Hi, Tweets

Since I have quite a big pile of spring migrant reports, thought it time to
post a report. Thanks to all who sent in sightings; this is the second
year collecting reports off Tweeters and my eigth year accumulating turkey
vulture information. It's way past time to get database software!!

Turkey Vulture sightings in the month of March, 1999, in Washington and
British Columbia:

05 - 3 soaring over Delphi Road, south of Olympia
07 - 1 at Dungeness; 1 at Steamboat Isl.Road area
08 - 1 at Port Angeles,
09 - 1 at Whidbey Island (SR20/Ault Road); 1 at Deception Pass; 1 at the
Cassidy Airport, south of Nanaimo
10 - 2 near Discovery Bay; 1 over Eastsound, Orcas Island; 2 near Poulsbo;
1 over Goose Rock at Deception Pass State Park
11 - 1 south of Brewster, Okanogan County
14 - 2 over Tumwater Creek Valley in Port Angeles
15 - 1 circling over the State Capitol neighborhood
16 - 1 at Golden Gardens, Seattle; 2 at Port Angeles
17 - 1 over Hwy 101, near Long Beach; 1 south end of Duvall
18 - 1 at Longview; 2 over the John Wayne Marina near Sequim
19 - 1 at the north end of Camano Island

20 - 2 southwest of Littlerock; 1 at Nisqually NWR; 1 at Leidl Campground
on the Klickitat River; 1 along upper Dalles Mountain Road; 18 at Scatter
Creek Wildlife Area and heading north (this was the first group reported);
2 over the Oak Harbor sewage treatment lagoons

21 - 2 at Skagit Game Headquarters; 7 to the wnw of Oak Harbor (these were
circling in a mixed kettle with immature eagles and redtails); 2 at Lake
Leland near Zuilcene; 1 near Quilcene/Sequim highway junction; 1 over SR 97
and 2 (east of Cle Elum); 7 over Port Angeles - another group of "50+
raptors" seen circling, then headed northwest following the Olympics (these
were undoubtedly vultures on their way north - right time of year, right
place, and the only "raptor" that flocks like that up here in the spring)

22 - 1 over I-5 at Woodland; 10 at Sequim; 5 on the Old Olympic Road; 8
over Port Angeles1 over Kitchen-Dick Ponds w/two a bit later; 50 over the
Dungeness River Valley

23 - 1 at Richmond, B.C.; 1 over Hwy 101, south of the casino/McLeary exit
26 - 2 north of the Port Orchard Airport; 1 at SR 16/Sedgwick Road
28 - 2 at Lantzville, Vancouver Island, B.C.; 4 at North Fork Road, near
Chehalis; 2 near I-5 at the Forest/Napavine Road
30 - the Campbell River Airport vultures arrived this day - no number
mentioned!

These guys seem to be doing their normal thing: starting to dribble in in
early February and gradually growing in numbers through March. Any
additional sightings will be most welcome!

Cheers, Diann

Diann MacRae
Olympic Vulture Study
Bothell
tvulture at halcyon.com