Turkey Vulture in British Columbia

Status in British Columbia
Breeding:  Breeds fairly commonly along the east coast of Vancouver Island and adjacent Gulf Islands. Smaller numbers on the southwest mainland coast, probably up the Fraser Canyon as far as Boston Bar.  Small numbers also inhabit most of the drier valleys and hills in the southern quarter of the interior.
Non-breeding:  Conspicuous and locally abundant migrant along the east coast of Vancouver Island.  In fall the majority of coastal birds probably migrate from the Rocky Point/East Sooke Park area across Juan de Fuca Strait.  In summer a few birds wander far north of their breeding range.  Turkey Vultures winter most years in very small numbers at the southern tip of Vancouver Island.  Casual elsewhere in winter.
Population Numbers:  A rough guess at total BC breeding population is about 2,000 to 3,000 pairs.  Perhaps 10-20 individuals winter in the province.
Population Trends:  No solid data available.  It is likely that the BC population has increased over the past 20 years, but early data are lacking for comparison.  Recent information on the Turkey Vulture in this region has come mainly from fall migration watches at the southern tip of Vancouver Island (e.g. Shepard 1992, 1995) and the north shore of the Olympic Peninsula (Diann MacRae, pers. comm.).  The numbers of vultures reported are far higher than those in Campbell et al. 1990.  Fall daily maxima are now in the 400-1000 bird range, compared to the 50-250 range previously reported.  It has been established that the majority of these birds cross Juan de Fuca Strait Strait along a narrow corridor, departing from Rocky Point and East Sooke Park, and reaching landfall in the Salt Creek Recreation Area, 16 miles west of Port Angeles.   MacRae estimates that 2000-3000 birds use this migration route annually.  The Turkey Vulture was formerly on the British Columbia Blue List of species at risk (Harper 1996), but has been removed due to apparent increases in abundance and distribution.  Until recently breeding habitat was not generally threatened by human activity, however with increasing use of rocky bluffs as housing sites, there will likely be negative impact on local populations.

A Few Comments:  As yet little is known about the habits and movements of this species in British Columbia.  In summer the species is widely dispersed but from time to time large gatherings occur.  Particularly noteworthy were 75 observed at Lantzville in late July 2002 (Howie Edwards).  Vultures have also been seen feeding on spawned salmon in the Nanaimo River Estuary (Guy Monty, pers comm.).  Almost nothing is known about the population structure in the province, and very few nests have been documented.

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