Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Virtual Vulture Watch

If you live in the Kern River Valley - from Johnsondale to Walker Basin, we would love to hear about your vulture sightings. You don't need to answer all of the questions, just the one's in bold face.

Where?
When? Date - Time of Day
How Many? (approximate)
Flying? (yes or no)
Roosting? (yes or no)
Feeding? (yes or no)
Direction of flight?
Behavior?

Are you in another area along the west coast in the migration path? What is the flight path from nesting to wintering of the west coast Turkey Vultures? Please answer the above questions about your sightings of migrating turkey vultures from Alaska to Argentina.

8 comments:

racheljensen said...

I saw a large group of turkey vultures in ridgecrest, ca today near the cross streets of dolphin and mahan. They were feeding on an animal that had been run over. Then they were perched on a fence and as traffic picked up on the road they took flight one by one and drifted south. I counted approximately 30 of them.

Rachel Jensen

Nature Ali said...

What time of day did you see the vultures? Next time you see vultures feeding during migration, see if they are juveniles with black heads or adults with red heads. Most vultures don't feed during migration, but I have seen many young vultures who don't seem to know this rule! ;-)

Nature Ali said...

On Friday September 21st, Walter Mecham reported over 120 vultures rising from the Sequoia National Forest South Fork Wildlife Area.
They all alighted around 8:45 a.m.

Kim said...

I saw at least 100 (+/-) of these vultures on Saturday, September 22, 2007, at approximately 9 a.m. in Fresno, on Van Ness Extension between Sierra and Herndon. They were flying and roosting in the pine trees. Was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. They were roosting in the trees with their swings spread out towards the sun like they were drying out their wings or getting warm. Absolutely fabulous and a little frightening too, especially for the people walking small dogs. Took several pics with my camera phone but they didn't turn out too good. Never even knew they migrated through our valley. Lived here my whole life.

Jackie said...

I drove to Bakersfield on Thursday 9/26 and saw at least 150 turkey vultures down there at the east end of town, circling over the mostly empty fields (where new houses are going in), within a 8 miles of the mouth of the Kern Canyon. I saw 10 different groups circling, with anywhere from 8 to 50 birds in each group. I saw them around 10 in the morning, so they must have been regrouping to head south (or east?).

I happened to be visiting the dentist that day, and got talking with someone in that office who lives near Glenville. The previous day she had seen a dozen or so turkey vultures feeding on a dead new born calf near Glenville.

Jackie said...

Another comment on migration: last spring I happened to see a large group of turkey vultures come into Kernville on their northward migration. It was around 5pm (early March)and the sky was covered in solid birds for 5 minutes. There must have been a thousand birds (mixed ravens and turkey vultures) and they were soaring south from up canyon a ways, then they all settled into large trees throughout Kernville. I went out and looked for them the next morning, even took some photos and there were definately ravens and vultures mixed together. Some trees were mixed roosting places, some trees were more segretated. Awesome sight, seeing so many birds coming in for the night. In the morning, they took off around 9 am and began circling a peak up the canyon a ways. They circled for a half hour or so and gradually, most all of the turkey vultures joined up. Then they were gone. My guess is that in the evening, they encountered HIGH mountains and decided to come back to a lower, warmer elevation for the evening and that's why I saw them heading south, even though they were migrating north. (check out my blog for more details by clicking my name)

brian c. cox said...

We have vultures that have lived in Bakersfield since the 80's or even before that. When I was 10 years old, I use to go down oleander Avenue near Bill park in Bakersfield to see the turkey vultures fly and perch on the big trees. Lots of people would complain and chop the trees so that they could not make them a home, but that would not stop them they soon moved down the street alittle ways and nested there in the cold time of the year and then moved out when it got hot to the mountains!!! til this day, they are spotted there now thru-out the day and they perch there at night!!! They are so neat to watch and you can collect their feathers on the ground below. so go and check them out!!! They are located on oleander Ave between Bakersfield high and Bill park in Bakersfield, Ca (THEY ARE ABOVE PEOPLES HOUSES!!!!) cooooool!!!

brian c. cox said...

has anyone been to oleander st. to see the vultures??? they are in bakersfield near bakerfield high and on oleander st. they will not be there for long for they will be going up to higher climates to roost,due to the hotter weather that is to come. so go and see them, they are fantastic!!!! i even think the (CALM) zoo in bakersfield near hart park has many different birds,including turkey vultures also