[tn-bird] East Tennessee (sort of) Big Day!

On Sunday, Charlie Muise, Tracey Everson, Audrey Hoff and David Trently set 
out to do a Big Day in east Tennessee. We started at Tremont in the Great 
Smoky Mountains National Park (Blount Co, near Townsend) hoping for an owl or 
two...none.
We drove up to Clingmans Dome on the TN/NC border, with a few stops in between 
- but still no owls. Parking at the beginning of the Clingmans Dome Rd (closed 
in winter) we walked up in the dark, hoping for Saw-whet Owl, but heard none. 
Our first bird came at about 6:25 a.m., when a couple of BARRED OWLs began to 
call to us. Watching sunrise in the clear cold skies of Clingmans Dome is a 
wonderful experience...why weren't the rest of you there?? :-)
We missed a few of the birds we came there for - no raven, saw-whet, or 
crossbills...but we did find a LOT of DARK-EYED JUNCOs and several 
RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHes, BROWN CREEPERs singing, a few GOLDEN-CROWNED 
KINGLETs, AMERICAN ROBINs, PINE SISKINs, a single WINTER WREN and, the most 
unexpected bird up here, a pair of RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDs flying with some 
robins.
On the road back down toward Sugarlands Visitor Center, we spotted a RUFFED 
GROUSE alongside the road.
NOTE: there is construction on the tunnels in the road between Sugarlands and 
Newfound Gap. There are traffic signals set there - and they have a maximum 10 
minute red light time! We ended up waiting probably an average of 5 minutes at 
each light...so if you go there, be prepared to sit for up to 40 minutes 
waiting for green.
At Sugarlands Visitor Center, we added several species, PURPLE FINCH probably 
the best, though Charlie may have seen a swallow or two fly over - though he 
wasn't feeling well ;-)
Unfortunately, Charlie was feeling poorly enough that he decided he needed to 
end his participation in the Big Day attempt, so we dropped him and Tracey 
back at Tremont, and Audrey and I worked on deciding what we wanted to 
do...continue the Big Day, or get a big hot breakfast!
You may have guessed, since I put "sort of" in the subject line, that we 
headed for a breakfast buffet at Shoneys, with plans to do a more liesurely 
birding day afterwards.

Our next stop was Kyker Bottoms in Blount County (directions have previously 
been posted on tn-bird) This place is becoming one of the best wetlands in 
east Tennessee! There was plenty of standing water, with lots of vegetation 
for birds to hide in. Probably the best birds were the 50+ TREE SWALLOWs!!! A 
sure sign of spring. Also present:
GREEN-WINGED TEAL (50+)
MALLARD
AM BLACK DUCK
GADWALL
HOODED MERGANSERs (females only, about 5)
RING-NECKED DUCKs
AMERICAN WIGEON
PIED-BILLED GREBE
LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE

surprisingly, there were no Wood Ducks (that we could find), snipe, 
meadowlarks!!! or usually-present White-crowned Sparrows.

From here we visited a few areas in Loudoun County, adding a few more expected 
birds - with RED-HEADED WOODPECKER in a wooded area west of Tellico Lake 
somewhat a surprise.
We ended at Lenoir City Park which is, surprise, in Lenoir City! This can be a 
good birding site after stopping at Fort Loudon Dam, which had very few gulls, 
and several GREAT BLUE HERONs working on nests (not on the dam, but in the 
trees downstream). The Park added PINE WARBLER and FINALLY!!! our first 
RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET of the day! That would have been our "big miss" had we 
not found it there.

I left out a lot of birds we saw, since this is not really a Big Day 
report...but we ended the day with 68 species. I think if we had continued the 
attempt at the Big Day, we would have reached 80, which was our original 
target number. We missed some easy ones because we didn't go where they can be 
found, but we also had plenty of time to chase them if we wanted - even after 
the long breakfast...mmmmmmmmmm.

Get out to Kyker Bottoms if you can...and get up early enough to enjoy sunrise 
in the chill of Clingmans Dome in the Smokies!!

David Trently,
Knoxville, TN
dtrently@xxxxxxx

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