Meet #311
Last week, we discovered two black vulture nests in the Laurels Preserve.
While turkey vulture nests are numerous in this area, black vulture nests are less common so we were thrilled by this find. This morning, researchers from Hawk Mountain Sanctuary came down to the Laurels to "tag" the vulture chicks. Hawk Mountain is engaged in a long-term study of vulture migration patterns both locally and in South America. As part of their research, they capture nestling and adult vultures and attach a large, plastic tag to their wing. Each bird tagged gets a unique number, which allows researchers to be able to identify individual birds. Here is the lucky fellow (or perhaps gal) who became #311 today:
The Hawk Mountain crew expertly snagged the young bird from its nest. They took measurements of the bird's wing length and extracted a blood sample. (As part of their research, they are also monitoring lead levels in all captured birds.) Next, 311 was "aged" and determined to be either 53 or 54 days old. Finally, 311 was ready for his/her tag:
After the tag was attached, we carefully returned 311 to the nest. He will fledge at approximately 70 days, which should be just over two weeks from today. If you are in or near the Laurels, keep an eye out for 311. Every time he is spotted from now on, we will be alerting the researchers of his whereabouts. If you see 311 flying about, let us know the bird's exact location so we can report it to Hawk Mountain.
To learn more about Hawk Mountain's research, click here: http://www.vulturemovements.org/hms/HMS_TV.htm