Charlie Fineran’s Photo of the Week dates back to October 17, 2016, when his friend Anne Marie phoned and advised, there is a vulture with a large marker on its wing in her backyard.

I immediately grabbed my camera and headed over to Tracy Lane just off Alphano Road., Allamuchy Township. to take some photos of the Black Vulture. Turns out Anne Marie went on Google and finds Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania has a vulture tagging program.  I phoned Hawk Mountain and confirm, 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 R. Barber, Research Biologist, Acopian Center for Conservation Learning  Hawk Mountain Sanctuary

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!!

Enjoy Your Open Space – and the Labor Day Holiday!

Charlie Fineran,