Great post Wallace! Tree Sparrows are still present. Here's a better photo with easily identifiable field markings: bi-colored bill, dark breast spot, dark feet, etc. Enjoy the birds, Richard ----- Original Message ----- From: Wallace Coffey To: Bristol-birds Sent: Friday, February 12, 2010 5:21 PM Subject: [Bristol-Birds] Soups 'n Sparrows February Birding Festival, Feb 13, South Holston Dam Soups 'n Sparrows A February Birding Festival Saturday, Feb 13th, 9 a.m. South Holston Dam Reservation at the Weir Dam & Vicinity Birders from across the region will want to remember having been a first-year-festival birder by participating in Saturday's Bristol Bird Club's first annual Soups 'n Sparrows birding festival to be held at the South Holston Dam TVA reservation area. It is an all comers event. rain, snow or shine. Only two participants will need to show up for the festival to be launched. No fees. No reservations. This weekend is the Great Backyard Bird Count and those of you who wish to include this Saturday and/or weekend in that will be able to do that and we can register the weekend with the Cornell program. The late announcement and details for this event were due to last-minute planning which was to take advantage of the South Holston Ruritan all-day Bean and Soup Supper opportunity as well as a late-developing find of the American Tree Sparrow which some of our birders would enjoy seeing. Our target bird will be the American Tree Sparrow found at the South Holston Reservation last weekend by Mike Sanders and Gary Cooper. The photo in this email is one of two birds coming to Richard Kretz's feeder in Russell County and take Thursday morning. There may be a few more or many on the TVA properties at South Holston. This appears to be an influx species across much of the southern range of this sparrow. It is a rare irruptive species which is usually found in association with very cold and snow periods. Not only has it been found in Russell County, VA this year but also in several regional states and the great valley of Virginia to our north. You can actually begin birding the South Holston lake reservation anytime after daylight Saturday and continue until dark, if you wish. Our headquarters will be at the Weir Dam Parking Lot with ample parking and warm, clean and spacious restrooms. The official rally time for anyone who wants to meet others there will be 9 a.m. However bring your cell phones and call up other birders on the area or watch for cars along the roads or birders looking for the tree sparrow. You may also choose to bring your family two-way radios and we'll try to have someone on Channel 5. Just make do. Call Wallace at 423-360-2532 for cell connection and other information. Cell connection is not great on all of the area but you might find connections. Bring friends of family and remember the young kids eat free at the supper. Beginning at 11 a.m., the great membership of the South Holston Ruritan Club will have their annual Bean and Soup Supper just around the corner from the Weir Dam. This is a long-standing and popular event to which people coming from all over the region to eat the famous beans, soup, stew and whatever all day long. It is truly all you can eat, including maybe 30 recipes of soup from the dozens of crock pots, drinks, delicious deserts, crackers and the fixins for one simple door price. Nothing beats hot beans and soup or stew after a cold winter morning of birding nearby -- just out the doorstep of the club. The modern and neat Ruritan Building is located on Meadow Creek Rd. just off Emmett Rd as you drive from US 421 hwy down to the weir dam. At the last and main intersection before entering the TVA reservation. turn left on Meadow Creek Rd. and drive maybe 200 yards. Here birders can gather at the long rows of tables to chow down, rest or simply hang out with wonderful people and other birders. We are Dutch all the way here. Birders who are not able to go afield may want to drop in just for soup. At least your pay at the door can be considered a donation to the Ruritan's always-loyal education scholarships they give annual to local high school youth who are heading to college. Please do not attempt to come in and sit around unless you pay the door fee. It is not about selling soup. It is a fund raiser for scholarships. Many of us will get there close to 11 a.m. in order to have our pick of almost any one of the fabulous soups, stews, beans, etc. The very best are in demand. Lots of people will be there so parking is required along the road at peak times. This is a wonderful place. Johnny Wood of WCYB-TV5 is frequently there and you can say hello to this neat guy who has been a participant on the Bristol Christmas Bird Counts for nearly a decade, some years past. If anyone finds the American Tree Sparrow, get the word out quickly by cell phones, family radios, runners, waving flags, going to get other parties, etc. Birding parties will be very loose. You can just walk in or out on any group you see anywhere. Stay as long as you like and move to other groups. There are no assigned leaders but we'll try to help everyone. We are generally going to informally compile by passing field cards, telephones calls and email. BBC can let this become the beginning of a list or eventual field card of Birds of the South Holston Weir. We have already spent years mapping Osceola Island so we can make references to various areas. It has been on of Cornell's Birds in Forested Landscape survey sites established some years ago by Ron Harrington and Wallace Coffey. There is no charge or fee to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count. We will eventually present a fun memory certificate to the first birder or birders who finds the tree sparrow and can show it to others or take an adequate, documented photo this weekend. The length of the day depends upon a lot of things so if you come or go at any hour dawn to dark just remember to make the best of whatever you find in the way of birders, birding but keep records of what you see. We mainly intend to bird the South Holston Dam Reservation which is a big area. The red lines represent a rough boundary of the reservation.