SAT 23 OCT 2004 Carter Co., TN D. Holt & L. McDaniel After lunch Larry and I went up Panhandle Rd. on Holston Mtn. to look for promising sites for hawk-watching. Just past Low Gap campground a road on the right goes up to a building with an antenna and what looks like a "drum", which I've been told are microwave relays for the telephone system. There was a nice view of other towers along the ridge to both the east and the west. While we were there, a kettle of Turkey Vultures formed up over the towers to the east, and passed over us on their way west, followed shortly by a second, smaller kettle, for a total of 60 Turkey Vultures. If other species follow the same path, the site could be a good viewing opportunity. Some of the birds we observed on the mountain included a Common Raven or two, Hairy Woodpecker, several Blue-headed Vireos, and a faintly heard Ruffed Grouse drumming in the distance. Afterwards in the lowlands, on Swimming Pool Rd., we had White-throated Sparrows and, at dusk, a Common Nighthawk. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------- SUN 24 OCT 2004 Washington Co., TN D. Holt and L. McDaniel Sunday morning Larry woke me with a cell phone call from Austin Springs. 8 Dunlin and 2 Pectoral Sandpipers were enough to get me to skip breakfast and join Larry at the Humphrey property. We also found a Wilson's Snipe, about a half dozen Tree Swallows, and 3 Savannah Sparrows before an irresistable craving for breakfast at IHOP overtook us. After pumpkin pancakes, we spent the rest of the day wandering around western Washington Co. on a search for "cool" birds, McD's term, idiosyncratically applied. As I understand it, the ones that made the list are as follows: Northern Harrier (4, incl. 1 adult male which was "cooler"), Horned Lark ( 70 fleeing a hunting Northern Harrier), Loggerhead Shrike (2, psychically predicted by me, but then first spotted by old eagle eye, dammit), White-crowned Sparrow (2, again psychically predicted by me, and then immediately thereafter heard by me - slamdunk!). Also noted by dint of sheer number, at various and sundry times and places, 6+ Red-tailed Hawks, about half being mobbed by crows; and 8 + American Kestrels. Miss of the Day was Eurasian Collared Dove. My prediction is that Eurasian Collared Doves will next be sighted hanging out among Eurasian animal droppings at the exotic animal farm near the pallet factory, which fortunately for them is alongside Hwy 11E so they can find their way back. Don Holt Johnson City, TN ************************************************* BRISTOL BIRDS NET LIST Bristol Birds Net Photo Gallery located at: http://f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jwcoffeyy/album?.dir=/efd5 This is a regional birding list sponsored by the Bristol Bird Club to facilitate communications between birders and bird clubs of Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee. -------------------------------------------------- You are subscribed to Bristol-Birds. To post to this mailing list, simply send an email to: bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe, send an email to bristol-birds-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the one word 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. -------------------------------------------------- Wallace Coffey, Moderator wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (423)764-****