FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] 'Grizzly' Harboldt

["Samuel Harboldt, M.D." <SHarboldt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Sam Harboldt
Jackson, TN
1/2/08
Am new to tn-bird, and don't know if this will send or not.  My wife Susan and 
I birded often before kids (about 20 years ago).  The kids have  put plenty of 
gray hairs on my head since then, so looking pretty grizzly by now.  Time has 
also given me a chance to forget what little I did know about birds.   Short 
visit on brisk, windy, snowy, New Years Day at Pace Point, TN NWR in Henry 
County:.

Barred Owl 1 - my first ever and the highlight of the day.
Golden Eagle,  immature, with underwing proximal primary white patch and slight 
dihedral. 1
Am Kestrel 1
R.T. Hawk 1
Killdeer 1
Tufted Titmouse 1
N. Cardinals ++
Blue Jays ++
Song Sparrow 1
W.T. Sparrows + one taking a frigid bath in a tiny roadside stream
Hooded Mergansers ++
Gadwalls +
Am Widgeons +
N. Pintail +
Mallards +++
P.B. Grebe +
N. Shoveler  +
Canada Goose +++
Gulls ++ (distant)
Crows +++ (distant)
Wild canine (see below)

It sounds crazy to me, so I suppose all will think so:  could there be red 
wolves at TN NWR at Pace Point in Henry County?  The other highlight was a wild 
canine crossing the gravel road less than a hundred feet in front of me.  After 
crossing 20 feet or so into the cover of the woods, it stopped and looked back, 
not at my car but toward the direction from which it had come, as though 
concerned about kinfolks.  This pause afforded me a very good look through my 
binoculars.  It was about the size and texture of a Rough Coated Collie or 
German Shepherd-Collie mix, but clearly blockier and more muscular, and  with 
it's splendid  spiky coat  appearing ruffed up as if  in response to the  cold 
wind.  However, these were not Collie or German Shepherd colors, but those of 
coyote or wolf, and the facial physiognomy was not Collie.   It's head looked 
rather broad.  As I'm well aware that gray wolves don't run there,  I concluded 
forthwith that it was an extra good-looking coyote, not even thinking of red 
wolf.   A few minutes later I chatted briefly with a couple of older local men 
cruising the refuge in a pickup, who asked if I'd seen wolves.  They maintained 
with great assurance that red wolves run there, which came as a great surprise 
to me.  I told them that I understand that there is some (debatable) DNA etc. 
evidence for interbreeding between coyotes and red wolves (believe I read this 
is Scott Weidensaul's Mountains of the Heart), but they wouldn't budge on their 
theory.  Then I was left to ponder - how red is red?  It seemed a gorgeous 
mixed pelt of gray and tawny  (red?) tones with subtle black highlights.  This  
leaves me interested in hearing from any knowledgeable persons and/or needing 
to contact the refuge officials to learn if there has indeed been some 
reintroduction attempt.  I have heard of spots in the Appalachians/Southeast 
where there are programs to reintroduce the red wolf.  If only coyotes are 
known to be there, special protection wouldn't be necessary, but if red wolf is 
there I'd be concerned that ill-informed and prejudiced locals might enjoy 
cruising the area and taking down any reintroduced animals.   In that case the 
support of outdoor-minded persons such as birders could be important, so I'll 
run the risk of appearing gullible.  I want to stress that I'm not reporting a 
red wolf siting,  however, I was quite struck with the rugged beauty of this 
beast, who had a bold erect stance and lacked the skulking posture and scrawny 
look I associate with coyotes.  Perhaps it just looked bigger and better pelted 
because it was cold and I saw it so close.


________________________________
Important Notice: This e-mail is intended for the use of the person to whom it 
is addressed and may contain information that is privileged and confidential. 
If you are not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying, distribution, 
or use of the contents of this message is strictly prohibited. If you have 
received this e-mail in error, please destroy this message and contact the 
Security Officer at PathGroup, Inc immediately at 615-562-9255. Thank you

=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================

The TN-Bird Net requires you to SIGN YOUR MESSAGE with
first and last name, CITY (TOWN) and state abbreviation.
You are also required to list the COUNTY in which the birds
you report were seen.  The actual DATE OF OBSERVATION should
appear in the first paragraph.
_____________________________________________________________
      To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
                    tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
_____________________________________________________________ 
                To unsubscribe, send email to:
                 tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
            with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
______________________________________________________________
  TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society 
       Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s)
        endorse the views or opinions expressed
        by the members of this discussion group.
 
         Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
                 wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
                ------------------------------
                Assistant Moderator Andy Jones
                         Cleveland, OH
                -------------------------------
               Assistant Moderator Dave Worley
                          Rosedale, VA
__________________________________________________________
         
          Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
              web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

                          ARCHIVES
 TN-Bird Net Archives at http://www.freelists.org/archives/tn-bird/

                  EXCELLENT MAP RESOURCES
Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp
Tenn.Counties Map at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/states/tennessee3.gif
Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com

_____________________________________________________________