Avian researchers have been stunned by the record number of raptors flying through the Bitterroot Valley this fall, including an explosion in the number of turkey vultures.

As of Friday afternoon, 5,063 raptors have migrated past an observation point near Florence since September, nearly double the seasonal average, according to a joint study by the MPG Ranch and the Raptor View Research Institute.

“People that have been doing this for a long time have never seen anything like it,” said field researcher Eric Rasmussen, one of many bird experts who have been scanning the skies with binoculars every day for the past few months, counting raptors and identifying them.

The researchers have seen 1,861 turkey vultures pass through the valley this fall, compared to only 23 last year. There have also been 120 osprey recorded, compared to just 28 last year.

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