[Bristol-Birds] Short-eared Owl, Barn Swallow, Great Blue Heron, etc. (Greene Co., TN)

March 19, 2006

Joachime Bible Refuge unit of Lick Creek Bottoms Wildlife Management Area (JBR);
various other spots in western Greene County and a few sites in and near Tusculum

A few hours birding in Greene County late this morning and late this afternoon produced the following:

Wood Duck (2);
Wild Turkey (17);
Great Blue Heron (5 on nests at intersection of Pate's Hill Road and Jackson Hollow Road, 2 elsewhere (not at nest));
Northern Harrier (5);
Wilson's Snipe (31);
Short-eared Owl (3 at JBR; also observed by Rob Biller, Rack Cross, Dianne Draper, Don Holt, Alice Loftin, and Tom McNeil);
Tree Swallow (3);
Barn Swallow (2 near intersection of Holly Creek Road and Brown's Bridge Road, in Tusculum);
Chipping Sparrow (singing male).

The Short-eared Owl show was a remarkable thing for northeast Tennessee, made all the more amazing by the fact that seven regional birders were on hand to witness it. It was one of the most beautiful birding experiences that I have had in Greene County, and I've had a bunch.

I have spent many hours at the Bible Refuge in the non-breeding season over the last decade, especially since the Short-eared Owl appearance there on December 7, 1997, but I have found no SEOW since this spring. I have concentrated most of my efforts into the months of December, January, and February (mostly December) and suspect that perhaps I have been looking at the wrong time.

I would appreciate the thoughts of other Tennessee birders on the subject of SEOW in East Tennessee. Do we have enough evidence from the region to make reasonable guesses at patterns of occurrence? Both Rick Knight's The Birds of Northeast Tennessee and John C. Robinson's An Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Tennessee suggest that late fall and early winter are better times to find the species.

I would like to suggest that in February and March of 2007 East Tennessee birders should make a special effort to check suitable habitats in the region for SEOW. Even if we didn't find the owls, we would be likely to find woodcocks and lots of harriers, so the effort would generate useful information in any case.

Another thanks to Ben Britton of Morristown for checking the Bible Refuge back on March 5 and posting his results.

Don Miller
Greeneville, Greene Co., TN

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