[Bristol-Birds] Burker's Garden was blast and so were the raptors

From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Bristol-birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 26 Feb 2006 00:44:35 -0500
Birders from a wide area gathered in beautiful Burke's Garden of Tazwell 
County, Virginia Saturday (2/25) and did we have fun or did we have good 
birding and fun ?

Four Golden Eagles kept up on our toes.  A Rough-legged Hawk put in an 
appearance. 
It was windy and cold but never mind.  We all had a blast together.  Michelle 
Talbott even held benediction serving her home-made chocolate chip cookes in 
the abandoned school yard before we bid farewell for another great birding day 
in the Allegheney Mountains.  What a day ?  This is our 16th consecutive year 
to hold these "Golden Eagle" field trips.



A Loggerhead Shirike in this high-mountain valley above 3,000 feet elevation 
was a real surprise.  Even a Brown Thrasher added to the fun.  A flock of 15 
Wood Duck was an eye-opener.  Northern Harrier, Cooper's Hawk, 9 Red-tailed 
Hawks, and American Kestrel rounded out the raptors.  Red-headed Woodpecker (1) 
was hard to find.

Among the birders were:  Dave Worley, Don Holt, Rick Phillips, Diane Draper, 
Janice Martin, Fred Martin, Don Carrier, Tom Hunter, Wallace Coffey, Stephanie 
Winterrowd, Bill Grigsby, Mike Winterrowd, John Hay, Phil Shelton, Ed Talbott, 
Michelle Talbott, Jerry Thronhill, Jane Thornhill and six or seven college 
students from the University of Virginia Wise.

        Photo by Ed Talbott

Diane Draper skunked us all with the first great roadside pickup on a Wilson's 
Snipe.  It was right at a stream bank and the kind of bird you could miss in a 
heartbeat.  As one birder described that observation,  "she must have seen it 
out of the corner of her eye."  It was an impressive spot to say the least.  
And so was a neat photo captured by Rick Phillips.   At one point there were as 
many as six snipes along the creek near the two big corn cribs and lovely white 
farm house.

Photo by Rick Phillips


As expected, the several Golden Eagles were mostly well up over ridges but Ed 
Talbott got some amazing close up pictures of one Golden Eagle soaring just 
above his camera: 
                                                                                
                                                  Photos by Ed Talbott


The following species made up the trip list and thanks goes to Don Holt, Bill 
Grigsby and Ed Talbott for keeping lists all day and getting the final tally up 
to snuff.

Wood Duck 15
Mallard 20
Green-winged Teal 12
Ring-necked Duck 12
Black Vulture 2
Turkey Vulture 9
Northern Harrier 1
Cooper's Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 9
Rough-legged Hawk 1
Golden Eagle 4
American Kestrel 3
Killdeer 25
Wilson's Snipe 7
Rock Dove 17
Mourning Dove 3
Red-headed Woodpecker 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
Loggerhead Shrike 1
Blue Jay 4
American Crow 36
Common Raven 3
European Starling 60
Horned Lark 2
Carolina Chickadee 1
Tufted Titmouse 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Eastern Bluebird 2
American Robin 20
Brown Thrasher 1
Song Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 1
Red-winged Blackbird 77
Eastern Meadowlark 11
House Finch 1
American Goldfinch 40
House Sparrow 12

We're already looking forward to next year.  Dave Worley and I couldn't wait so 
this was our second birding trip there this winter as it was for Don Carrier.

Let's go birding.....

Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN
[Bristol-Birds] Burker's Garden was blast and so were the raptors

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