Subject: [Tweeters] Sept. TUVUs - long
Date: Oct 4 16:16:13 2008
From: Diann MacRae - tvulture at vei.net


Hi, Tweets

Turkey vulture migration was in full swing in
September with many being seen locally. They
usually continue to migrate through early to
mid-October, so keep watching. Following is the
September 2008 report for Washington, British
Columbia, and Oregon (a ??? means no number given).

September 2008 (with a few late August thrown in)

01 ? 1 soaring over a road-killed chicken in
Burlington; 3 west of Rocky Prairie; 2 over
Spencer Island; 4 circling over Peoh Pt., Cle
Elum; 1 south of Port Townsend; 8 around a dead
Humpback Whale at Cape Alava (Aug.31); 1 east of
Sekiu; 16 at Ridgefield NWR (Aug.31); 1 over
Stanwood (Aug.31); 1-2 daily all through August
between Sedro Woolley and Hamilton
02 ? 1 southwest of Littlerock; 1 immature over
the Humptulips River; 1 at Montesano; 3 east of
Ocean Shores; ? in Parksville, B.C.; 1 soaring
north of Duvall; 24 near Foothills Trail; 3 east
of Easton; 2 over Peoh Point for several days; 4 near the Langley airport
03 ? 2 at Nisqually NWR
04 ? 4 over Vancouver; 1 over Goose Rock,
Deception Pass; 4 soaring near Bow; 1 on Conway Hill, Skagit County
06 ? 1 south of Monroe;1 east of Ocean Shores; 1
over Hoquiam H.S.; 3 over Grass Creek, west of Hoquiam
07 ? 5 over Ocean Shores; 1 over Grays Harbor
NWR; 5 east of Ocean Shores; ? near the
Englishman River Estuary, B.C.; 2 over Bow Hill; 1 at Cook Road
08 ? 5 circling over Ridgefield NWR;1 west of Ellensburg; 1 at Easton
10 ? 6 between Olympia/Astoria; 10~ between the
10th/13th driving down the Oregon coast
11 ? ?many? over Sooke, B.C.; 1 in downtown
Stanwood; 1 near Sylvana; 1 east of Marysville; 2 over American Camp
12 ? 1 at Conway-LaConner exit
13 ? 5 over the Woodland Park Zoo; 5 thermalling
over Edmonds; 3 west of Tenino; 6 circling Noble
Knob with singles passing through all day
14 ? ? at Neck Point Park, B.C.; ? at River ?S? Unit; 10 over Medical Lake
15 ? 1 at John?s River; 8 circling the ridge near
Peoh Point; 20 kettling near Easton; 8 roosting
in a snag at Ridgefield NWR; over 400 near Sooke, B.C.
16 ? 1 near Surrey, B.C.
17 ? 3-4 at the Olympic Game Farm, Sequim; 1 east of Montesano
20 ? 2 at Alice Bay (1 ?partially albinistic? the
other with white feathering on head and back); 3
wet vultures perched near Foothills Trail; 60
flying southwest over Ladysmith, B.C.; 5 heading
southwest from Dixie; 20~ over Lynnwood
21 ? ? at the Nanaimo River Estuary; 2 east of
Ellensburg (Aug.29); 1 over downtown Ellensburg;
20 perched on snags warming up in MacCormick Park, Duvall
22 ? ? in the middle of Ralston; 30 along Bank
Road and 100~on the west side of Burton Hill,
Vashon Island; 1 over George Hopper Road
23 ? 23 heading south over Quilcene; 8 south of
Volunteer Park; 215 over Freshwater Bay
24 ? 1 soaring over the Microsoft campus; notable
movements through Oregon; 30 kettling over Brinnon; 125 over Port Whitney
25 ? 100~ over Brinnon with more all day; 10 over
north Lake Stevens; 5 over Magnolia; 1 over Beacon Hill; 1 over Kenmore
26 ? 18 over Husky Stadium
27 ? 15 soaring south along Beacon Hill; 110 over
Ridgefield NWR; 1 near Elma; 1 over Littlerock; 32 into Salt Creek
28 ? 3 over Capitol Forest; 40+ over Seattle with
more to the east; 2 near SeaTac?s north runway;
15 over Redmond Ridge; 85 over Lake Forest Park;
5 over Seattle; 286 into Salt Creek
29 ? 5 over Preston; 1 between Hoquiam and Ocean
Shores; 1 injured at South Bend (taken to rehab center)
30 ? in Oregon: ?the conspicuous turkey vulture
migration continues?; 1 in a small tree at the
Kent Ponds; 15 over Shoreline; 4/5 over Brier; 2
over Kenmore; 1 southwest of Littlerock sailing serenely

As always, many thanks for your turkey vulture
sightings. They are great birds and it?s nice to
know they have so many that notice them. Keep looking up!

Cheers, Diann

Diann MacRae
Olympic Vulture Study
22622 - 53rd Avenue S.E.
Bothell, WA 98021
tvulture at vei.net