Bristol Birders, Michelle and I enjoyed a day of birding along the Appalachian Trail during the Elizabethton Christmas Bird Count today. We made the long drive down from Grundy and didn't get on the trail until after 9:00 a.m. We first drove to Dennis Cove and then hiked the AT down to Laurel Falls in the Pond Mountain Wilderness. The light rain and cool temperatures made for some dramatic scenery in the Laurel Creek gorge as wisps of fog moved along the mountains. Laurel Falls was simply spectacular - filling the gorge from side to side from the recent rains. After hiking to the falls, we made our way along the High Water Trail to the Laurel Shelter. On the way back to Dennis Cove, a pair of Common Ravens materialized out of the fog and sailed down the gorge; would have made some great video but I was forced to leave my camcorder behind due to the rain. Not to worry though, we are already planning a May hike along this trail as this looks like prime warbler habitat. After lunch in Hampton we again hiked the Appalachian Trail, this time along the western shore of Watauga Lake. Waterbirds included a Great Blue Heron, a Pied-billed Grebe, and a Ring-billed Gull. The best birds along this section of trail were three Brown Creepers and a Red-breasted Nuthatch. We also found a Gray Catbird and a Sharp-shinned Hawk. With the last couple hours of daylight left, we decided to make a run past Wilbur Lake and hopefully spot a species missed by the team assigned to this area (yes, we went poaching). Nothing new, just lots of Bufflehead and about 17 Ring-necked Ducks. We met Don Holt at the Watauga Lake overlook and discussed the birds we had found that day. At the pond on Rt. 91 near Elizabethton we did find a couple of Green-winged Teal mixed in with the Mallards and Canada Geese feeding there. We had originally planned on staying for the Roan Mountain CBC but after hearing of the icy conditions in the mountains of SW Virginia and being in a two-wheel drive vehicle, we decided to head on back to Grundy. I doubt we could have made it up Roan Mt. anyway. Overall, a great day of birding the Tennessee Mountains. Below is a list of the birds we found at each location - a total of 37 species for the day. Ed and Michelle Talbott Buchanan Co. Bird Club http://www.bcplnet.org/birdclub/birdclub.htm Grundy, VA Hampton, TN - On Dennis Cove Road: American Crow [11] European Starling [132] Mourning Dove [1] Rock Pigeon [5] Northern Mockingbird [2] Blue Jay [1] Appalachian Trail from Dennis Cove to Laurel Falls: Eastern Towhee [1] White-throated Sparrow [4] Carolina Chickadee [4] Golden-crowned Kinglet [7] Pileated Woodpecker [2] Dark-eyed Junco [12] American Crow [21] Common Raven [2] Downy Woodpecker [1] Tufted Titmouse [4] Yellow-bellied Sapsucker [1] White-breasted Nuthatch [3] Hermit Thrush [1] Song Sparrow [12] Field Sparrow [5] Carolina Wren [2] American Robin [1] Appalachian Trail from Shook Branch Picnic Area on Rt. 321 along western shore of Watauga Lake: Northern Cardinal [11] Great Blue Heron [1] Pied-billed Grebe [1] American Crow [24] White-throated Sparrow [13] Blue Jay [3] Red-bellied Woodpecker [3] Eastern Towhee [2] Carolina Chickadee [9] Downy Woodpecker [1] Yellow-rumped Warbler [1] Hermit Thrush [1] Gray Catbird [1] Carolina Wren [1] Brown Creeper [3] Yellow-bellied Sapsucker [2] White-breasted Nuthatch [3] Red-breasted Nuthatch [1] Sharp-shinned Hawk [1] Ring-billed Gull [1] Tufted Titmouse [3] Golden-crowned Kinglet [4] Wilbur Lake: Bufflehead [100+] Ring-necked Ducks [17] Don M. Lewis Blvd at Welfare Development Complex pond on Rt. 91 near Elizabethton: Canada Goose [22] Mallard [12] Green-winged Teal [2] ************************************************* BRISTOL BIRDS NET LIST 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. It serves the Russell County Bird Club, Herndon TOS Chapter, Blue Ridge Birders Club, Butternut Nature Club, Buchanan County Bird Club, Bristol Bird Club, Clinch Valley Bird Club and Cumberland Nature Club. -------------------------------------------------- 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-****