I got up around 7:00 this morning and was out the door with the dog in about 15 minutes.  We headed off to the American River Bend Park.  It as overcast and chilly all morning, so a lot of the critters slept in.  I did get to see some Scrub Jays, Starlings, woodpeckers, and gulls and geese.  And while I was walking along that part of the trail that abuts the river, I came across a large flock of vultures.  They were in an old scag of a tree, above my head, and I didn’t realize they were there until some of them took off suddenly, breaking twigs and showering me with leaves as they left.  Startled the crap out of me!  Some of them hung around a while, and I got some photos of them.  Some of them were sopping wet, and must’ve been grabbing dead fish off the riverbank or something.  They sat with their wings out, trying to dry themselves off.  The river was slow-moving and like glass in some spots.  Further on the trail, I found some more vultures sitting on the banks, saw a crow hopping on rocks along the water ay, and later came across a small band of bachelor turkeys.  They’re such pretty birds, all coppery and dark iridescent green and purple…  The dog and I walked for about 3 hours and then headed back to the car.