FreeLists / bristol-birds / [Bristol-Birds] Birstol Bird Club Best Birds of the Year

["Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>]

BRISTOL BIRD CLUB'S
VIRGIL CARR BEST BIRDS OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2005
Named for our friend Virgil Carr at Musick's Campground
(Includes records since this date last year)
1. Pacific Loon, 4 Dec 2005 (Rick Knight) at Musick's Campground, South Holston 
Lake. First record for East Tennessee and Western Virginia.


2. Bald Eagle, May 23, 2005,  region's first nest at Kingsport, TN in Hawkins 
Co. fledged two eaglets . This is the region's first eagle nesting in the upper 
Holston River watershed. 

3. Barn Owls, 2 Jan 2005 (Chris O'Bryan, Andy Jones, Wallace Coffey). A pair of 
with a winter nest and three young.  At DeBusk Mill in Washington Co., VA. 
Believed to be the first winter nesting of the Barn Owl in Virginia.

4. Mississippi Kite, 31 Sept 2005 (Lynda Mayhorn and Roger Mayhorn). Near John 
Flannagan Reservoir, a few miles from Haysi, VA in Dickenson County. First 
Southwest Virginia record and one of a dozen or less in the mountains of 
Virginia.

5. Glossy Ibis, 16 October 2005 (Don Mackler). Rural Retreat Lake, Wythe Co. 
Second Southwest Virginia record and second at Rural Retreat Lake.. 

6. Lark Sparrow, 22 January 2005 (J.T. McNeil and Tom McNeil). Tri-City Airport 
area, Sullivan County. Second NET record. Third region record.

7. Western Kingbird, 17 Sept 2005  (G. Gordon Brown and George Brown). Campus 
of the University of Virginia College at Wise. Fourth Western Virginia record, 
second Southwest Virginia record and sixth record for NET/SWVA combined.

8. Golden Eagle, 30 Jan. 2005 (Lorrie Shumate and John Shumate). Feeding on 
deer carcas on U.S. 421 Hwy. Iron Mountain, Johnson Coutny, TN 

9. Short-eared Owl, Feb. 14, 2005 (John Moyle). At his home in Kingsport, TN. 
It has been 13 years since a previous record -- a dead one found at Bowmantown. 

10. Cliff Swallows, 15 May 2005 (Wallace Coffey).  201 nests under Avens Bridge 
on South Holston Lake, Washington County, VA. One of the largest colonies in 
the state Virginia and the largest in Southwest Virginia.


11. Black Scoter, 22 Nov 2005 (Rick Knight). A striking adult male. Davis 
Marina on the upper Holston fork of Boone Lake, Sullivan Co. 

12. LeConte's Sparrow, 9 Nov 2005 (Don Holt). Clyde Austin 4-H Center, Greene 
Co., TN Same field where he found a Leconte's Sparrow last December on the 2004 
Greeneville Christmas Bird Count. Otherwise known mainly from a few Shady 
Valley records and one Carter County record.

13. Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, 4 July 2005 (Richard Ladd).  At a nest with at 
least one fairly large young, Beaver Creek, Bristol Tennessee, Sullivan Co. 
This is the first known nest of the species in the Beaver Creek drainage of the 
South Fork Holston River.

14. Cackling Goose, 27 Dec 2004 (Tom McNeil and Wallace Coffey). South Holston 
River Weir Dam and near the power station at foot of South Holton Dam. 


15. Cackling Goose (2), 8 Jan 2005 (Larry McDaniel). Apparently Richardson's 
form. Pickens Bridge Rd. and Crouch Rd. in Washington County, TN. 


16. Great Blue Heron, 17 Apr 2005 (Rob Biller, Dianne Draper, Jacki Hinshaw, 
Don Holt).  Nestlings being fed on one of 14 visible nests along Hwy 107 and 
Onks Lane, Washington Co., TN.  First Washington County nesting record.

17. Savannah Sparrow, 28 June 2005 (Dave Worley and Wallace Coffey)  One 
singing on territory at PowerLine Farms located on Pemberton Rd. just off U.S. 
421 highway. This established a new breeding season species for Sullivan 
County, TN.


18. Greater White-fronted Goose (3), 5 Dec. 2005 (Rick Knight). Picken's Bridge 
Rd. and Crouch Rd. in Boones Creek, Washington Co., TN 


19. Cattle Egret, 25 Apr 2005 (Louise Tilson). Near her home in Smyth County, 
VA. This is the second known spring record for the species in Southwest 
Virginia. 
20. Sandhill Crane (2), 13 Mar 2005 (Dianne Draper and Don Holt). Western end 
of McDonald Rd. at the Lick Creek Bottoms Wildlife Management Area unit near 
Beulah Church, Greene County.

21.  Blue-winged Warbler, 5 July 2005 (Roger Mayhorn).  An adult male 
Blue-winged Warbler feeding two fledglings at Compton Mountain, Buchanan 
County, VA. One of the fledglings was a first generation male Brewster's 
Warbler. The second fledgling was a female Brewster's. 

22. Willet, 31 Aug 2005 (Wallace Coffey).  A rare fall observation of a the 
species.  At Musick's Campground, South Holston Lake, Sullivan Co. Probably the 
first fall record for the species at South Holston and one of maybe two or 
three fall records for Northeast Tennessee.
23. Snowy Egret, 1 Sep 2005 (Dave Worley).  Stuart's Pond, Russell Co., Va. 
First county record and one of about six such records for Southwest Virginia.

24. Cliff Swallow, 25 May 2005 (Ron Harrington and Wallace Coffey). Seen using 
a nest found under U.S. 421 Hwy. bridge in Shady Valley, Johnson Co., TN.  Also 
counted a total of seven nests in various stages of construction. First of the 
species seen at this location. May be the highest elevation nesting of this 
species in the Southern Appalachians.

25. Canada Geese (4) 17 July 2005 (Chris O'Bryan and Wallace Coffey). Four 
banded birds and the band numbers read through a spotting scope near South 
Holston Dam, The geese had been banded by the Michigan Department of Natural 
Resources and relased during 2004 in southern Iowa. 

Let's go birding.......

Wallace Coffey
Bristol, Tn