FreeLists / bristol-birds / [bristol-birds] Elizabethton Bird Club '02 Shady Valley trip

[Dnldhlt@xxxxxxx]

     I went to Shady Valley Saturday, Feb. 23, 2002, after work to see if I 
could catch up with the Elizabethton Bird  Club field trip.  I got to Quarry 
Bog a little after 5 pm.  Not finding anyone, I proceeded to look for birds.  
I saw and heard the following:
1 American Kestrel, Mourning Doves, 1 Great Horned Owl (calling from south), 
1 Belted Kingfisher, American Crows, Eastern Bluebirds, European Starlings, 
Field Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbirds, 3 Rusty Blackbirds, 
Eastern Meadowlarks, House Finches.  I was pleased to add the Rusty 
Blackbirds to my Year list.
     Then I went to Orchard Bog at about sunset.  Arriving just after me were 
Allan Trently and a  new birder and friend of his named Tanya.  (I'm happy to 
see you recruiting new birders, Allan, keep up the good work.)  They had been 
in Shady Valley all afternoon.  I don't know what they saw before meeting me, 
but afterwards at Orchard Bog we saw or heard these species:  Canada Geese, 3 
Wood Ducks, Kildeer, Woodcock, approx. 15+ Eastern Bluebirds, American Robin, 
European Starling, Song Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird.  We also heard Wood 
Frogs.  It was clear, quite chilly, and the moon was gibbous and high making 
it fairly bright after sundown.
     We walked out the gravel road that crosses the bog and turns left to 
parallel the creek as evening approached.  We turned the corner and walked a 
little farther, stopping to listen for birds from the cow pasture on our 
right, across the creek, where we had heard Woodcock on last year's field 
trip.  'Radar' Trently heard them first.  Two Woodcock made their nasal 
'peent' calls and flew up, producing chirpy whistling sounds with their 
wings.  A third, or possibly one of the first two, began calling behind us 
from where the gravel road crosses the bog.  They began just as it got too 
dark for me to see them, and quit after a short while.  I didn't have my 
watch with which to time them, but it was less than a half hour.  Although I 
didn't get a look at them, I was very happy to hear my first Woodcock of the 
year.
     - Don Holt, Central, Carter Co., TN
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