[Tweeters] Turkey Vultures

[Scott Leavens]

Hey Jim,

I've wondered the same thing. I live in Enumclaw and seeing them around the
farms and fields is very common for most of the year. I reported the FOY
ones yesterday because since joining tweeters I've noticed a lot of
interest in them, although I haven't quite understood why.

- Scott Leavens

On Sun, Apr 9, 2023, 11:07 AM <jimbetz at jimbetz.com> wrote:


> Tweet - Tweet - Tweety Tweet,

>

>    Hi all.  It is quite common to see posts about TUVUs - and, it

> seems to me at

> least - they are often reported as though they are "rare" or "notable" (for

> example a FOY/FOS).

>    We live about 300 feet up on a hill that faces East looking up the

> Skagit Valley.

> We see TUVU ... often.  So much so that my tendency is to "just take

> long enough

> to establish if it is a TUVU or a Bald Eagle" ... and consider the ID of it

> being a TUVU as "disappointing" and at least half the time don't even

> report it

> on eBird.  If it is a bald or some other raptor (usually an RTH) I almost

> always report it ... but the TUVUs are so "common" that they get dismissed

> as

> being unworthy of the time it takes to post a checklist (which is -not- a

> lot of time).

>

>    And I will say that I -think- we see them pretty much all year round.  I

> should just check my reports and see if this is true - my suspicion is

> that we see them in every month of the year.

>    I did that - checked my reports to eBird - and in the 3 years I've

> been using eBird I see that I've seen TUVUs in every month except

> Jan and Feb.  But I suspect that "I've just not reported them in those

> months rather than that I didn't see any ... ???  In fact, eBird shows

> TUVU reported in Skagit County for every week of the year except on in

> Jan and one it Dec ... so that seems to support that they are here

> year round.

>    I do know that some TUVU migrate South - we saw many of them just last

> October in Veracruz, Mx. and they -seemed- to be migrating rather than

> residents.  But the reports of TUVU in Skagit appear to support the

> statement that some of them, at least, do not migrate ... ???

>

>    It would seem correct for me to conclude that the TUVUs are 'common'

> here in

> Skagit County ... or at least not rare.

>    I am NOT discounting other people's reports.  I'm wondering if the

> reason

> they are so common here is because we live in a much more rural area where

> agriculture and logging are still major industries?  Or maybe it is due to

> the fact that we sit where we have a very large field of view?

>

>    Anyone have any ideas about this?

>                                                         - Jim

>

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