[Bristol-Birds] Conditions near excellent at Musick's
- From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Bristol-birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2006 22:09:28 -0400
Area Birders:
South Holston Lake, east of Bristol, has been in a steady drawdown for the past
10 days. At 9 p.m. today (8/10) the elevation has dropped to 1724 and
has been slowly falling throughout the day. Conditions for birding are near
excellent.
Rainfall may slow that pace but should increase the presence of downed migrants.
Shorebird and exposed mudflat shoreline habitat at Musick's Campground and in
the Spring Creek Embayment and the mouth of Spring Creek channel along Va. Rt.
75 is very good and quickly approach the peak for stopping and holding
shorebirds, terns, herons, egrets, eagles, ospreys, grebes and a variety of
waterfowl.
We have now reach the drawdown point at which daily coverage by birders is
highly recommended. The best time is early morning after heavy overnight
rainfalls and almost any day during the last hour before dark. Islands have
surfaced.
Mudflats and roosting area are available.
Under the new reservoir management plan, TVA held the water level at a more
full level and the drawdown this year has been three weeks later than normal.
During recent years years the TVA summer pool drawdown has reached an optimal
peak of 1721 to 1722 feet on or about August 10. This is well timed for
shorebird migration here at the foot of Holston Mountain, the western most
mountain in the Unaka chain of the Blue Ridge. It would appear that we have an
approximate 30 to 45-day window that best benefits shorebird and wading bird
migration. This now appears to be the last week of August and September to
mid-October if not longer. At elevations below 1723 the Spring Creek Mudflats
along Va. Rt. 75 become well exposed as do other smaller areas in the Virginia
portion of the impoundment. We have about a foot of drawdown to go.
The "Musick's Campground" vicinity (Spring Creek Embayment) is at the
confluence of Spring Creek with the more narrow-channel of the South Holston
Reservoir along the Virginia-Tennessee line. It provide some of the most
critical and useful shorebird and wading bird habitat in the Upper Holston
Projects. It is also identified by our field workers as one of the most
significant waterbird and shorebird stopping, wintering and feeding areas
in the Southern Appalachian Flyway. The diversity of species utilization is
high.
Holton Mountain may produce a migrant trap stopping birds flying north to
south during fall migration..
In addition, it appears that the Spring Creek Embayment is a settling site
for the nutrient-loaded inflow of Spring Creek (one of the largest watershed
areas of feeder streams flowing to South Holston Reservoir). Here bottom
sediment most likely produces a rich and diverse food supply for many
migrant water-associated species.
The Spring Creek Embayment has a 10-year history of hosting the Southeastern
United States' largest migratory and wintering population of Eared Grebes.
Nearly two dozen individuals have been present there in a single count in
recent years. This is also the area in which a large variety of gulls and
terns feed during passage (including the Sabine's Gull, Laughing Gull,
Black-legged Kittiwake and Least Tern). Bald Eagles and Osprey are frequent
here in Fall and the Bald Eagle has been recorded every month of the year.
There are no breeding records for either.
The pebbled-shorline attracts some of our rarest shorebirds and is visited by
Ruddy Turnstones among many other species. Black-bellied Plover and
American Golden Plover utilize the area at Musick's Campground as do winter
Dunlin. It is a feeding and resting place for dowitchers. willets, smaller
plovers and many species of water flow. It has also been a stopover site for
the Snow Bunting.
The Spring Creek Embayment is one of the most shallow and wide areas in the
Upper Holston reservoirs. Both the Virginia and Tennessee maximum record
counts for Pied-billed Grebes are known from this area with numbers reaching
about 200 birds during late fall. It is the only location in the region
where Red-necked Grebe, Horned Grebe, Pied-billed Grebe and Eared Grebe have
been seen at the same time.
At mid-winter drawdown the shoreline adjacent to Musick's Campground
provided a night roosting site for three wintering Sandhill Cranes. This is
also one of only two known vagrant migration stopping and feeding locality for
the Great White Heron (Florida white form of the Great Blue Heron) in
Tennessee. It has been recorded there at least three fall seasons and, each
time, the bird stayed for a week or two. The White Ibis and Tundra Swan have
been found here.
Rafts of winter ducks can be very large and the area supports more unusual
species such as Long-tailed Ducks and scoter species.
From a recreational standpoint, Musick's Campground is the most heavily
birded site for waterbirds between Rankin Bottom and the New River. It may
well be the most frequently birded site in the entire western Virginia area
of the Ridge and Valley.
Birders are required to sign in and identify
themselves at a visitor station, list their findings and note the time
arriving and departing. They also list their hometowns. This is monitored
by the property owner and enforced by the Bristol Bird Club. All visitation
records and specie accounts are kept on file by the club. The sign in is
a condition of access required by the owner. It is part of the BBC
agreement with the owner for birder access to an area which is otherwise
posted to "no trespassing." Please cooperate.
The location attracts nationwide interest since it was a lead article on the
front page of "Winging It" published by the American Birding Association.
Our last birder visitation summary was compiled in March 2002. From
Sept. 1997 to March 2002, 1,589 birders in 774 field parties checked in at
Musick's Campground to observe and record birds.
Birders signed in from such places as Durham, NC;
Boone, NC; West Bloomfield, MI; Knoxville, TN; Millersville, PA; Ashville,
NC; Eagle River Alaska; Chattanooga, TN; Albany, KY; Huntsville, AL;
Hickory, NC; Roanoke, VA; Nashville, TN; Watsontown, PA; Tampa, FL;
Birmingham, AL; Sparta, NC; Wakefield, RI; Claremont, NC; Trussville, AL;
Clarksville, TN; Chapel Hill, NC; Reno, NV; Alexandria, VA; Hatteras, NC;
Falls Church, VA; McBee, SC; St. Gabriel, LA; Tucson, AZ; Ithaca, NY,
Memphis, TN and many smaller and closer localities across Tennessee,
Virginia, Eastern Kentucky and Western North Carolina. We have had birders
list their home locations as simply Colorado and Texas.
Portions of this message have been posted to Bristol Birds Net in previous
years.
This is a great time to be a birder. Musick's Campground is a wonderful place
to be birding. Get out and enjoy the birds.
Wallace Coffey
Bristol Bird Club
Bristol, TN
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