FreeLists / bristol-birds / [Bristol-Birds] Final Report - Roan Mt/Ripshin area for Breeding Bird Survey, Carter Co.

[MerlinZ02@xxxxxxx]

This update will serve as my final report.  I have incorporated both Mike Poe 
and Rack Cross' sightings into my report for Roan Mt and Ripshin Lake for the 
Breeding Bird Survey for Carter County, TN - June 18, 2005.  

____________________________________________________

I stayed on Roan Mt Friday (June 17) night so I decided to go and check for 
Saw-whet Owls Friday night / Early Saturday morning. At 11:40pm(Friday) I got a 
single SAW-WHET OWL to respond to my whistling from the Carver's Gap parking 
area. This bird was in the general vicinity of the nest box structure off the 
main road leading up to the rhododendron gardens. I never saw the bird but 
that is where the sound was coming from. I decided to hang around until 12:01am 
(Saturday June 18) to officially count this bird before heading back to the 
house in Burbank where I was staying. 

By 5:00, I was again back at Carver's Gap listening to the same Saw-whet Owl 
(at least this was from the same direction). I found it interesting that 
before it was really light on top of the mountain, 3 ALDER FLYCATCHERS were 
singing 
from their perches deep within the blankets of Alders in the Carver's Gap 
area. So now I am thinking atthat before 6am I have had two pretty rare species 
for our area and how this could shape up to be a really good day.

Near 6am I walk up the main road for just a little bit where I hear a bird 
sing with 2 distinct notes at the beginning then sounding like a tired Winter 
Wren. What I mean is it was bubbling over itself like a Winter Wren does but 
just not as excited about it. I immediately think RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET 
(especially with the 2 distinct high notes at thebeginning). Try as I might, I 
was not 
able to get a visual identification. I include it on this list because Nora 
Schubert,Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy's Seasonal 
Ecologist,described the exact same song as I described (and again with no 
visual).."two distinct 
high notes before and the rest just not like aWinter Wren." I will let the 
powers that be decide whether or not thatis enough evidence, but I think that 
is 
what it was. 

I had decided that from between 6 and 9am I would scramble to as many places 
on Roan Mt as possible. I did this with the hopes of getting as many birds 
singing as possible while keeping good records to what I had where as not to 
count the birds twice upon my return visit. 

By 9am I was back at Carver's Gap to sample more high elevation birds(where I 
saw one of the Alder Flycatchers singing from an Alder branch between the 
parking areas). I walked with the group from SAHC (led by Nora Schubert) part 
of 
the way up the Appalachian Trail heading toward the Rhododendron Gardens. Here 
we sample Golden-crowned Kinglet, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Winter Wrens, and 
Veerys.

From here I blanket Roan Mt from top to bottom; hitting all the goodspots I 
know about and get a fair share of more birds to add. Around 11am I turn up to 
the Miller's Homestead and walk out the trail past the overlook platform. I 
had high hopes to get a certain bird here and was not disappointed as I heard a 
YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER call and peck from his tree to the west of the trail. 


The rest of the day was spent skirting the bottom of the mountain, the town 
of Roan Mtn (where I did find the elusive Northern Mockingbird, but NO 
Killdeer), and a lengthly afternoon trip to Ripshin Lake Area(where I had to 
wait out 
a 35-40 minute downpour). At 6pm and after 13hours in the field, I called it 
quits with 80 species of birds. Big misses were both Vultures, Broad-winged 
Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk,Cooper's Hawk, Killdeer, Rock Dove, Screech Owl, 
Louisiana Waterthrush,and both Orioles. 

Rack Cross was doing his point count for the Tennessee State Ornithologist in 
the Hampton Creek Cove area and his count has been added to this FINAL list.  
It is signifigant to note that Rack added another 2 species to the count (at 
least for my area) - Northern Bobwhite and Cedar Waxwings!  This ups my area 
to 82 species.  Thanks Rack!!

The complete list follows:

Canada Goose (Ripshin area) 10
Northern Bobwhite 2 (Rack Cross)
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Mourning Dove 40
Great Horned Owl 1
Barred Owl 1
Northern Saw-whet Owl 1
Chimney Swift 3
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 6
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Miller Homestead) 1
Downy Woodpecker 3
Hairy Woodpecker 4
Northern Flicker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 4
Eastern Wood-Pewee 4
Acadian Flycatcher 2
Alder Flycatcher 3
Willow Flycatcher 2
Least Flycatcher 15
Eastern Phoebe 6
Eastern Kingbird 2
White-eyed Vireo 1
Blue-headed Vireo 6
Red-eyed Vireo 12
Blue Jay 17
American Crow 62
Common Raven 1
Tree Swallow 6
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 2
Barn Swallow 6
Carolina Chickadee 4
Tufted Titmouse 4
Red-breasted Nuthatch 3
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Carolina Wren 1
House Wren 9
Winter Wren 4
Golden-crowned Kinglet 11
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
Eastern Bluebird 5
Veery 9
Hermit Thrush 1 (Mike Poe and Rob Biller) [can't count the one in NC!]
Wood Thrush 6
American Robin 106
Gray Catbird 12
Northern Mockingbird 3
Brown Thrasher 2
Cedar Waxwing 18
European Starling 11
Golden-wingeed Warbler 3
Northern Parula 1
Yellow Warbler 10
Chestnut-sided Warbler 21
Black-throated Blue Warbler 13
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1 (Nora Schubert)
Black-throated Green Warbler 5
Black-&-White Warbler 1
American Redstart 3
Worm-eating Warbler 1
Ovenbird 7
Common Yellowthroat 8
Hooded Warbler 5
Canada Warbler 4
Yellow-breasted Chat 3
Scarlet Tanager 6
Eastern Towhee 29
Chipping Sparrow 12
Field Sparrow 19
Song Sparrow 38
Dark-eyed Junco 43
Northen Cardinal 3
Indigo Bunting 19
Red-winged Blackbird 43
Eastern Meadowlark 1
Common Grackle 14
Brown-headed Cowbird 5
House Finch 6
Pine Siskin 2
American Goldfinch 15
House Sparrow 1