Could be these are bonded birds hanging out together but actual courtship seems to be more active and to involve display, or at least the male lifting & holding his wings over his head - see Birds by Bent <http://birdsbybent.com/ch51-60/blackvulture.htm#courtship>. (Note that the months given in that account might not apply now - at the time it was written, Black Vultures were only in the south, plus and it was colder everywhere in February and March than it is now.)
On 3/7/2024 10:20 AM, Dave Nutter wrote: > I just spent a little over an hour watching a pair of Black Vultures > atop the concrete smokestack low on South Hill in the City of Ithaca. > That’s at the old Morse Chain / Emerson Power Transmission factory. I > can scope it from my house, and it’s probably visible from numerous > locations around the City. I use the term “pair” intentionally, > because they seemed very comfortable and friendly with each other, > each almost touching the other with its bill on several occasions, > although most of the time there was very little happening. I don’t > know what constitutes courtship among Black Vultures, but this seemed > to be more than the coincidental convenience of a place to rest. When > they took flight, they flew together, mostly staying within the same > scope view. Unlike last fall when I often saw Black Vultures fly well > above downtown on their way NE toward trees in Collegetown, today they > glided N, descending slowly, in front of the taller buildings near the > Commons (i.e. lower than them) and down toward treetop level. When I > lost view of them due to closer obstructions, they were due E of me, > which is the latitude of Cascadilla St & Farm St. I don’t know whether > there is some food source or nest site in the N half of downtown > Ithaca, but that would be my guess, unless they have some other > destination and it’s worth flying so low just to avoid fighting > today’s 10mph NW wind. Anyway, for those interested in where the Black > Vultures nest this year, I think we have a pair in the City of Ithaca, > it wouldn’t surprise me if they nest here, and it wouldn’t surprise me > if their courtship is carried out on top of that smokestack. > > - - Dave Nutter > > On Mar 6, 2024, at 9:53 AM, Dave Nutter <nutter.d...@me.com> wrote: > >> The barn is between Freeville & McLean, more specifically along the >> SE side of Fall Creek Rd between Red Mill Rd & Malloryville Rd. >> Google maps shows a building complex associated with a closed farm >> stand. Below is the eBird rare bird report which I saved. The record >> doesn’t show up in the eBird database if you search Black Vulture, >> but I am still able to access it from this link, so it hasn’t been >> deleted, revised, or hidden, I guess just not confirmed. >> >>> >>> Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) (2) >>> - Reported Feb 16, 2024 11:34 by Paul Rodewald >>> - 340–350 Fall Creek Rd, Freeville US-NY (42.5289,-76.3158), >>> Tompkins, New York >>> - Map: >>> http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&q=42.528927,-76.315839&ll=42.528927,-76.315839 >>> >>> <http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&q=42.528927,-76.315839&ll=42.528927,-76.315839> >>> - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S162563609 >>> - Comments: "Two BLVUs flying from barn at this location. Seems >>> early for northern limit of breeding range, but appeared to be >>> inspecting a potential or prior nest location." >>> >> - - Dave Nutter >> >> On Mar 5, 2024, at 10:53 PM, anneb.cl...@gmail.com wrote: >> >>> Seems to me unlikely that many black vultures are nesting north of >>> us. We should see more incl juveniles in fall. Maybe I haven’t been >>> on top of the observations, but doesn’t match my memory. So >>> migrating through???? >>> >>> Where’s this barn? Near McLean or Lime Hollow? >>> >>> I will say that I haven’t seen them overhead here just outside of >>> Freeville but I am completely capable of missing birds, even big >>> black ones I should be noticing. 😬 >>> >>> Anne >>> >>> Sent from my iPhone >>> >>>> On Mar 5, 2024, at 12:14 AM, Dave Nutter <nutter.d...