[TN-Bird] HURRICANE KATRINA BIRDS ! -- ALERT

HURRICANE KATRINA BIRDS !
Category 5 -- One of the worst ever!

The discovery of rare storm-driven costal birds, pelagic species, and new 
Tennessee state record species reported this week will probably be limited only 
to the availability of birders and their efforts in the field.

The best observation time should begin:  TUESDAY DAYBREAK

Without a doubt, the deep eye pressure and extreme winds can bring rare birds 
to our state in numbers and diversity like no birders have witnessed in 
Tennessee's history.  


Hurricane Katrina is buildiing off 

90 degree water temperature

 which is warmer than the air.  

Wind speeds have been 175 miles 

per hour.  The pressure has

been an astonishing 902 MB, the 

fourth lowest on record in the 

Atlantic Basin.



The majority of Tennessee's land area and, particularly all large water areas, 
are positioned in the direct path as Katrina     moves north.  All reservoirs, 
lakes or rivers of the state are absolutely worth birding.

The closer you bird to the point at which winds drop from hurricane speed down 
to a tropica storm speed, the greater the odds for rare birds.


         YOUR SAFETY IS YOUR FIRST PRIORITY.  Safety is neglected for many 
reasons in storms --With all the advance warning time, death by hurricane in 
the United States should, in most cases, be a matter of choice, not "tragedy."  
If the authorities say evacuate, then do so.  Period.  If the authorities say 
stay out of flooded or dangerous road rockslide area.  Do exactly that.  This 
means you! A direct hit by a Category 4 or 5 hurricane will flood massvie low 
lying areas.    

If you have a serious storm projected in your area, ABIDE BY THE BEST ADVICE OF 
THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES. Is it worth your life to see a blurry streak going by in 
heavy rain that looked like it may have been a Sooty or Bridled Tern?

Most people on this net, and most people in the eastern United States,
would not be confronted with a direct coastal hit but rather a storm passing
inland and usually deteriorating.  But recall Hazel, 1954, a Category 4/5,
which passed inland and had sustained winds over 100 mph all
the way up to ONTARIO.  There will be more storms like that one.  

IF IN DOUBT ABOUT THE DANGERS OF THE STORM IN YOUR AREA INLAND, CONSULT 
AUTHORITIES.  Most will tell you to stay inside during a storm and to stock up 
well ahead of time on nonperishable groceries, batteries, candles, and the 
like.  You may wish to buy a generator if you want to stay on-line during 
frequent power-losses -- or if your family likes to watch videos, etc.   
Tennessee is in the direct path of this powerful and dangerous hurricane. 

 It is not possible to find birds during the passage of a storm's rainy
outer edges in most cases, so there is no point in standing out in heavy rain
and high winds in any case.  It can be difficult to stand up in winds over 45
knots, and torrential rains are just miserable.  It is possible to bird in
the eye,  but most desirable birds will departed as the southern edge of the 
eyewall passed over.he was standing. 

ONE IS PUTTING ONESELF AT RISK OF ENCOUNTERING
FLASH FLOODS SEVERE ENOUGH TO WASH ONE'S VEHICLE AWAY, ELECTROCUTION BY DOWNED 
POWERLINES, FALLING TREES AND TELEPHONE POLES, FLYING OBJECTS OF EVERY
DESCRIPTION, AND DRIVING CONDITIONS OF THE WORST IMAGINABLE KIND, ENOUGH TO 
MAKE ACCIDENTS INEVITABLE.  

Use your best judgment during these storms.  Recall the images from Andrew and 
Hugo -- enormous boats tossed around like leaves, whole neighborhoods and 
forests that looked like spilled boxes of toothpicks after the storms' passage. 
 The human body cannot withstand bombardment with the equivalent of wooden 
shrapnel, as some Florida residents found.  IF IN DOUBT, STAY INSIDE.

Immediately following the storm is the best time to be afield in any case.
RESPECT ALL CLOSINGS AND ALL AUTHORITIES' DECISIONS.  To do otherwise causes 
nothing but frustration.  When travelling, be cautious about water in
the roadways, downed electrical wires, people and animals (and foreign
objects) in the roadways, weakened roadways (supporting banks and the like
washed out) and bridges.  Try not to travel during downpours; pull off to the
side or under an overpass and wait out the last of the feeder bands' rain. 
Keep hazard lights blinking whenever you think it might help other motorists
to see you.

With all this safety material in mind (most of it is common sense now that
forecasting is so advanced), where you bird is a matter of personal calculus.
Large inland lakes are obviously places where many seabirds choose to drop
out of the eye.  Most terns do not stay long -- a few hours at most --
whereas tubenoses may remain longer.  Very little information exists for
storm-driven seabirds in large coastal sounds of the southeast, but in
October 1971, Ginger pushed two White-faced and eleven Leach's Storm-Petrels
inside Oregon Inlet, NC.  Hugo's passage -- large numbers of jaegers, tropical 
terns, and shearwaters.  Areas to the east and northeast of the eye's path of 
passage
appear to be the most productive, but we have seen White-tailed Tropicbird in
well west of the eye's passage. 

It is very important to take digital cameras and video cams into the field to 
document anything and everything possible.  Our state records committee will 
want to see as much evidence as possible.  Keep detailed and extensive notes on 
where everything is found.  Don't get so swept away in just trying to find good 
birds that careful documentaiton is not carried out.

Gray Graves of the Division of Brids,  National Museum of Natural History,
Smithsonian Institution, has said in the past that a significant fraction of 
the shearwaters, petrels, and storm-petrels driven inland by tropical storms 
and hurricanes presumably die. Gary has suggested that someone collate the 
information on salvaged
hurricane specimens (listing the species and the museums they are deposited 
in). This specimen material may eventually shed some light on the breeding 
origin of some species (e.g., Black-capped Petrel).

Please report quickly to TN-Birds the progress of the storm in your areas and 
what you see.

We need information about how bird species flock, feed and take cover in such 
strong storms.  We need whatever information we can about how hummingbirds at 
feeders feed and interact as the storm approaches, durning and afterwards.

Any dead rarities you can pick up need to be placed in freezers as quickly as 
possible.  Maybe other birders of friends can supply storage.  If you need help 
make an appeal on TN-Birds for how to salvage such specimens and someone may 
come to your help.

We are trying to prepare all TN-Birders to deal with the potential of this 
storm for birders.
Make sure that first and foremost is your safety.  Do not do anything that is 
dangerous.  Constantly make judgements on the best side of safety.

This is a very, very, very dangerous storm.

Let's go birding....

Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN

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