FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Re: It MUST have been...a harrier

["michael sledjeski" <mtnsylva@xxxxxxx>]

Last Wednesday I saw a northern harrier flying low along the shoulder of Hwy
107S near Bear Hollow RD in  Del Rio; wooded, mountainous terrain, with a
fewsmall fields.  Open ground along the French Broad River, which is more
typical habitat, is over a mile away, across forested hills.  I've watched
harriers at Wheeler and Merritt Island NWRs recently, so I was certain about
the i.d., and surprised to see one wandering so far from its normal domain. 
In search of new territories, I suppose. 

Michael Sledjeski 

Del Rio, Cocke County TN     


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From:  Dthomp2669@xxxxxxx
Reply-To:  Dthomp2669@xxxxxxx
To:  tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject:  [TN-Bird] It MUST have been the almost impossible...a harrier
Date:  Sat, 4 Feb 2006 16:09:36 EST
>Greetings,
>
>Most of my feeder birds are back here in the Charlotte Park section of West
>Nashville, Davidson County, a few blocks from the Cumberland River across
from
>  Bell's Bend.  My only notable misses are my male white throated sparrow,
>song sparrow and field sparrows.
>
>Just a little while ago, a huge brown hawk sporting a WHITE RUMP PATCH flew
>through my back yard trees frightening hundreds of starlings into heart
>spasms.  Field marks and wing flap pattern make it into a harrier, but my 
habitat
>is NOT for harriers, and this bird seemed too far above ground, although 
we
>DID see one "flying high" above Lucky Hammock near the Everglades a couple
of
>weeks ago.  The only thing I can figure is that it followed the starlings
>over from Bell's Bend or Cockrill Bend, both of which begin just about a 
mile
>away and are full of grassy fields.  Every winter, when I was  librarian at
the
>Riverbend Maximum Correctional Facility at the far  end of Cockrill Bend
about
>two air miles away, I enjoyed watching a harrier  fly back and forth above
>the field between the prison and the river.   Another concern is that I
wasn't
>aware that harriers might pursue  starlings.  Is it possible that our
harrier
>is the same as or so closely  related to the harriers of Europe that this
one
>might be interested in some  "Continental cuisine?"  Or, do you suppose
this
>harrier was just having a  little fun stirring up several hundred
starlings.  It
>sure had them  breaking up into flocks and fleeing in every direction. I
>couldn't get to  my camera in time to capture the harrier as it flew off
toward
>the river too  quickly.  Any other suggestions?
>
>A purple finch came in with the cold weather, and is hiding in my  bushes.
>I'm trying to get a "clean" photo, but it just won't cooperate so  far.
>
>A sparrow hawk, presumably the one that appeared just before I went to
>Florida on January 13, perches on the wire above my deck.  Since I 
returned, I
>have not seen one mouse so far.  I used to have from one to a  dozen
feedingwith
>the birds at my "ground feeder" on the deck.  It would  be nice if that
>sparrow hawk did a fine mouse extermination job for me  while I was gone. 
Of
>course, he may have dined on my sparrows as well,  since I haven't seen
themsince
>my return.
>
>My bird tour of South Florida yielded 168 species of birds, plus two more
>for me after I left the group.
>
>Cheers &prayers,
>
>Dee Thompson
>Nashville, TN
>
>=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================
>
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>______________________________________________________________
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>         by the members of this discussion group.
>
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>                  wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
>_____________________________________________________________
>      Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
>           web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
>* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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>
>_____________________________________________________________
>
>

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

The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with
first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation.
You are also required to list the count 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

_____________________________________________________________
     Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
          web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp

_____________________________________________________________