Subject: [Tweeters] Snohomish Turkey Vultures, WTSP, etc.
Date: Oct 1 21:00:57 2017
From: Josh Adams - xjoshx at gmail.com


Hello Tweets,
Turkey Vulture migration is one of my favorite events in birding, and
I've been trying to spend as much time outside in the afternoons as I
could this week in hopes of catching some good movement. I have had
TUVU's around all week, but they were gorging themselves on salmon
along the Snohomish River and I only saw one or two long birds headed
south over many hours spent watching. Today I was stuck inside all day
doing chores and lamenting not being able to spend a few hours out on
the porch. Late in the afternoon, a distant bird caught my eye. When I
got my binoculars up I was astounded to see the largest group of
Turkey Vultures I've ever seen flying south over Lord Hill Park. I
counted at least 44, but I'm not even sure I caught the entire flock.
Earlier I had at least 5 feeding by the river, so my total for the day
was 49. Not quite the 300 that Phil had, but a new high count on eBird
for the county.

The other nice bird for the day was a White-Throated Sparrow
underneath my feeders feeding alongside a Golden-Crowned. I had
another White-Throated Sparrow on Thursday, but that was a bright
white-striped individual and this one was a tan-striped so apparently
a different bird. Golden-Crowned and White-Crowned sparrows have been
relatively scarce in my yard, but the wooded habitat better fits
White-Throated.

Geese came back with a vengeance. I had my first Cackling on 9/19 and
the flocks I've seen hanging around are roughly 500 birds. After a big
rush of Canada Geese last week, their numbers have thinned a bit. No
Snow yet, and I've searched in vain for a Greater White-Fronted.

Josh Adams
Cathcart, WA