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Pictures of animals in flight -
Last Updated 3 December 2001
Right: A kettle of Turkey Vultures looking for thermals. Great Salt
Plains State Park, Oklahoma, May, 2000. Photo by Roy Beckemeyer.
Left - More Turkey Vultures - these two in formation flight. These birds
are great soarers and are very instructive to watch as they work the skies.
Photo shot by Roy Beckemeyer at Great Salt Plains State Park, OK.
Right - A Great Egret using deep wing beats to take off and climb out. I
had frightened this bird as I walked out from behind some cattails and it wanted
to gain altitude quickly. The wings are poised at the top of the
downstroke, the tips of the primary flight feathers just beginning to bend as
they load up. Another Great Salt Plains S.P. photo.
Left - This Aeshna sp. dragonfly evokes the height of summer as he lazily
hovers over a grassy meadow in New Mexico in August. In this picture, his
forewing is reflecting the bright sun and is halfway through its downstroke.
The hind wings, just barely visible, and slicing upwards and the nearer one is
seen nearly edge-on.
Photo by Roy Beckemeyer, August, 2000.
Right - A Pantala dragonfly patrolling over an open area. These
insects gather in groups and can be seen flying back and forth over an area to
feed. They will occasionally glide for a while. The genus is
characterized by very wide hind wings with lots of area, and are often referred
to by their common name: "Gliders". This is a common scene on the golf course and other grassy areas in
the parks near our home. Photo by Roy Beckemeyer - on the Sim Park Golf
Course, Wichita.