Hi, Tweets

September and October are prime months for turkey
vultures to head south. As you can see, the
numbers start out small and gradually build up
until the end of the month. Bill was curious as
to how many were reported during the month and
counted 736. With our gorgeous weather, hopefully
there will be a lot more. As always, thanks to
all who kindly sent in reports. Following are the
reports from Washington, Oregon and British Columbia for September 2010:

01 ? ca. 60 over four days from Seattle/Crater Lake/Eugene
02 ? ?lots? from Hwy 161; 2 circling the Port of
Dewatto Campground; 1 at the Skokomish River delta
03 ? 6 roosting outside the Skagit Game Range; 1 over Stanwood; one at Bow Road
04 ? 1 over Stillwater; 6 circling between Ocean
Shores/Hoquiam; 1 sailing over Cle Elum; 1 at
Camas; 4 at the Northern Pacific RR Ponds; 2 at
Selah; thru the 7th, 4 floating above Packwood
05 ? 20 on Rennie Island at Hoquiam for most of
the summer; 6 at Sequim/Dungeness; 3 over the Old
Olympic Hwy. Sequim; 1 at Cle Elum; 1 at Camas; 1
over the Nisqually River inlet; 2 at Camas; 2
over Fir Island; 1 in Stanwood; 1 at Muckleshoot area; 3 at Naches
06 ? 1 each at MPs 27, 34, 43, 47 along I-5; 1 at
Ringer Loop WDFW; 1 at #6 Gravel Ponds
07 ? 5 sitting on a pasture fence and 2 on the
ground near the Dungeness Dike trail; 1 at the
east end of Riffe Lake; 1 at the trout hatchery
08 ? 1 above Whiskey Ridge, Lake Stevens
09 ? 1 near Flaming Geyser SP
10 ? 7 perched in trees at Ridgefield NWR; 1 north of Sequim
11 ? 1 at Ft. Lewis; 2 at Graysmarsh
12 ? 1 soaring east of Aberdeen; 1 at Lyons
Ferry; 1 at Sprague Lake; 1 over south Cle Elum
ridge; 6 circling over I-90/MP63
14 ? 1 over Parksville, BC
15 ? 4 between Nooksack and Deming in a plowed
field; 1 at Brady; 6 over forest land near the Humptulips River
16 ? 1 at the river overlook, Nisqually NWR;
heavy migrations through Oregon; 2 at Scatter Creek WA
17 ? 12 at the east end of Riffe Lake; ~6 at Cash
Prairie; 1 soaring south of Cliffdell; 3 over Fir
Island near the Wylie GR; 1 at Englishman River,
Parksville, BC; 2 over the West Snoqualmie Valley
road, 2 further on, 3 sitting on fence posts, 1
on utility pole, 3 in trees, 2 groups of 2 circling further on
18 ? 5 kettling over west Queen Anne, then heading south
19 ? 10 circling around between Duvall/Monroe; 2
over Fir Island; 1 near the Hood Canal Bridge
20 ? 3 over Camas
22 ? 20 near Freshwater Bay; 1 or 2 near Salt
Creek; 5 flying down Whiskey Ridge in Marysville with an osprey and redtail
23 ? conspicuous movements through Oregon; 9 (4
adults) sitting in trees and on a pole north of
Carnation; 2 at the Nisqually River overlook
25 ? 15 in a tree in Happy Valley; 1 over North
Bend; 1 circling low over Easton
26 ? 1 soaring over Phinney Ridge; 2 heading
south over Pilchuck Creek; 1 circling high over south Cle Elum ridge
27 ? 37 flying south over Battle Ground; 1
roosting on a tree above South Beach/Discovery
Park; 4 heading south over Issaquah Creek
28 ? 17 migrating south over south Cle Elum
Ridge; 3 near Carnation farm road; 4 over Battle
Ground; 1 heading south over Edmonds; 10 at the east end of Riffe Lake
29 ? 177 flying NE>SW over west Battle Ground;
two groups of 15 and 6 over John Rogers school in
NE Seattle; 7 over the Victory Heights/Northgate
area; 25 kettling over Green River CC
30 -- 7 riding a thermal along Gamble Bay, then 4
more joined them; 15 at Salsbury Point Park; 20
heading south over Olympia; 12, then 10 more
joined them heading SW along the north side of Hood Canal

Cheers, Diann

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