@me.com> wrote: >>>> >>>> Paul Rodewald said a pair of Black Vultures seemed to be >>>> prospecting a barn recently between Freeville & Cortland. >>>> >>>> Last year the number of sightings over downtown Ithaca & lower S >>>> Hill, & near Titus Flats/ Wegmans/ the Elmira Rd strip seemed like >>>> some affinity - maybe nesting nearby? Or is it just that there are >>>> lots of potential observers, and they are conspicuous so they get >>>> reported more here even though they travel widely? Anyway it seems >>>> to be continuing. Is there a food source for them in the >>>> neighborhood? Or did they nest here? >>>> >>>> I wonder how many pairs we are dealing with, how many birds are >>>> local, and how many of the birds seen recently have been migrating >>>> through. >>>> >>>> - - Dave Nutter >>>> >>>> On Mar 4, 2024, at 5:07 PM, anneb.cl...@gmail.com wrote: >>>> >>>>> Let’s try to figure out where they nest this year!! >>>>> >>>>> Sent from my iPhone >>>>> >>>>>> On Mar 4, 2024, at 12:04 PM, Laura Stenzler <l...@cornell.edu> wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>> A new yard bird this morning over Hunt Hill Road. Two black >>>>>> vultures circling each other just flew over. >>>>>> Laura >>>>>> >>>>>> Laura Stenzler >>>>>> l...@cornell.edu >>>>>> -- >>>>>> >>>>>> (copy & paste any URL below, then modify any text "_DOT_" to a >>>>>> period ".") >>>>>> >>>>>> Cayugabirds-L List Info: >>>>>> NortheastBirding_DOT_com/CayugabirdsWELCOME_DOT_htm >>>>>> NortheastBirding_DOT_com/CayugabirdsRULES_DOT_htm >>>>>> NortheastBirding_DOT_com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave_DOT_htm >>>>>> >>>>>> ARCHIVES: >>>>>> 1) >>>>>> mail-archive_DOT_com/cayugabirds-l@cornell_DOT_edu/maillist_DOT_html >>>>>> 2) surfbirds_DOT_com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds >>>>>> 3) aba_DOT_org/birding-news/ >>>>>> >>>>>> Please submit your observations to eBird: >>>>>> ebird_DOT_org/content/ebird/ >>>>>> >>>>>> -- >>>>>> >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> >>>>> (copy & paste any URL below, then modify any text "_DOT_" to a >>>>> period ".") >>>>> >>>>> Cayugabirds-L List Info: >>>>> NortheastBirding_DOT_com/CayugabirdsWELCOME_DOT_htm >>>>> NortheastBirding_DOT_com/CayugabirdsRULES_DOT_htm >>>>> NortheastBirding_DOT_com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave_DOT_htm >>>>> >>>>> ARCHIVES: >>>>> 1) >>>>> mail-archive_DOT_com/cayugabirds-l@cornell_DOT_edu/maillist_DOT_html >>>>> 2) surfbirds_DOT_com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds >>>>> 3) aba_DOT_org/birding-news/ >>>>> >>>>> Please submit your observations to eBird: >>>>> ebird_DOT_org/content/ebird/ >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> >>>> -- >>>> *Cayugabirds-L List Info:* >>>> Welcome and Basics >>>> <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME.htm> >>>> Rules and Information >>>> <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES.htm> >>>> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave >>>> <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> >>>> *Archives:* >>>> The Mail Archive >>>> <http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> >>>> Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds> >>>> ABA <https://www.aba.org/birding-news/> >>>> *Please submit your observations to eBird >>>> <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>!* >>>> -- > -- > *Cayugabirds-L List Info:* > Welcome and Basics > <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME.htm> > Rules and Information > <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES.htm> > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave > <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > *Archives:* > The Mail Archive > <http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> > Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds> > ABA <https://www.aba.org/birding-news/> > *Please submit your observations to eBird > <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>!* > -- -- (copy & paste any URL below, then modify any text "_DOT_" to a period ".") Cayugabirds-L List Info: NortheastBirding_DOT_com/CayugabirdsWELCOME_DOT_htm NortheastBirding_DOT_com/CayugabirdsRULES_DOT_htm NortheastBirding_DOT_com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave_DOT_htm ARCHIVES: 1) mail-archive_DOT_com/cayugabirds-l@cornell_DOT_edu/maillist_DOT_html 2) surfbirds_DOT_com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) aba_DOT_org/birding-news/ Please submit your observations to eBird: ebird_DOT_org/content/ebird/ --
