FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Brown Creeper nest in Smokies

["Ron Hoff" <dollyron@xxxxxxxxx>]

Tn-birders,
This morning Dollyann Myers, Frank Bills, Sharon Bostick, and I birded for a 
bit at the Alum Cave trailhead, along highway 441 in the Great Smokey Mountains 
Nat. Park. We were specifically looking for a Black-throated Blue Warbler, 
because Dollyann and I did not have it for our year list and it was on the way 
to our destination. We walked into the Alum Cave trail, went past the second 
foot bridge about 100+ yards, when we saw a Brown Creeper carrying food. 
Immediately I went into "atlas" mode and wondered if we could track it to a 
nest. I lost it as it went into the forest, but a few minutes later, saw it on 
the base of a broken off Beech tree, that had put up another main trunk. We 
watched it go into a space behind the bark and then re-emerge a minute later. 
We guessed it had a nest there and watched it fly off and come back several 
minutes later and repeat the same thing. It flew off a second time and we 
didn't see it again for about 8-10 minutes. We were about to leave when it flew 
back to the site a third time, went behind the bark, and emerged a minute later 
carrying a fecal sac. This was the first Brown Creeper nest I have ever found. 
The elevation was about 4000' (1200m). Also seen at the location were Canada 
Warblers carrying food, Blackburnian Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, 
Black-throated Green Warbler, and Veery. 
We then went up highway 441 and stopped at one ot the overlooks a bit below 
Newfound Gap, where Frank spotted a distant Red Crossbill in the top of a 
hemlock tree. On the road to Clingman's Dome, we stopped at the Indian Gap 
parking area, where we walked into the trail about 100 yards, and managed to 
spish up Red-breasted Nuthatches. We then went a bit farther towards Clingman's 
Dome and pulled off on a wide spot where one of the trails comes to the road. 
Here we found a small flock of Red Crossbills feeding in the evergreens and got 
some terrific looks. All in all, it was a great two hours of mountain birding.

Great birding to all,
Ron Hoff
Clinton, Tn.


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