Posted by Bob Kelley on August 20, 2002 at 10:35:45:
In Reply to: Re: Question posted by Vincent Lucas on August 18, 2002 at 14:06:31:
: Paul:
: More than anything, it's a fund raiser for the town of Hinckley and a promotion for the Cleveland radio station WMMS -- "Home of the Buzzard". . . .
: Turkey Vultures do return to the Hinckley Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks in and around March 17th I think. To read why the "buzzards" return to Hinckley, go to:
: http://www.hinckleyridgebapt.org/buzzard.htm
: Also, if you want to know more abount Hinckley's TVs returning to South Florida, I think it was TAS's own Robert Kelley who told me that one of his students(?) did some tagging years ago and made the observation that some of the birds originated in NE Ohio/Hinckley area. You might contact him.
: Good birding!
: Vince Lucas
Shelia Gaby was a Ph.D. student of Dr. Oscar T. Owre, the first Maytag Professor of Ornithology at the University of Miami, 25 years ago. She wing tagged 250 turkey vultures in south Florida
as part of her thesis project.
Over the next few years sightings were made in an area which stretched from Quebec to southern
Indiana, but not a one from Hinkley, Ohio. She thinks that those birds winter in Tennessee.
In any case we have 4000+ TVs wintering in south Florida alng with a small resident population. Hinkley, Ohio has about 200 birds.
Shelia felt that the black vultures do not migrate, but you would have to read her thesis to get more details on that. She still lives in South Miami where she and her husband run an
environmental cosulting business. Alas, she never published her thesis.
Bob Kelley
RKelley@math.miami.edu