[Bristol-Birds] Historical Snippet - Mar 17. 1996

 BBC Snippet  
                  
                           BBC and Bibbee Nature Club birding fieldtrip
                                        Grayson Highlands State Park, July 22, 
1995

The Bristol Bird Club's "Spring Break 96" came to a close in a church yard 
at Pipestem, WVA Sunday, March 17, 1996, after BBC retreaters gave a 
hardy round of applause to Grady and Ann McRae.

The McRaes, from the Bibbee Nature Club of the famous Brooks Bird Club
of West Virginia, had finished two days of leading BBC field trips at Blue 
Stone Lake, Blue Stone National Scenic River area and along the New 
River National Scenic River. 

Bibbee Club President Margaret Hank, of Hinton, joined BBC the first day.
To top it all, the McRaes presented each BBC participant a copy of the 
Stokes' latest book on bird feeding.

The Bibbee Nature Club at Bluefield, in Mercer Co., WV, is dedicated to 
enjoying natural history near their homes in southeastern West Virginia.  
They are an active bunch !
 
The BBC turnout for 1996 had a bigger group than "Spring Break 95"
because those who did not go the first year didn't want to miss out two
years in a row.

The weekends began when birders talked about students taking a spring
break to the beaches each year.  Someone suggested BBC go  
somewhere to the sunny south and take a spring break to go birding.

Then someone came up with a novel idea.   BBC should go 
north for spring break.  What a fun idea.  It only took minutes before 
Pipestem Resort State Park was being talked about.  Plans for the
weekend began to quickly materialize.   The park encompassed more 
than 4,000 acres. 

Saturday, March 11, 1995,  birders met in a parking lot in Bristol Virginia
at 7 a.m.  A caravan was quickly organized and the parade rolled
north on I-81,  heading to the mountains  of West Virginia.

Helen and Jack Parris and the McRaes were waiting for BBC.  They would
meet up with their visitors at the park about 10:30 a.m. and take them
birding after lunch.

Sunday's plans called for Park Naturalist Jim Phillips to lead a morning
birding trip in the area.  Birders would go to Bluestone Dam for waterfowl
and then to Sandstone and Hinton.  The McRaes would also go.

The group sort of split between having rooms in the big lodge to
others who rented cabins. 

Saturday night in 1995, BBC had reservations at the nearby
Oak Supper Club where birders enjoyed a relaxed evening under the 
800-year-old oak and sang happy birthday to Jim Bolinger, the 87-year-old 
owner and operator, who had greeted them.

The birders also enjoyed the festivities of the Appalachian Weekend 
celebration being held at the park. Some enjoyed swimming 
in the park pool. Others took in line dancing and country music.

Some of the fun birds were five Fox Sparrows on the island below 
Sandstone Falls, American Pipits at Bluestone State Park  and 
12 Snow Geese flying north along the New River National River
between Hinton and Brooks.

BBC enjoyed the fellowship, wonderful natural beauty at Sandstone 
Falls.  Appalachian Weekend with the wild game food tasting, and 
night owling over crusted snow was special.  The group enjoyed one 
of the funny Lloyd Jones slide shows.  

There was "honey tasting" and eating at the Dairy Queen over the river.
In 1996 the group enjoyed Tree Swallows along the New River, Common 
Goldeneye just below Blue Stone Dam and a large flock of Evening 
Grosbeaks.

At the Dairy Queen in Hinton in 1996, the offering included dinning over 
the river with bird feeders hanging around the expansive glass windows. 
Tree Swallows perched within 10 feet during lunch.

In the summer between those two "Spring Breaks"  the Bristol Bird Club
joined the  Bibbee Nature Club at Grayson Highlands State Park on 
July 22, 1995 and enjoyed cool, high elevation birding near the
peak of Virginia's highest mountain -- Mount Rogers.

BBC members taking part in the weekends at Pipestem were Bonita
Frazier, Gary Frazier, Tony Decker, Ginny Decker, Louise Tilson, Bill Little, 
Priscilla Little, Judy Musick, Carolyn Coffey, Wallace Coffey, Janet Coffey, 
Mary Erwin, Judy Roach, Lloyd Jones, Karen Quesenberry, Marge Olson, 
Karen Musick, and Larry McDaniel. 
from the archives of the Bristol Bird Club.

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