Hurricane Creek Iron Mountain Smyth Co., VA An active nest of the Golden-crowned Kinglet was found today (6/11) in a lower elevation plantation of Red Spruce trees. The breeding adults are disjunct from the local population of the species found in the spruce-fir belt of Mount Rogers (4.0 miles S) and Whitetop Mountain (6.5 miles SW). These mountains are Virginia's highest and second highest peaks located in Southwest Virginia northeast of Bristol. Ron Harrington and Wallace Coffey found the kinglets and their nest in the headwaters of Hurricane Creek on the lower slope of Iron Mountain at elevation 3,500 feet. Hurricane Creek is a second level tributary of the South Fork Holston River in the Tennessee River drainage. Iron Mountain is a long, heavy ridge extending southwest into Tennessee near Shady Valley in Johnson Co. and into Carter County. The nest contained at least 6 young. It is suspended from a low branch of the spruce about 7 feet above the ground. It is 40 inches from the tip of the branch. The nestlings are advanced with eyes open. The parent birds were observed carrying food to the nest. This Red Spruce plantation features about 18 trees, nostly about 100 feet tall. They are planted in alternating position in two rows adjacent to Forest Service Route 84. The nest is 30 feet from the road and on the edge of an apparent wildlife clearing. The trees must be 70 years or more of age. We first became aware of the plantation while running a breeding bird mini-route to sample populations on May 29. We were resampling the route today when we heard the adults in the spruce. In 1997 Roger Clapp of the National Museum of Nature History wrote in his book "Egg Dates for Virginia Birds" that no nest with eggs had been found in Virginia and that there are very few nesting records for the state. He wrote that only two nests with young had been found, both in 1952 on Sapling Ridge at elevations 3,900 feet and 3,800 feet. Kinglets have been expanding their range into low elevation spruce plantations in the Northeast, according to the Pennsylvania breeding bird atlas. Later in the morning we joined Tom Blevins, a wildlife tech with the Jefferson National Forest, who was conducting point counts for Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers. We took him to see the kinglet nest and he made a few photos with a snapshot-type camera. Let's go birding..... Wallace Coffey Bristol, TN =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation. ----------------------------------------------------- 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. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * TN-Bird Net Owner: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx (423) 764-3958 =========================================================