FreeLists / bristol-birds / [bristol-birds] Re: Isdore may produce good birds

["TH Cumbie" <thcumbie@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Greetings from Buladean,

Regretfully, I have not taken time to do much birding this season.  However, 
when I read this email from Wallace, I went to the best area in the house to 
observe the  migrants which go through my yard.  

The leaves of the hazel nut bushes, where so many warblers have been seen, were 
moving just like birds were feeding in them, but big drops of rain were causing 
the leaves to bounce up and down.   Chickadees, titmice, goldfinches were 
feeding at the feeder.  A big Brown Thrasher was trying to keep dry from the 
light but constant rain while feeding on poison ivy berries. First a brilliant 
flash of red was in the hazel nut bushes, then onto the feeder... a male 
cardinal.  When he left the female fed briefly. She was evidently molting and 
would hopefully look better in a few days.   

But I could not believe what was happening as I watched.... A brilliant yellow 
was jumping around among the leaves low in the bushes.. a warbler.  But what?  
bluish wings with two rather prominent but somewhat short thick white 
wing-bars.  The black mark through the eye was definitely a good identifying 
mark....The black line through the eye was surrounded by yellow.  All of the 
bird I could see was yellow except for the pale bluish wings and white wing 
bars. The tail looked long and also dark.  The bill had been thin and rather 
long for a warbler.

The warbler would often be seen moving with brief drops or flight up, feeding 
near the outside of the bush limbs.. and so could be nicely observed even 
though it would disappear, its movements could be observed with limb movement.. 
 Then for an even better view, it flew almost straight toward me,  to an almost 
bare limb on the young peachtree... very close, for I could see the bird 
clearly even without the binoculars. It moved quickly through the limbs of the 
peachtree sometimes a good view but always showing parts of it.  It then flew. 
But I had had a great view.

When I searched the Dunn/Garrett: Warblers, I found the bird to look exactly 
like the Blue-winged Warbler.  The markings this book mentioned I had not seen 
were the white undertail coverts and also large white spots on tail. So I 
watched all the birds feeding for awhile, the Brown Thrasher trying to keep 
from getting wet with it wings spread and drooped??, a Carolina Wren came to 
the feeder and made the seeds fly as it searched all the way to the bottom of 
the feeder for something.  It seemed to have found what it searched for it 
began feeding. Protective, it darted its sharp bill at the Chickadees but they 
quickly fed ignoring the aggressiveness of the wren.

It was getting dark by now, when suddenly the warbler came back jumping around 
at the back of the Peachtree, it was very difficult to see very much of the 
bird this time. The brilliant yellow showed, the black line through the eye was 
prominent against the yellow.  I wanted to see the undertail coverts and the 
underside of the tail. Suddenly, just before it flew, it turned its back to me 
and I saw the very light color of this underside of the tail.  But I did not 
have enough light nor time to observe the coverts of the warbler before it flew.

I was so sure it was the Blue-Winged Warbler.  However, when I checked the 
Sibley Guide, it seems the Blue-wing Warbler migrates early ... By the middle 
of September this bird has migrated.  Surely, it was a Blue-Winged?? What else 
could it have been???  But this is the last of September??

Will try to check again in the morning for it is now dark.. In the past, I have 
had a couple of huge fallouts of migrant birds during hurricane weather, 
particularly with the fog and dampness present.

Thanks, Wallace for the info about the weather and migrants!!!

Thelma Hughes Cumbie
Buladean, NC
 
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Wallace Coffey <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: 1-A Bristol-Birds <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, September 25, 2002 4:04 PM
Subject: [bristol-birds] Isdore may produce good birds


> 
> Bristol Area Birders:
> 
> Strong tropical storm Isdore is headed into
> our area in the next 24 hours and might
> bring seldom-seen species in from further
> south and the Gulf of Mexico.
> 
> Migrants headed south should be forced down
> and will be halted in our region  until conditions
> improve!  You might find some really nice
> birds out there.
> 
> Similar conditions in the 1990's brought
> Black-skimmers to the Chattanooga area
> for the first time since the late 1800s.  Hugo
> brought some wonderful birds to Watauga
> Lake in Northeast Tennessee.  But this
> storm is no Hugo!
> 
> This storm development does not have
> exceptionally  strong winds.  This
> may reduce the chance of finding
> many storm-driven bird species.  Most
> of the tropical storm effects moving towards
> us are focused on heavy rainfall.
> 
> Birders all across the Bristol Birds Net
> area should have your eyes and minds
> focused on the storm-driven bird possibilities.
> 
> The watch for unusual bird species should
> be focused this afternoon and just after
> the heaviest part of the rainfall clears our
> area.
> 
> All good shorebirding sites and water areas
> should be checked for the next two or three
> days for possible storm birds.
> 
> Be sure and post anything you think may
> be storm related.
> 
> Wallace Coffey
> Bristol
> 
> 
> *************************************************
>        BRISTOL BIRDS NET LIST
> 
> This is a regional birding list sponsored by the
> Bristol Bird Club to facilitate communications 
> between birders and bird clubs of Southwest Virginia
> and Northeast Tennessee.  It serves the Russell County
> Bird Club, Herndon Chapter TOS, Greeneville TOS 
> Chapter, Blue Ridge Birders Club, Butternut Nature
> Club, Buchanan County Bird Club, Bristol Bird Club,
> Clinch Valley Bird Club and Cumberland Nature Club.
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> --------------------------------------------------
>        Wallace Coffey, Moderator
>          jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx
>            (423)764-3958
> 

*************************************************
       BRISTOL BIRDS NET LIST

This is a regional birding list sponsored by the
Bristol Bird Club to facilitate communications 
between birders and bird clubs of Southwest Virginia
and Northeast Tennessee.  It serves the Russell County
Bird Club, Herndon Chapter TOS, Greeneville TOS 
Chapter, Blue Ridge Birders Club, Butternut Nature
Club, Buchanan County Bird Club, Bristol Bird Club,
Clinch Valley Bird Club and Cumberland Nature Club.
--------------------------------------------------
You are subscribed to Bristol-Birds.
To post to this mailing list, simply send an email
to: bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe, send
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--------------------------------------------------
       Wallace Coffey, Moderator
         jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx
           (423)764-3958