FreeLists / bristol-birds / [Bristol-Birds] GREBES GALORE ! A RECORD DAY

[Wallace Coffey <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>]

        Eared Grebe 9
        Red-necked Grebe 3

Rack Cross and I ran the table on grebes at Musick's Campground, South
Holston Lake, today (3/9)  just before dark -- all four grebe species at the
same location (Pied-billed Grebe 14,  Horned Grebe 15).

As far as we know, the 3 Red-necked Grebe establishes a new high count for
the species in Northeast Tennessee and is the third highest in the region.
All of the Red-necked Grebes were in the main channel in Tennessee directly
across from the campground.

The 9 Eared Grebe equals the record high for Musick's Campground, Northeast
Tennessee and the region.

Rack and I had just finished a late-evening trapping operation for
Ring-billed Gulls and had loaded our equipment.  A light drizzle was falling
under low, dark clouds and I was freezing.  Rack made me get out of the
warmth of my car while he took a quick look around to see if the Red-necked
Grebe first found Sunday was still out there.  What would you call that one?
What about this one?  Look over here!  More over there!  A familiar evening
for so many of you who have been there when it is hopping.

One grebe led to another, just like it always does at dark at Musick's when
the start appearing out of nowhere.
By 6:30 p.m. the record book assult was over.

This is the same time period in which Red-necked Grebes began to show up
over the region and the Southeast in late-winter of last year.  A Red-necked
has been on the lake at  Manassas, VA and another is being reported at Lake
Anna in VA in the last couple of weeks or so..

The 3 Red-necked Grebestoday at Musick's Campground tops the previous record
of two in Northeast Tennessee set last March 16 at Warrior's Path State Park
in Sullivan Co. by Mary Jane Erwin.

The two region high counts are  five Red-necked Grebes reported March 3rd of
last year by Bob Riggs at Count's Fish Pond on Rt. 640 in Russell Co. and
four seen 26 February 1994 on a pond at the University of Virginia Wise
campus by Dick Peake.

The record numbers for Eared Grebes stood at nine birds seen at Musick's
Campground 12 November 1995 by  Rob Biller, Ron Carrico, Mark Churchill,
Wallace Coffey, Bonita Frazier, Mark Frazier, Andy Jones, Louise Tilson, and
David Trently.  Another good run of Eareds occured when up to nine birds
were seen at Musick's Campground 18 Jan & 24-30 Mar 1996 with one to nine
birds seen by Mary Jane Erwin, Larry McDaniel, Rob Biller, Wallace Coffey
and many other observers.

The first time the table was ever run with four grebe species was 24 Mar
1996 at Musick's Campground when we scored a double four-species day with
four species seen in Virginia and all four in Tennessee.  That record was
observed by Larry McDaniel, Judy Musick, John Shumate, Lorrie Shumate,
Wallace Coffey, Rob Biller and Ron
Carrico. 

Rack and I also had a nice adult male Red-breasted Merganser today just
across from the campground.

Let's go birding......

Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN 





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