The Mystery of the Tagged Vultures is Solved

The date, March 6^th, 2022. The time is 5:40 p.m. We have just returned from a Sunday drive and I am dropping off my friend at her house. I look up at some black vultures in her backyard and notice something, “What is that green on the vultures wing?” A closer look, and it is a large green wing tag with the number 40E colored black. DEJA VU, I am having a flashback!

It was several years ago, October 17^th, 2016 to be exact, the same story was unfolding about 150 feet away at the other end of her yard! (NOTE: That story will be reviewed a little later). I am now driving back to my house and thinking, this is really “Déjà vu”; (1) Same location (2) Same type of bird, Black Vulture (3) Same method of ID, large wing tag (4) Same two people involved as witnesses!! AND (5) the important part, I will report this sighting, just like the last time! **OBSERVATION/NOTE, LADIES & GENTLEMEN – The whole purpose of these oversized wing tags is the scientist’s hope that everyday people, will observe same, AND THEN, become ‘Civilian Scientists’ by reporting their observations**

Returning to my home, I look up David R. Barber, Senior Research Biologist at Hawk Mountain and make a phone call and find out he will not be returning until after a week. I then send him a detailed email about my observations. FYI – Dr. Barber is the scientist I reported my other sighting to. I will now await his response. I NOW KNOW, a future Photo of the Week article for ‘insidewarren.com’. I have already done an article about ‘Vulture 298’ but that was back several years ago!

METHODOLOGY

Folks, you all know, by now, I enjoy using old sayings, well here I go describing and composing my thoughts for this article. FIRST one coming to mind, “Trying to kill two birds with one stone!” On second thought, this might be the wrong article for that saying! How about, “To kill two flies with one slap!” Hmm, let me show my gentler side – Here are two safe ones I found on line, “Fill two needs with one deed” or “Make two friends with one gift” I don’t know about you, that second one reminds me of the word “CHEAP”. OK, I think you get my drift, I am hoping you learn several things from this one article.

FIRST, Learn about and enjoy Wildlife, in this case ‘the black vultures’; SECONDLY, Make you aware of the important work scientists are doing to understand more about our wildlife and THIRDLY, Encourage YOU to participate and get involved if the opportunity presents itself! In essence, become a Citizen Scientist!

PRESENTATION

I believe the simplest and probably the most transparent way to present this story is to let you see the emails involved from the players themselves. This way you will get their contact information and learn about their organizations, giving you resources and giving them, CREDIT AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT for their important work! Be sure to check out the highlighted links to see what their report sheets actually look like!!

*FIRST EMAIL: I received this after reporting the latest Black Vulture 40E to Dr Barber at Hawk Mountain

Hi Charlie,

Thank you for reporting your sighting of a wing-tagged black vulture. This bird was tagged by USDA Wildlife Services in Hershey, PA. Please report your sighting to the US Bird Banding Lab (https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/BBL/bblretrv/), they are the repository for re-sighting data in the US. They could tell you when and where the bird was tagged and they will send your observation to the researcher who tagged the bird.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Best,

David

David R. Barber, Senior Research Biologist

Acopian Center for Conservation Learning, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary

Orwigsburg, PA 17961

570-943-3411, x105

**SECOND CORRESPONDENCE

This information was obtained by following the above directions from Dr. Barber. He advised the bird was tagged by USDA Wildlife Services in Hershey, PA I then reported my sighting to the US Bird Banding Lab – https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/BBL/bblretrv/.

Here is some info from their report sheet:

USGS (Science for a Changing World), The North American Bird Banding Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center at the Patuxant Research Refuge, Bird Banding Laboratory.

At the end of my report there was information for me advising my information would be passed on to all scientists with an interest to this project. It also advised that due to the high amount of sightings, the amount of different scientists involved, I probably should not expect a fairly quick response with a possibility of no response. NOTE: When I read that there may not be a response for this latest sighting, I decided to include my earlier sighting experience with Dr. Barber. Reaffirming to all of you that reporting this information is very important and will be utilized, BUT, we may not be rewarded, so to speak, for our efforts, other than the knowledge our efforts DO COUNT!!

***THIRD CORRESPONDENCE

REVISITING THE BLACK VULTURE #298 STORY – This was copied and pasted from my Photo of the Week Email dated Oct. 2016.

Photo of the Week: October 17, 2016, my friend Anne Marie phones and advises there is a vulture with a large marker on its wing in her backyard, I immediately grab my camera and head over to Tracy Lane just off Alphano Road., Allamuchy Township. Take some photos of the Black Vulture and Anne Marie is on Google and finds Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania has a vulture tagging program. I phone Hawk Mountain and confirm that Black Vulture #298 was tagged at Hawk Mountain Preserve. I reported this sighting to David Barber, a scientist at the Preserve.

The following was his Email response to me.

Thank you Charlie for reporting your sighting of a tagged black vulture and thanks for sharing the links to your flickr account. This bird was tagged 16 July 2015 in Kempton, PA and hasn’t been seen since December 2015, so glad to see it is doing well. I checked my records and it appears this bird gets around, we have had two other re-sightings of this bird, one from Conowingo Dam in Maryland and one from Elverson, Pennsylvania near Morgantown.

We have been tagging black and turkey vultures locally at Hawk Mountain to study their short- and long-distance movements. It is citizen scientists like you who report sightings of these vultures that make our research possible.

Thanks again and please let me know if you have any questions.

Cheers,

David

Interesting info about this program – http://www.hawkmountain.org/who-we-are/news/wing-tagging-black-vultures/page.aspx?id=4110

Info on Hawk Mountain – http://www.hawkmountain.org/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8auMnI6V3QIVDVYNCh1EYQSkEAAYASAAEgLZb_D_BwE

Study of Scavenging Raptors – http://www.hawkmountain.org/science/research/long-term-vulture-study/page.aspx?id=298

Please view Vulture photos and read the info about vultures at my Flickr site – https://www.flickr.com/photos/charliefineran/albums/72157646172995222

Just for fun I looked up the mileage from Allamuchy to several of the other sighting locations.

Kempton, PA where he was tagged – 69.6 miles; Conowingo Dam, Maryland sighting – 165.2 miles; Elverson, PA sighting – 90.5 miles.

I figured for sure this guy would be saying to himself “ I have found Vulture Paradise “ and that he would be staying around with the other ‘resident’ vultures that live at Anne Marie’s, BUT, he was gone within three days!! NOTE: Looked like his tag was getting ready to fall off!

NOTE: If you observe wildlife tags and can ID the #s please report same!!