05/20/2026
A little over a month ago, we discovered an old building tucked away in the woods near the Raptor Center. To our surprise, inside was a Black Vulture nest with two eggs. Black Vultures nests are typically on the ground often choosing abandoned structures, hollow logs, or sheltered spaces. They’re also highly devoted parents, sharing incubation and chick‑rearing duties.
A few weeks later, we admitted two orphaned Black Vulture chicks. We checked the wild nest to see if our chicks might be compatible age, we found that one egg had disappeared and the remaining egg was infertile. The devoted parents were still in nesting mode and with the proper permissions, we explored a conservation technique known as wild fostering. Wild fostering is placing orphaned young with suitable wild parents who can raise them naturally.
We introduced the two orphaned chicks to the vulture pair on Monday and set up a trail camera to monitor their response. What we saw was exactly what we hoped for.
This moment captured on camera shows the foster mother returning to the nest and feeding one of the chicks. The father has also been active on camera, taking his turn caring for the young. Black Vultures are cooperative breeders, and both parents and sometimes even extended family members, participate in raising the young.
By allowing these chicks to be raised by wild adults, they’ll learn essential natural behaviors that humans simply can’t teach: proper social cues, vocalizations, foraging skills, and species‑specific interactions. It’s one of the most successful ways to prepare orphaned birds for life in the wild.
Sometimes conservation is hands‑on. Sometimes it’s stepping back and letting nature do what it does best.
