The Daily Bucket is a regular feature of the Backyard Science group. It is a place to note any observations you have made of the world around you. Rain, sun, wind...insects, birds, flowers...meteorites, rocks...seasonal changes...all are worthy additions to the bucket. Please let us know what is going on around you in a comment. Include, as close as is comfortable for you, where you are located. Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the patterns that are quietly unwinding around us.
December 2014
Pacific Northwest
Turkey Vultures are migratory birds here in the Salish Sea. In summer we see them soaring overhead every day and often find them on the beach or in fields working carrion. They are stately birds, calm, patient and deliberate, even when several are feeding on the same carcass. Their perfect control of air currents is always an impressive sight, soaring in big circles without flapping, tipping slightly to change direction as they watch the ground from high above. Beautiful birds, and one of the treats of summer.
Summer!...which is why I've been surprised lately by how many I'm seeing these winter days. Usually they are gone by fall, off to California and further south, reappearing in early spring. Christmas Bird Counts often note one Turkey Vulture in the county - the same one? - so I could conclude that's who I'm seeing, but the numbers this year are unprecedented.
On December 3, during our recent cold snap when temperatures were below freezing for 4 days, I counted 4 TVs perched on an offshore rock in my local bay. Four! Occasionally they would spread their wings, holding them wide, facing the morning sun, soaking up the minimal warmth of this weak low-angled sunlight.
When I submitted a report about these vultures to eBird, the citizen science online bird monitoring site, I got an error message. They needed further information about the sighting since it was an "unexpected event" for this place and time. I described the setting and behavior. I just checked and they have listed this sighting in the database.
4 Turkey Vultures in December is a very late stay in the season. Or are they all here for the duration of the winter, through our freezing cold snaps and windy rainstorms? Are they expecting a mild winter?
(All photos by me. In Lightbox...click to enlarge)
I look upward when I'm outside, watching for big soaring birds like the Turkey Vultures. Occasionally I see others with them. On November 4 two vultures were chased and harassed by the resident pair of Ravens. I thought for sure that would be the end of the vultures for this year, driven away from the bay. Guess not.
A week later I did a double take watching two big birds soaring above the bay. Only one was a Vulture. The other was a Northern Harrier. Neither was chasing the other, yet they were clearly interacting, gliding in overlapping circles.
Here are two Vultures drifting across the headland in October - a pair? One cast a shadow on the spread wings of the other for a moment...you can tell the angle of the sun that day, pretty high at 3:30 pm (camera time/date stamp). During these December days the sun would be horizontal or behind the trees at 3:30 pm. I have to wonder about these vultures who have stayed. Days are short now, with few hours for foraging and many hours to hunker down through the long cold stormy nights.
Unexpected sightings in the Pacific Northwest. What's happening in your natural neighborhood? All reports are welcome.
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