[TN-Bird] Bell's Bend (DICK, GRSP, HESP)

From: Melinda Welton <weltonmj@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:29:43 -0500
As many of you know, there is a big controversy going on in the Bell's Bend
area, just outside of downtown Nashville, with a proposed mega-development
called May Town. They want to build 10 corporate headquarters, employing
40,000 people, 5,000 residential units, and a 6 lane bridge across the
Cumberland River. Bell's Bend Park is directly across the street from the
site.

I've been asked by the community to give a 2-minute testimony before the
Metro Planning committee on July 24th about the potential wildlife impacts
of the proposed development. So, in preparation, I went out and birded in
Bell's Bend Park Friday morning the 18th.

I was delighted to find the Dickcissels that I heard were nesting out there.
I heard at least 3 singing males and Sandy Bivens, head of all Metro's
Nature Centers, had a fledged family near the Nature Center a couple of days
earlier. You can find these birds by taking the trail from the Nature Center
down hill, turning left on the trail opposite the barn. There is another
DICK if you continue straight another 200 meters.

More exciting, and something that made me stop dead in my tracks, was the
sound of a Henslow's Sparrow singing. In the early morning light I could see
him boldly throwing his head back and uttering his forceful "hick-up". I
found a second singing male about 100 meter further along the trail. As I
scanned to see the second bird a Grasshopper Sparrow approached to within 10
meters and watched me intently. I never heard the Grasshopper sing. These
birds were on the east side of the trail that leads from the Nature Center
straight past the barn. About 100 meters past a low tree line I found the
second HESP and GRSP and the first HESP was another 100 meters beyond, a
little ways past the next tree row. They were both about 75 meters from the
trail and neither HESP sang for long. I heard them at about 6:45 AM.

No one else, to my knowledge, has seen or heard the Henslow's earlier this
season at the Bell's Bend Park but both Michael Bierly and Chris Sloan have
said that they wouldn't be surprised to find them there. I sure was
pleasantly surprised. The habitat looks great and it shows that there are
individuals out there looking for suitable habitat. I'm afraid if the May
Town development is approved there will be a lot more birds looking for
suitable habitat.

If you are interested in discouraging this ill-conceived development, please
consider attending the Scottsboro/Bells Bend discussion at the July 24th
Metro Planning Commission meeting scheduled to begin around 6 pm, but you
are asked to be there by 5 pm. The meeting will be held at the "Metro
Southeast" Building, 1417 Murfreesboro Pike (the old Genesco Building, east
of the Briley Parkway intersection). As you turn into the parking lot, it
will be in the second building on your right. This is not just about Bell's
Bend, but about the direction Nashville will take in the future.

Melinda Welton
weltonmj@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Franklin, TN



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[TN-Bird] Bell's Bend (DICK, GRSP, HESP)

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