June 3, 2007 - Master Gliders Welcome to the Nature Notebook. Probably no one but a naturalist celebrates vultures. After all, these bare-headed birds aren’t brightly colored, they don’t sing sweetly and they rarely visit bird feeders. And, while slightly smaller than a Bald Eagle, vultures do not have the eagle’s powerful flight. To make matters worse, vultures hang around with rather disgusting company: dead animals. But, after all, it is their food. There is no disputing a Turkey Vulture’s mastery of the air, however. On summer days, once the sun has heated the ground warm air begins rising. Then it is vulture time. Vultures seem to lumber into the air from their nighttime roosts, but once they catch a thermal, the warm rising air transforms them into efficient, feathered flying machines that can soar on outstretched wings for hours. That is why these skilled gliders truly are worth celebrating. This is PPL's naturalist, Jon Beam, with the Nature Notebook for WVIA.