[Tweeters] Turkey Vulture Migration over Belfair late this morning

[mary hrudkaj]

Around 11:45 this morning I stopped at Safeway in Belfair and noticed turkey vultures coming in low over the store.  A look up turned up at flock of 19 which grew to 22 as more came in from the north and northeast.  Most were following Hwy 3 south from where they often over-night in the Gorst area at the head of Sinclair Inlet near Bremerton and PSNS.  That flock gained altitude and headed SW toward the Shelton area.  As they moved on two more kettles of TV came in, gained altitude up to the bottom of the clouds before heading SW.  In all I saw 44-45 TV.  I just wish I had been there sooner as who knows how many had already passed through.

Considering the amount of forest cover on the route from Bremerton to Belfair then on toward Shelton I wonder if the TV are using thermals formed over Hwy 3 as I have seen them along this route from Bremerton to Belfair in the past.  Other years when there is no wind or it's more from the north the TV will come down the east side of Hood Canal to the Tahuya area and catch thermals off the paved road which lies on the south side of a steep hill from Tahuya proper out to Menard's Landing County Park where they catch more thermals and head south.

So those turkey vulture watcher from Olympia south should keep an eye out for TV visitors soon.

Mary Hrudkaj
Belfair/Tahuya
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/pipermail/tweeters/attachments/20230928/32514073/attachment.html>