B'More Green reader Erin sent in some photos of birds hanging out in on a roof near her house. She suspected they were vultures and wondered what they were doing in the city.

I sent them to the guy in charge of the Audubon Society's annual bird count, where volunteers head out all over the country at Christmas time to, well, count birds. Over time, the information helps understand how different birds are doing and where they are doing it.

Geoff LeBaron definitely knows how to ID his birds. 

He says they are, indeed, Black Vultures, and they are common birds in the Baltimore area. So, kudos to Erin for calling that one.

LeBaron also said they often roost and/or perch on buildings, "and are quite content in city environs as well in the countryside."
 
City dwellers often feed the birds bread (even though other experts have told B'More Green that bread isn't good birds because it lacks nutrition they need), as well as bird feed. But LeBaron said he doubted anyone was feeding the vulture because they eat carrion. That's dead animal.

There could be a source of food nearby, he said, especially if the building where they are perched "is near the waterfront or a roadway or some other area where there could be carrion available, which is why they’re hanging out on the building." In Baltimore City you're pretty much never far from the water, and dead varmint.

 The vultures like rooftops for roosting overnight, too, because they stay warmer than some other areas, he said.

So there you have it. Vultures in Baltimore.

Photos courtesy of Erin