FreeLists / bristol-birds / [Bristol-Birds] white pelican in Sullivan Co.

["Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>]

8 Apr 2006
Musick's Campground
South Holston Lake
Sullivan County, TN

Four American White Pelicans were among the overnight fallout of rain-downed 
birds in Northeast Tennessee Saturday morning.

Rick Knight, Carolyn Coffey and Wallace Coffey observed the pelicans in 
Tennessee just offshore of Musicks' Campgroun on what locals call "Egret 
Island." They where  were in company with a mixed flocks of Ring-billed Gulls 
and Bonaparte's Gull.

Before anyone other than the campground owner, Mae Musick, could get to the 
site, a third-year Bald Eagle arrived at the island, circled once, and landed a 
few yards away.  The gulls scattered as the eagle approached but the pelicans 
held tight.  Then the pelicans took flight.

The pelicans flew in wide circles into Washington County, Virginia over the 
Spring Creek Embayment.  Then back up the creek several hundred yards.  The 
group flew back into Tennessee towards the Painter Creek Embayment and  nearby 
marina.

Rack and Carol Cross later found the birds while searching for them from the 
boat ramp at Observation Knob Park.  Looking north across the lake to the TVA / 
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency launching ramp, they saw the birds on the 
shoreline of the TVA property to the east of the ramp.  The birds were not in 
view from anywhere else except Observation Knob Park at that time.

Few of the birders in the area saw one another but several cellphone 
communications with birders working over favrious areas of Northeast Tennessee 
indicated that increasing numbers of birders were arriving in the Observation 
Knob vicinity to see the birds.

Rob Biller got photos of the eagle and pelicans. 

This is the second record for a American White Pelican at South Holston Lake.  
A bird was present 21-23 Dec 1991 in Washington County, VA near Avens Bridge.  
It evidently left on 23 Dec and moved to the vicinity of Friendship Marina near 
U.S. 421 Bridge where it was seen by John Shumate, Wallace Coffey and others.  
It then flew to Boone Lake where it was seen near Davis Marina, 24-27 Dec. 

For those of you keeping a scorecard, this is the first official sighting from 
Musick's Campground -- tick one there.

Knight had covered a larger geographical area during this morning (4/8) andwill 
post the birds we had at Musick's Campground during the pelican show.

Let's go birding......

Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN