Monday, July 24, 2006

Little Round Top Vultures

Today, it is difficult to imagine the carnage that was seen in this part of the battlefield. After all, children clamor over the rocks, jumping from boulder to boulder like mountain goats. Tourists with cameras and bermuda shorts strain to get up the steepish paths. While we were observing the views and reading all the plaques and monuments, my brother in law Ron and I observed two buzzards or vultures perched on a dead tree just beyond the rocks. We strolled closer and closer (carefully on the rocks) to get a better view of the birds. For the benefit of you, dear reader, I risked falling on the uneven rocks. I am very uncoordinated but worst of all--I acquired a TICK on my actual person. Fortunately, Ron was close at hand and removed the little critter with ease--unless you count the difficulty of dealing with my hysteria.
Here is Ron posed before the dead tree, with the little specks of black that are the birds behind him.

They readjust themselves, junior is hungry. I curse the limitations of the zoom on my camera. One cannot properly see the detail of the birds. They are very fluffy.
The mother regurgitates a snack to feed junior, although he looks big enough to fend for himself.Looking toward Cemetery Ridge and Cemetery Hill we see the birds perched on their dead tree (so fitting given the type of birds that they are) beside the monument to the Zoave clad soldiers. Such birds would, sadly, have been present when the battle originally took place, is our grim thought as we turn to leave.

Here is the Zoave statute from the front. Such cool uniforms! I would have been a Zoave just for the fashion statement I think.

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