[TN-Bird] FWD: Pine Grosbeaks on Roan Mountain (TN)
- From: K Dean EDWARDS <kde@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Tennessee Birds <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 3 Mar 2006 09:09:01 -0500 (EST)
AH-HA!! I KNEW I wasn't dreaming. Just had to dig deep enough
into the archives. Here's the original posting to Valley Birds
on 8 May 1999. I did apparently mis-remember the observer.
Dean Edwards
Knoxville, TN
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 08 May 1999 12:37:55 -0300
From: Valley Birds <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: Valley Birds <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Pine Grosbeaks on Roan Mountain (TN)
Date: Sat, 08 May 1999 11:41:11 -0300
From: Wallace Coffey
Subject: Pine Grosbeaks on Roan Mountain (TN)
Four Pine Grosbeaks have been reported seen at
Roan Mountain, Carter County, Tennessee. They
were observed Thursday, May 6, 1999.
The birds have been reported by two observers
who do not have e-mail capabilities.
The two observers were Bert Hale of Bluff City
TN and Bob Quillen of Bristol, VA.
Hale telephone my home and missed me on Thursday
evening and came to my office Friday to give me
details.
The report is convincing.
The birds were observed by the pair for a total
of five minutes from a distance of 27 feet while
they picked grit on the roadside just below
Carver's Gap and the North Carolina border.
The elevation is approximately 5,500 feet.
Hale said he was using 8.5 X 44 Swift binoculars
and had an excellent study of the birds. I did
not get details on the optical equipment being
used by Quillen. I have not talked with him.
Hale said that at approximately 2 p.m., under
clear conditions and in good light, they observed
a small group of six to eight birds fly in front
of their car and land atop a northern conifer. A
couple of minutes later four of the birds dropped
to the road along with a smaller bird and began
to feed in a tight group. They were not shy. I'm
not sure what the smaller bird was.
The observers sat in their car and watched the
birds through the window at close range, noting
that all but the smaller bird were just a little
smaller than an American Robin.
The birds were rusty color overall with
one having an orange-red head. The bills were
dark and the tip was most obviously hooked down
on the end similar to a shrike. At least one or
more had wingbars. Hale felt the downward hook of
the upper mandible was a clear field mark.
Not all of the birds flew down to the road and
some departed leaving the others on the ground.
Quillen reported seeing a nearly solid red bird
flying past at one instance.
Both observers have experience with all of the
grosbeaks of our area (exception: Black-headed).
Both are familiar with the winter finches.
Bert Hale is a birder of 30-years experience and
a 10-year bird bander. He is a former president
of the Bristol Bird Club and well known to us
all. Quillen is a 40-year birder and member of
the Bristol Bird Club since the early 1960's.
Hale said that after the birds flew from the
road he stepped off the distance to measure their
advantage point at 27 feet.
Much of this is being written from memory and
I probably do not have all the details.
This is believed to be the second Tennessee
record and the second for Roan Mountain. Six
birds were reported from the North Carolina
side of Roan Mountain in Mitchell County in
November 1969 (Chat 34:53-58, 1970).
I can't lay my hands on the Tennessee record but
it came from a National Wildlife Refuge in West
Tennessee, if my recolletion is correct.
John C. Robinson, in his book on Tennessee birds
does list a fossil remain from a cave in Maury
County, TN.
A spring naturalist event is underway in Carter
County, TN today and those leading bird trips
were alerted earlier of the Pine Grosbeak report.
Birding trips are expected to search for the
bird today.
Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN
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