Persimmon Ridge Park in Jonesborough is not on anybody's birding hot spot list, although it attracts all the migrational birds I could find elsewhere if I chose to spend the gasoline money. The two best locations are the marsh just inside the park entrance and which is privately owned, and the boardwalk and Walter's trail that runs past the boardwalk. Sunday ran true to form as the decent winter rains have recharged the marsh and I found at least three Swamp Sparrows, which obediantly popped up onto cattails in response to pishing, showing off their chestnut wing and lead-gray heads. Just after passing the boardwalk I heard the raucous rasp of what could only be a Common Raven or an over-sized American Crow with a bad cold. I saw the bird take off through the trees, and as I followed it with my 8x42 Leica Trinovid binoculars, joy of joy, it circled and flew directly overhead, quothing loudly the entire time, though I did not think it quoth "Nevermore". I got a clear look at the proportionately longer wings, undulating in their flight, and of the diamond-shaped tail. It made a large circle around the park and flew out of sight. When I first moved into Bear Run in 1991 I heard a Common Raven flying behind the trees and counted it on the yard list as a heard bird, but this one was a crushingly good look. Now I won't have to spend the gas money to drive 50 miles up Roan Mountain for this annual tic. Along with a Savannah Sparrow and an Eastern Towhee in the marsh and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at Bear Run I had 52 species to start the year, better than half as good as Jeff Wilson's New Year's day in Memphis, but I bet he didn't have a raven. James Brooks =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to SIGN YOUR MESSAGE with first and last name, CITY (TOWN) and state abbreviation. You are also required to list the COUNTY in which the birds you report were seen. The actual DATE OF OBSERVATION should appear in the first paragraph. _____________________________________________________________ To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx _____________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, send email to: tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. ______________________________________________________________ TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s) endorse the views or opinions expressed by the members of this discussion group. Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ------------------------------ Assistant Moderator Andy Jones Cleveland, OH ------------------------------- Assistant Moderator Dave Worley Rosedale, VA __________________________________________________________ Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ARCHIVES TN-Bird Net Archives at //www.freelists.org/archives/tn-bird/ MAP RESOURCES Tenn.Counties Map at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/states/tennessee3.gif Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com _____________________________________________________________