I had some spring arrivals over the extended Easter weekend at home on Simerly Creek Road, Hampton, TN. On Good Friday, an Osprey made a leisurely flyover. This is the first "yard" Osprey I have recorded in several years. I also had a pair of Hairy Woodpeckers raising a ruckus. On Saturday, April 11, a pair of Brown Thrashers cavorted through the yard, visiting several different thickets and even the feeders. Although not new arrivals, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and Ruby-crowned Kinglets flitted about in the willows. Also on Saturday, I made a brief stop at Erwin Fishery Park in Erwin, Unicoi Co., TN. There was a single female Hooded Merganser on the pond and three swallows (Barn, Tree and N. Rough-winged) skimmed over the pond's surface. While walking around the park's wetland area, I came across a remarkable flock of 10 to 12 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers mixed with Yellow-rumped Warblers, Carolina Chickadees and Tufted Titmice. This is the most gnatcatchers I have ever observed at the same time. There were indeed plenty of gnats present also, so I am sure they were finding plenty of food in the wetland area. I didn't actually record any new arrivals on Easter Sunday, but enjoyed looks at many American Robins and also some male American Goldfinches who are looking their very best right now. Bryan Stevens, Hampton, TN =================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 _____________________________________________________________