Subject: June 2002 turkey vulture report
Date: Jul 3 18:20:32 2002
From: Diann MacRae - tvulture at vei.net


Hi, Tweets

It's a bit early yet for many young turkey vultures, but it sounds like a
very few are being seen. Be on the lookout for those non-red heads.

Turkey vultures reported in Washington and British Columbia during June, 2002:

01 -- a tree full of vultures at the Roslyn exit off I-90 (actually, there
were 8 "perched like ornaments" in a snag plus 3 flying overhead); 2 near
Kittitas; 4 seen soaring over I-90 at various spots; 2 at Black Creek,
Quadra Island, B.C.; 8 near Quadra Village, B.C.; 2 at Bowser, B.C.; 1 at
Qualicum, B.C.; 1 at Nanoose, B.C.; 2 at Lantzville, B.C.; 1 over Halfmoon
Bay, B.C.
02 -- 9 on the ground feeding on a carcass between Ladner and McNeil Roads,
B.C.; 5 at Washington Harbor east of Sequim ("2 soaring, 1 doing a
balancing act on a thin pole, and 2 having a coffee break near the water")
03 -- 16 grouped on the ground west of Neaves Road, B.C.; 2 high over the
Sauk River north of Darrington
05 -- 5 flying in a line east of Arlington
06 -- 28 in overflight in Abbotsford, B.C.
07 -- 1 on Colockum Road; 1 flying over Vancouver, B.C.; 1 very, very
ragged circling near Littlerock and checking out a dead bunny; 1 along the
beach near Howe Sound, B.C.
08 -- 4 on the ground near Neaves Road, B.C.; 1 soaring over Gower Point,
B.C. 2 in the afternoon
10 -- 2 near the Gibsons Airport, B.C.
11 -- 1 soaring over the Sprague exit in Adams County; 2 soaring over the
marina at Point Roberts
12 -- 1 over Gower Point, B.C.
13 -- 11 (total) from the Nicolai Mountain BBS; 2 between Easton and Cle
Elum; 1 at Kittitas; 2 flying over Easton; 5 over Hood Canal from the Mt.
Walker viewpoint; 4 near Fat Smitty's
14 -- 2 over the Wakesiah Valley, B.C.; 3 soaring over the Kachess Lake Exit
15 -- 4 landed on fence posts and preened for about 10 minutes west of
Mount Vernon, then one by one flew off and joined two others; 3-4 near
Lantzville, B.C.; 3 soaring north of Sechelt, B.C.
16 -- 3 in a tree just outside the Skagit WRA; 2 over Lantzville, B.C.; 6
near Nanoose Bay, B.C.; 2 south of Parksville, B.C.; 3 near the beach at
Qualicum, B.C.; 3 along the Gower Point beach, B.C.
17 -- 2 over Leavenworth; 1 just south of Tonasket
18 -- 2 soaring over the Mary Hill area of Port Coquitlam, B.C.; 1 over
Gower Point, B.C.
19 -- 1 soaring over Gibsons, B.C.
22 -- 8 at the George Adams Salmon Hatchery (Hood Canal); 2 near the
Dukabush RA; 1 over Sequim; 1 soaring above Roberts Creek, B.C.
23 -- 3 near Deep River; 3 near Grays River; 4 near the Julia Butler Hansen
Wildlife Refuge; 2 eating roadkill on Hwy 101 near the North Nemah River
bridge; 1 soaring really high over the water near Gower Point
27 -- 2 doing "funny maneuvers" at Gower Beach seems they had a crab with
a group of crows as an audience
29 -- 6 very low over Lyle; 1 near White Salmon; 1 near Conboy NWR
30 -- 1 ragged one flying west near Littlerock; 5 over Anderson Lake near
Port Townsend; 2 sharing a thermal with an eagle over Gibsons beach, B.C.;
1 near MP77 and 1 near MP 75 on I-90

The numbers (groups) seen during June were quite impressive. Or maybe just
more people are having fun looking at turkey vultures!! Thanks for adding
some comments to your reports; makes for more interesting reading when we
have a little idea of what they are doing. As always, thanks so much for
the continuing reports.

We were hoping for one of the small Washington State Fish and Wildlife
grants for this fall, but it wasn't to be lots of applicants! However, we
will be out at Salt Creek this fall for the tenth year of the migration
survey.

Happy Independence Day to all.

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/