FreeLists / bristol-birds / [bristol-birds] From the Journal of Rob Biller - Roan Mtn Naturalist Rally

[MerlinZ02@xxxxxxx]

Roan Mt Naturalist Rally
September 6-8th , 2002

.....Friday after work I headed to Roan Mt for the Fall Naturalist Rally. I 
have the fortunate pleasure of staying in Burbank at my Aunt and Uncle's 
house there. I could live there. It is a small place with one bedroom with a 
door and a loft over the living room with 3 other beds. 

After making a brief stop at Win Dixie in Elizabethan for grill out goodies, 
I arrive at the "Burbank House" around 5:30. 

I head to the Roan Mountain State Park Convention at 6:00 for a meal and the 
featured program. I missed the program because another friend who hadn't 
showed up yet had the wrong directions and I didn't want her to be roaming 
around the mountain all by herself. So I snuck out after dinner and went 
looking for her. I didn't find her, but at the top of the mountain, I view 
the best ever look of Venus I have ever seen. I stayed there for about 30 
minutes looking at Venus with my binoculars and other constellations on a 
chilly night with no clouds at all.
I get back about the time the program is ending and socialize a bit before I 
head back to the house in Burbank.

I get up at 6:00am and head back to Carver's Gap. The elevation at the gap is 
5512 feet. Rick Knight had set up his banding operation there. He bands 
migratory species (some local birds get caught in his net) as they head south 
to the Yucatan Peninsula and southward for the winter. Banding the birds 
helps to figure out migration paths. Banders are able to track these birds 
with the little bands they securely, but in no way harmful, put on their 
legs. If he were to come across another bird with a band, he would write down 
the band information and release it without addiing an additional band. 

Anyway, after a busy end of the week banding, courtesy of a cold front that 
helped get the bird motivated to move, the weekend was slow as the weather 
returned to more normal conditions. As more cold fronts start moving through 
the area, the banding will pick back up. 

Nevertheless, he had a few good birds to show off to the interested parties 
from the naturalist rally. He banded - Swainson's and Hermit Thrushes 
(cousins to Robins), Black-throated Blue, Magnolia, Tennessee, and Cape May 
Warblers, and Ovenbird with Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Blackburnian Warblers, 
Cooper's, Sharp-shinned, and a Broad-winged Hawk, Crows, a Raven, a Woodcock 
(my first in the Gap area), Red-breasted Nuthatches, Golden-crowned Kinglets, 
and Dark-eyed Juncos being seen between banding runs. 

When the birding group from the naturalist rally finally work their way to 
the gap, they inform us of a Northern Goshawk seen near picnic area #1 that 
they flushed. Apparently, the bird flew down low for everyone to get a good 
look..... 

If you are interested in looking at the whole journal entry...it is found on 
my web journal page: <A 
HREF="http://xyon42.blogspot.com";>http://xyon42.blogspot.com</A>

Rob Biller
Johnson City, TN



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