[Bristol-Birds] eagles along the Clinch River at Dungannon and Fort Blackmore
- From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Bristol-birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2012 21:22:16 -0400
All evidence available
at this date, strongly suggest
a pair of Bald Eagles nesting
somewhere in the vicinity of
the Clinch River in Scott Co.
along a stretch from Dungannon
to Fort Blackmore. I
realize this is a long stretch of
river. It would take a
manhunt to rope such
a nest. Nevertheless, we need
to have our sights set in order
to be prepared to let chance
favor the prepared mind.
Jennifer Meade, who has
her mind wrapped around the
greater possibility of eagles
nesting along the Clinch, is tuned
in. She keeps an eye on the sky.
Bald Eagle at Dungannon, a year or
so ago. Photo by Jennifer Meade
One of the teachers at Dungannon school told Jennifer that the other
morning, as she came to school, an adult was perched just above the
school- VA Rt. 72 near the mouth of Dry Creek in a sycamore tree
at the edge of the river. This is an excellent lead on a possible nest.
Armed with that information and much enthusiasm, I went to Dungannon
today to make a survey of the habitat, area and key factors that might
otherwise point to eagle activity along the Clinch River.
A valuable litmus test we have
developed in the past few years,
is how familiar the natives are
with eagles, bald eagles, their
presence, community gossip
about eagles and community
concern.
With a score of 0 to 10 for
each area of testing, it would
be hard to argue that the
locals along the river in that
region do not score a 10 or
nearly a 10 on each !
John Jobe said he several times saw a pair of eagles along the river
from Burtons Ford (south of St. Paul in Wise Co.) downstream to
Miller Yards not far upstream from Dungannon. Jobe works at the
Holston Army Ammunition Plant at Kingsport and is familiar with
the Bald Eagles that nest on that property and the work of Bruce Cole,
natural resource office for the plant. He fishes the Clinch River.
Jennifer Meade said she had, a year or so ago, seen a Bald Eagle
near Miller Yard when she was kayaking the Clinch but did not have
a camera with her.
Nearly all persons interviewed in the area had a much more intimate
knowledge of the Bald Eagles than was expected.
Ray Blevins, who oversees both the Dungannon public water supply
as well as the community wastewater treatment package plant, said
he has seen eagles. Blevins said his first encounter was at the high
cliff-like rock wall along the road north of the community as you
drive up Va. Rt. 75 just outside of the town. The eagles were perched
in a tall sycamore tree just off the road.
Scott County Sheriff's Deputy Robert Williams was much aware of eagles
but had not personally seen one. He had heard nothing about nesting.
When asked if his information was second hand, he said it was --
Jennifer Meade had told him about a bird near the school.
Jobe said a close friend of his, who works for Asplundh tree service,
had told him that their tree crew worked for about three days just up
the river from the school and a pair of Bald Eagles was present each
day they worked, perched along the river. That was earlier and not within
recent weeks.
Blevins said a relative of his, Patty Campbell from Castlewood, had
taken photos of the eagles at Dungannon.
I went down to Dungannon from US58 Alternate and drove along the
Chestnut Ridge and Stinking Creek to reach the river, crossing the
bridge into the community.
About nine miles south of Dungannon along the Clinch River, more
Bald Eagles have been seen at Fort Blackmore.
At Fort Blackmore, I was directed by a local firefighter to go directly
to the Front Porch Store and Deli -- the center of all cultural knowledge
and archive of rumors and information of all types for Scott County.
It lived up to its billing.
At least six people interviewed at this well of all knowledge, had amazing
and significant information.
James Lawson seemed well informed. He knew his eagles well enough
to accurately explains which bird was a female and a male among the
ones he had seen. On Dec 25 he came upon a pair just off the road
and a male and female adult Bald Eagles were feeding on a deer carcass.
This was on Va. Rt. 65 otherwise known as Clinch River Road. He
also noted that two birds were seen a couple of times along Bill Henson's
property, in the Slant area. He said the "Croby boys," who live at
Fort Blackmore, have taken photos of the eagles.
Jason Perry drives a tanker truck hauling fuel between Knoxville and
the region. He said that on Feb 5 he, and his wife, saw a Bald Eagle in
a field near Fairview about 6 miles south of Fort Blackmore. He said he
got a great look at it as it flushed.
The wife of the store owner told me that Mac Sawyer, who lives at the
edge of the old Rt. 72 bridge across the Clinch at Fort Blackmore, had
been able to photograph a Bald Eagle along the river. I found him in
his yard, cleaning hybrid Rockfish he had caught while fishing at the
John Sevier Steam Plant in Hawkins County. Sawyer showed me the
sycamore tree that eagles perch in near his home and said they fly up
and down the river past his house. Sawyer also said he had seen an eagle
on Big Stony Creek Rd. not far from the school just a couple of months
ago. It did not have a white head of white tail. Of course, this may have
been a Golden Eagle. I searched along Big Stony Creek to Boatright
Cemetery but found no eagles.
A storekeeper in Dungannon said recently an article appeared in a
Scott County newspaper published out of Gate City and a woman
along the Clinch River, not far from Clinchport, had taken a photo of
an eagle she had seen.
Probably 75 percent of the people interviewed were aware of
the pair nesting at Kyles Ford along Horton Ford Road in Hancock
County, TN. They knew amazing details from either having seen the
nest or having a friend describe the nest and location in some depth.
Since only 317 people, 132 households, and 90 families resided
in Dungannon at the 2010 census, it is not likely much news of
interest happens in the community that doesn't travel mouth to
ear up and down most streets.
Because this stretch of river between Burtons Ford and Miller
Yard or Dungannon is upstream of Rikemo Lodge and south
of St. Paul in Russell County, VA, many of you will remember
the BBC's three-day birding weekend at Rikemo when we
canoed and birded seven miles of the Clinch River in June 2002.
We had 19 birders in canoes and 25 stay nights at the lodge.
Is that wild enough for eagles ?
One opportunity could be any ability we might develop to question
train crews who pass thru the area about eagles they may see.
The CSX and Norfolk Southern runs trains over the tracks
more often than dogs cross the roads. This is a major route for CSX
trains running between Elkhorn City, KY and Spartanburg, SC. via
Erwin, TN. Miller Yard is a passing track located along the banks
of the Clinch River. Much of the route of the train trackage follows
the river thru Scott County and especially at Dungannon and Fort
Blackmore.
How could engineers travel this stretch regularly and not flush Bald
Eagles from their perches along the river -- even at this date of the
year ? Some of the regular crews might know exactly where the
eagles are regularly seen. I doubt if the trains, despite their loud
noisy, would be a problem for the eagles nesting. Eagles are probably
not that sensitive to the coming and going of freight trains along the
Clinch River. The trains make much noisy with their four to six units
of diesel engines grinding up the river grade. Even the huge traction
motors imbedded between the wheels on the axels of each truck, make
all kinds of noisy as they break the monster loads of coal and tanker
cars snaking for miles behind the engines. Not to mention the
whistle screaming all day, every few hundred yards, at all kinds of
crossings.
Second thought: my next-door neighbor has a very close friend in
Kingsport who runs that route as a brakeman for CSX and the guy
cut a big pine tree out of my yard following the tornado a year ago,
just to be nice. Didn't charge me a penny.
Let me ask him ?
This could be interesting.
Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN
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