Hi, Tweets

While all of the shorebirds have been heading south, turkey vultures are
just beginning to assemble on Vancouver Island and a bit to the north. It
won't be long until they start crossing the Strait of Juan de Fuca and
island hopping down through the San Juan Archipelago. It's a great sight to
see hundreds of these big vultures coming into landfall, but sometimes
amazing at how quickly they vanish once they touch shore. Pumping those
nearly six-foot wings to finish the last mile of the strait then catching a
shoreside thermal to rise up, and after a few minutes of kettling around,
they're gliding off. Occasionally one will land in a tree for a quick
respit, but not often. For those who are regular followers of our
northwestern vultures, this will be the last report until the end of
October. I'll be out at Salt Creek soon and will have Bob Norton send in
any reports of sizeable flocks or other rarities. Come visit - I can't
promise vultures, but there is a great variety of birdlife in the area,
plus it's a beautiful park.

Turkey vultures seen in Washington, British Columbia, Idaho, and Oregon for
August 2003:
(Note: as always, a "?" denotes that the observer did not state how many
were seen - thanks to those who include the numbers)

01 -- 11 along the Wenatchee River in Leavenworth, with one feeding on a
salmon carcass
02 -- 2 at Rockport; 1 south of Mount Vernon; ? at Cape Meares, ? at
Tillamook, ? at Cape Lookout, Oregon
03 -- 3 over Bottle Beach SP
04 -- 1 near the Centralia Steam Plant
05 -- 1 adult at Port Haney, B.C.; 1 dead on the beach on Reef Island
06 -- ? at Schouweiler Road wetland, Elma; 2 over Joyce; ? near the
Swinomish Channel/Fir Island; 2 flying under the trees near Montesano,
possibly towards food; 1 over the Hoquiam River
07 -- 1 southwest of Littlerock; 1 over downtown Shelton's Dairy Queen (bad
burger?); 1 east of downtown Montesano; 1 at Bowerman Basin
08 -- 1 sitting in a farm field near Stanwood; 5 kettling over downtown
Sedro-Wooley
11 -- ? along Birnie Slough, Oregon; ? at Legacy Marsh, Lantzville, B.C.; ?
near Vernon, B.C.; 1 adult north of Sequim
12 -- 1 flying northward off Leadbetter Point
13 -- ? at Robinson Canyon; 2 over the Skagit River in Mount Vernon; 1 at
the Conway exit; 1 between Hoquiam and Ocean Shores
14 -- 2 near the West 90/Samish Flats; 1 flying/1sitting on the ground near
Samish Island; 1 at the Wynoochee River bridge and 1 just east (near Montesano)
15 -- 1 east of Bowerman Basin
16 -- 5 circling the mouth of the Washougal River at Camas; 3 soaring in
the vicinity of the Scatter Creek WA; 1 west of Hoquiam
17 -- ? in Yakima County; 20 at Underwood, Skamania County; 1 over a farm
field north of Stanwood; 3 at Englishman River Estuary, Parksville, B.C.; 1
west of Haney, B.C.
18 -- 1 at Leech Lake; 1 at Randle; 1 at Mossyrock Dam; 2 hatch year birds
perched and flying at Kelly Peak, Clallam County; 1 over the rail yard at
Haney, B.C.; 1 at Grass Creek
19 -- 7 roosting in a big fir tree along the Wenzel Slough Road/Chehalis
River; 2 adults/3 juv east of Joyce, two landed in a tree; 1 over Joseph
Whidbey SP; 1 east of Ocean Shores
21 -- 4 at exit 210/I-5; 4 at mp 9/US2; 1 at Sultan; 1 adult north of
Quillacene
23 -- 6 at the confluence of the Columbia and Spokane Rivers; 1 adult near
Centralia
24 -- 6 at Buttertubs Marsh, Nanaimo, B.C.
25 -- 1 west of Cheney flying low over the freeway; 5 near Newport, Pend
Oreille County; 2 near Cataldo, Idaho
26 -- 8 at Sequim at three sites
27 -- 3 west of Yakima
29 -- 2 at Grass Creek
30 -- 5 on the shore of Bridgeport Bar/Wells WA with wings held out; 15
kettling near Easton; 6 near Roslyn; 7 near Cashmere; 2 near the John Wayne
Marina
31 -- 1 east of Sumas; 2 east of Ocean Shores; 5 gliding north up the Long
Beach Peninsula; 3 soaring over Columbia Beach/French Creek, B.C.; 1 at
Nisqually NWR

Many thanks to all who have contributed sightings. Don't forget to look up
a bit later this month - I once saw 60+ vultures flying overhead while I
was driving through (trying to) Lynnwood. The third week in September is
the week with the highest numbers, but they continue to come in good
numbers through the first week in October.

Cheers, Diann
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