FEEL FREE TO CONTRIBUTE YOUR COMMENTS AND OBSERVATIONS BELOW OR IN GREATER DETAIL AT THE RAPTORX FORUM FOR BLACK VULTURES 2016. YOU MAY ALSO WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN REAL-TIME VULTURE NEST CHAT
If you lose live video (which may occur during camera changes), click on the “play” arrow or refresh your screen by clicking on the circular arrow to the right of the URL line.
The Tri-State VultureCam is up and running for 2017. From the 2010 to the 2013 breeding seasons, 6 chicks hatched and another 3 orphans from other locations fledged for a total of 9 fledglings from this nest site. The nest site was not used by vultures during the 2014 and 2015 breeding seasons, and the adult male, tagged #17 in 2013, has not returned. However, an untagged pair took up residence in late February 2016 resulting in two successful fledgings. An untagged pair took up residence again in early February 2017.
One of our long-term research objectives is to determine whether the same pair tends to occupy the shed year after year or if occupancy changes, possibly resulting from some form of competition or due to disturbing the nest site by tagging adults and/or chicks. Another objective of this multi-generational study is to observe ongoing working relationships between family members from year to year.
As in previous years, we are recording selected video and audio from several cameras, 24/7 for research purposes. However, our computer only streams video to this website from one camera at a time. We try to display the most interesting vulture behavior at any given moment. Sometimes the screen goes black after switching cameras. If this happens, you may be able restore the video by refreshing the webpage (by clicking on the circular arrow near the top center of the webpage for Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers). Known technical difficulties preventing viewing will be reported at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bkvu-test-3. Real-time chat regarding nesting activities is also available at this site. Day-to-day narrative and photos of nesting activity is available at RaptorX Forum for vultures, owls, and eagles
Viewing nesting behavior over the Internet, rather than observing the birds directly, avoids activity near the nest that could lead the adults to abandon it. PLEASE DO NOT TRY TO LOCATE THE NEST SITE OR APPROACH IT AS DOING SO COULD RESULT IN DEATH OF THE CHICKS AND THE END OF THIS RESEARCH.
Comments from viewers relating to observations of vulture behavior or suggestions for research are most welcome.
Wow, that is some view! Cam has quite a range.
Hi to all,
The tagging sounds great. I hope it happens. I look forward to catching up with updates on the nesting family. Husband and myself visited the Tri-State Bird Rescue today. A safe haven for rehab and release. A lovely park with wonderful trails to walk or ride a bike. But, the name escapes me, sorry. We walked for nearly two hours and saw BV/TV and three crow who seemed to follow us and caw to no end that humans are near. It will be amazing to discover tagged BV’s visit us here. High hopes for them. Understandable, keeping the nest secret, it’s keeping them safe.
Shift change at 10:56 AM, including beak nuzzling and egg inspection.
Wonderful close-up a few minutes ago of lovely head of whichever parent was on the eggs at the time. Many thanks to camera person.
Was busy snipping away and did not see if there was a shift change aounrd 2:11 or whether parent just stretched. Still trying to figure out how to distinguish between the two.
That’s great that you saw continued feeding of new adults into December. We also have seen late feeding, but not that late.
You may wellhave seen the pair we monitor here or their nestlings. We don’t publicize the exact location of the nest to avoid having it unduly disturbed, which can lead to the parents abandoning it.
We are hopeful for tagging the birds this year to help with multi-generational tracking. The wing-tags will be readable from some distance, so at the end of this season you may be able to determine whether the black vultures you see are from this nest.
Hello,
Very exciting to see nesting BV. Last year I watched the TV cam in Marshall, MO. I began feeding the vultures here in our yard, last summer. A family of 3 BV and 3 TV frequent here often for food and drink. I usually feed them once a week. Have seen parents feed juvies and captured some great shots that I would love to share. Last documented regurgitation feeding that I saw was in December 2012. We live only a few miles from the Tri-State Bird Rescue, I am very curious to the proximity of the nest to our home. Could they be the same family? Perhaps not, but it is fun to ponder over.
