas and bring the food to the waiting beaks.

 

Vultures are very social and they gather in families who like sharing their food supply without hesitation. They also fly in pairs and only the shadow of the big birds flying above will signify to the hiker that they are up in the sky.

 

Vultures are the garbage collectors of nature. Their job  is to seek out and eat any carcasses that have been left on the ground the night before. Their sense of smell and sight are highly developed and they can sense a prey at great distances. Once they identify the dying or dead animal, every family member will be allowed to share the meal.

 

Vultures do not have a great deal of recognition amongst people because they do not fight for the kill, like eagles or hawks do. They just rely on available carcasses or dying animals.

 

There was once a young  vulture, named Kosi,  who, once he was of age to be independent, said to his parents, “ I have seen how we vultures hunt for food and I have also seen Eagles hunting. The Eagle is just as large as us but they are much respected by the animal kingdom and by humans as they will fiercely attack and kill a variety of animals. I feel ashamed of our species and would like to learn how to hunt like eagles do. So I will leave Sunday lake and will seek out to be trained by the bald eagle who visits Breeches lake from time to time.”

In saying those words he greeted good-bye to his family and left.

 

Kosi went to Breeches Lake and waited patiently near a large maple tree for the old Bald Eagle Gorgel to arrive. After two hours of wait, Gorgel appeared and asked, “Hello, Vulture, what can I do for you?”  Kosi said, “My name is Kosi. I am a young vulture from Sunday Lake but I prefer to hunt like you do. Please teach me how to hunt. I will be your devoted servant.”

Gorgel the Eagle was not sure that he wanted to spend time teaching Kosi how to hunt. He realized that he was getting old and all his younger family had left Breeches lake for warmer climate in Vermont and the Adirondacs, so someone who could hunt for him was not a bad idea.

“Very well, I will teach you how to hunt but with three conditions: One, all the pray that you will hunt will be shared between you and me. Two, you need to hunt at least one Rabbit, one Grouse and one Ground Hog during the week following your training. Failing to one of these three objectives you will be dismissed as my helper. “

“Understood. Please start teaching me.”

Gorgel, the Eagle, soared high in the sky and Kosi followed him to learn his style of flying.  Once he discovered something moving on the ground not bigger than a Ground Hog, he would dive at full speed and follow the small prey until he was on its back, then he would grab his back with the powerful claws and bring the poor animal to safer ground where he could dispose of him.

Kosi realized that it was not only the great speed of the Eagle but also his skill to follow its pray in clear grounds, without trees or bushes that would make his flying and hunting, impossible.

Kosi said, “I think I can do it. I will start by finding a Rabbit or a Ground Hog on a grassy area.”

After 45 minutes of circling the skies around a farmer’s field not far from Breeches lake, Kosi saw what looked like a rabbit. She dived only to find out that it was a squirrel running. He followed the squirrel and was close to a catch when the squirrel jumped to a tree and disappeared.. Frustrated with the luck of success Kosi tried again and this time he was a larger animal moving on the grass. This was a porcupine so when he was close to it he tried to grab the animal but the spikes got in his legs and claws and he was forced to let the porcupine loose in the ground.

Kosi was exhausted. Hunting was a difficult and demanding activity. It was so much easier to fly in a flock of twelve birds looking for a suitable prey and when one was discovered everyone would follow and enjoy the meal. Here the hunt belongs to a single bird who has to discover the animal, follow it as silently as possible, avoid low branches and trees and finally grab the animal and take it home. 

After three days of hunting with Gorgel, Kosi had not been able to hunt a single Mouse, rabbit, Ground Hog or Grouse. He collected his huge wings and cried.

“I will starve if I continue this nonsense. In three days my family of vultures would have found meat for all of us with no difficulty. I will go home to Sunday Lake and ask forgiveness from my father. I feel embarrassed that I did not appreciate the great service that we vultures do to the animal kingdom. We are the cleansers and the garbage collectors of nature. Without us, the forest would reek of dead animals.

Kosi went to meet his father, expecting a total rejection from the family. He flew slowly to the nest on the corniche and sat on the tree nearby. His father saw him and immediately greeted him, “Kosi, my son, you are back.” Come home and tell us your adventures.” Kosi, embarrassed explained that being an eagle is a boring and exhausting experience. He was proud of being a vulture and loved the sense of family around. “Please father forgive me for my foolishness. Can you accept me back in the family”.

“Not only that, we shall celebrate with a huge festivity.

And they had a great celebration welcoming Kosi back in the group.

Moral: “Be proud and happy of your ancestry, regardless of their traditions. After all, you are in the world thanks to them.”