[TN-Bird] Interesting time at Norris (Anderson County)

From: Carole Gobert <cpgobert@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Tennessee Bird List <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 2011 17:37:24 -0500
From 10 a.m. to 1:35 pm today as I walked the Songbird Trail at Norris Dam 
State Park in Anderson County, Tennessee I had three especially memorable 
experiences:  2 with birds and 1 with a snake.
 
First were the winter wrens.  I thought I was hearing faintly the song of a 
Winter Wren coming from across the river.  As I stood still, listening 
intently, movement part way down the river bank a few feet from me got my 
attention.  It was a Winter Wren hopping through the brush piles.  It wasn't 
the singer as the song continued while I watched the closer one moving about.  
The closer one then disappeared into the brush and a louder song burst forth.  
For a while both were singing.  Then the music stopped and the closer wren 
re-emerged, resuming its progress in the direction of the dam (north?); it was 
in almost the exact location where I saw and heard a winter wren singing 
December 3.
 
A bit later I was watching a Brown Creeper creeping down a tree trunk when the 
bird stopped just a few inches off the ground and clung to the trunk, facing 
upward, spread its wings and remained like that for perhaps a minute.  It 
reminded me of "anting" behavior when a bird remains stationary on the ground 
with its wings spread.  I've never seen a creeper in that posture and I don't 
think I've ever seen a photo of one like that.  With the wings spread its 
orangish rump was exposed; I've never seen that either.  I tried to get close 
enough to take a photo but before I could the creeper resumed creeping up the 
tree, around the trunk and out of sight.  I walked over to the trunk to see if 
there were any ants on it but there weren't.
 
The snake was more cooperative and let me take its picture.  I heard rustling 
in the dry leaves beside the trail just behind me and turned in time to watch a 
garter snake slither through the leaves and then down into them.  It popped 
back up with just its head and a few inches of its body showing, looking like a 
small striped periscope.  And there it remained even as I approached close 
enough to hopefully get some decent photos.  
 
The water at Norris is high.  Most of the lower trail by the river is submerged 
and with the water moving so fast the only waterfowl were a dozen Canada Geese 
and they stayed close to the shore.  
 
A maintenance man told me that he's been seeing eagles circling every day this 
week near the maintenance base (up a hill across from the main trail parking 
lot).  He watched one take a roadkilled opposum to a field and eat it.  He was 
surprised by the behavior, said the eagle was beautiful.
 
Carole Gobert, Knoxville, TN
 
 
 
                                          
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[TN-Bird] Interesting time at Norris (Anderson County)

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