Shift change occured at 9:48 am.
I believe this is still the female parent on the eggs at 4:40 PM. Does anyone know if she has been relieved by male today. She seems a bit wary as if looking around for male or possibly aware of either interloper or subadult BV from last season as Greg Keegan thought he observed yesterday.
Thanks,Bob, for confirming. I feel so fortunate to have seen that. I usually miss all the “main events,” but I’m on teaching break this week. Taking full advantage of it by watching all the live bird cams while waiting for Robins and Red-Wings, the true harbingers of Spring, to appear (very late this year). TVs will be in may neck of the woods around April 15, but I have yet to identify a BV here in southwestern PA.
Carol
You called it, Carol. I now see two eggs, the second egg is there!
Believe we have a second egg, right on schedule. March 6, 2013. Around
8:34 am.
Just wondering if this might be the female at 8:20 am on March 6. If so, she seems more restless than I have seen either of the two parents (not that I am able to distinguish between them at this point). Curious to know if this behavior precedes egg laying.
About 1:00PM today I was out near the nest site and saw one of the adults swoop in and perch above the shed. Another was on the ground outside on the ground. I went online to get a good look at the egg and one was still sitting on the egg. So I think I saw a third vulture outside on the ground. One of last years offspring? A nosey neighbor? Then the one on the egg did come out and both adults perched in a nearby tree. Lost track of the third going in and out. But I did get a good snapshot of the egg at 1:10pm. So I do believe one relieved the other of his/her duties.
Thanks, Carol.
We will be posting pictures and video clips. There are close-ups of eggs laid in 2012 at the “Hatching Sequence” page of this website.
Here’s the link, Bob. Once logged in, go to Other Raptor Cams. You must have registered a year ago when you began the original thread. Let me know if I can help further.
Will you be posting on this site any close-ups of the egg (s)? I’m interested in the color, size, and shape of the spots. Thanks, Carol.
http://www.raptorresource.org/forum/
Carol- I could not find the “Tri-State Black Vulture Project Cam” thread at Raptor Resource Project (RRP). Is there a link?
An egg! Wonderful.
Thanks, Bob. I’m curious to see, provided the same pair of TVs return to the Missouri barn loft, if I can still distinguish between male and female.
When I tried to post a comment on the RRP thread you began last year, I was told that since there had been no response for at least 120 days it would be advisable to begin a new one. I did do that under the title “Tri-State Black Vulture Project Cam.” I hope you will contribute your expertise when time permits. I am just an avid bird watcher wanting to learn as much as I can through observation and reading.
Carol C. aka “On Eagle Wings”
Hi Carol-
Regarding differentiating between the adults, I spent hours last year taking pictures of facial/beak features (as well as the temporary, white feces stains on their bodies), trying to find and track distinguishing marks. I was unable to do so (and would welcome comments from anyone with ideas on how to do it).
This year we plan to use wing tags in order to initiate multi-generational research. The appropriate time to put the tags on the adults is shortly after the chicks hatch and on the chicks a couple weeks before they fledge. Thanks for your interest.
Was so pleased to see adult in nesting area this morning and even more pleased to spot egg shortly after. Discovered this site last year only after chicks were quite large. Looking forward to watching this year and comparing notes with my observations of Missouri Turkey Vultures last year and this coming season.
Bob, from your past observations of this pair, is there some way to distinguish the male from the female – i.e. distinguishing feather pattern, coloration? Thanks, Carol
There is definitely one egg in the nest. If incubation takes 39 days, as it has for the last two years, the first chick should hatch around April 11th. Last year, a second egg was laid three days after the first.
I think I caught sight of an egg around 8:30 PM. Both adults have been staying close to the “nest.”
Tuned in today at 4:40pm to see some very interesting courting behavior and the two vultures copulated. Then they followed with some nest “construction”.
Love watching the vultures, can’t wait to see them!
Happy to know the camera is back. I missed it last season due to not knowing about it. I will be here. Vultures are interesting birds and so necessary!