Hi, Tweets

I tried to send this two days ago, but my new server perhaps doesn't care
for vultures since I don't think it went anywhere. I'll try again.

Turkey vultures seem to be getting ready for their long flight south.
Several reports are of larger than usual groups. I appreciate your reports
very much, and hope that you will be able to look up, especially later this
month and in early October. I won't be at Salt Creek this year, but I know
the birds will come on schedule.

Following are reports from British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon for
August 2001:

01 -- 2 soaring near Chapman's Lake, Orcas Island
02 -- 1 on Orcas
03 -- 2 at Deception Pass State Park
04 -- 1 at Derby Reach, Surrey, B.C.; 2 adults/2immatures circling pastures
southwest of Littlerock; 1 over the dike at Jensen's Access; 1 drifting
north of Bay View
05 -- 3 at Vance Creek County Park; 1 soaring north of Stanwood; 4 soaring
over open fields in Fall City; 13 kettling near the Arlington Airport; 4 at
Easton; 1 over the osprey nest at Cle Elum
06 -- 2 soaring near the John Wayne Marina
07 -- 2 at Gibsons, B.C., feeding on a dead seal; 1 immature soaring over
the Yakima River Gorge; 1 soaring west of Vantage; 1 flying over the
subalpine near Bear Creek Mountain, Goat Rocks Wilderness
09 -- 1 at Deer Lake RP, Burnaby, B.C.
10 -- 1 at the Astoria Airport Mitigation Bank, Oregon; 1 near Montesano
11 -- 1 at the West 90 ponds
12 -- 1 at Grass Creek Road, 1 east of Central Park, 2 east of Montesano,
and 1 at Satsop, all Grays Harbor County
13 -- 1 soaring over the West 90
15 -- 20 soaring east of Sprague; 1 flying VFR in Littlerock; 2 near Black
Creek, VI, B.C.
17 -- 1 at no location given; 1 at mp74/I90; 1 over Cle Elum
20 -- 9 on a thermal west of Port Angeles
18 -- 4 at the Satsop River Bridge; 5 at the Brady Loop Road; 8 northeast
of Ocean Shores; 9 near the Marblemount bridge over the Skagit enjoying the
breezes; 1 feeding on a small carcass just off the edge of I-5 near Arlington
19 -- Several pairs seen often on Vancouver Island in several places, i.e.
Qualicum, Quadra Island, and Lantzville; 1 at Jensen's Access; 1 soaring
over a Conway restaurant; 1 flying just south of Snow Goose Produce, Skagit
County; 3 near the carcass at the Arlington off-ramp (1 at carcass/2 in
tree); 1 near Hells Gate, Fraser Canyon, B.C.
20 -- 1 near the West 90 ponds; 1 west of Sultan; 1 at Fort Columbia State Park
23 -- 1 in Stanwood bouncing around in the wind; 2 at the Debris Trap,
Fraser River, B.C.; 1 at Katz, B.C.
24 -- 15 roosting in a tall tree, all with wings outspread, in Estacada,
Oregon; 2 immatures perched on a large piece of driftwood at the North Fork
Access; 1 soaring east of the Swinomish Channel bridge; 1 soaring west of
the bridge; 1 on road kill north of Sedro-Wooley
25 -- 1 at Zigzag, Oregon; ? at Knappa, Oregon
26 -- 1 at Montesano; 2 at Raymond City Park; 2 at the Tokeland Marina
27 -- 24+ including immatures feasting on a sea lion carcass along
Steamboat Slough; 4 circling over shrub steppe lands in southwestern Yakima
County, individual birds also seen in the area
28 -- "great numbers" along I/5 from Salem to Grants Pass, Oregon
29 -- 4 circling over the Marine Biology Labs on San Juan Island; 1
cruising the beach at Gower Point, B.C.
30 -- 2 at Kalama
31 -- 4 soaring, 1 soaring, 4 in a tall snag, and 2 soaring, all near
Camas; 2 soaring east of Camas; 1 soaring over Cape Horn, Columbia River Gorge
Note: a turkey vulture roost on Blackbird Island in Leavenworth was
mentioned, but no comment as to number of vultures or anything.

Again, thanks to all who have been so kind to send me reports with comments
about what these great birds were doing. All of your reports are much
appreciated.

Cheers, Diann
___________________________
Diann MacRae
Olympic Vulture Study
22622 - 53rd Avenue S.E.
Bothell, WA 98021
mailto: tvulture at vei.net
http://users.vei.net/tvulture/