[TN-Bird] Poaching Nell's turf

Hi folks,
I love the Smokies, and have a hard time hiking elsewhere, but there
is a rule (which I fully support) that prohibits dogs.  So when
Tracey Everson and I wanted to backpack over Easter weekend with our
dogs, we headed for Big South Fork National River and Recreation
Area.  We hiked about 18 miles around the Bandy Creek Visitor
Station, covering the loop east of the VC, and the trail along the
river to Leatherwood Ford (where we also enjoyed wonderful
wildflowers - almost comparable to the Smokies!)  Wasn't a birding
trip... but then, when am I not birding?
With 2 dogs, heavy packs and no binoculars (well, I did sneak a pair
of low-quality minis into my pack when Tracey wasn't looking) we
weren't expecting to have the luck we did.
Each day we heard plenty of Black-and-White, Pine, Hooded, and
Black-throated Green Warblers, as well as Northern Parulas and
Ovenbirds.  We heard about a dozen or 15 Worm-eating Warblers
throughout the trip.  A couple of Louisiana Waterthrushes and
Yellow-throated Warblers, as well as loan Swainson's (my first ever
outside the Smokies!) Chestnut-sided and Prairie added up an even
dozen warblers.  We had a couple Scarlet Tanagers, many Blue-gray
Gnatcatchers and a few Broad-winged Hawks.  Twice we thought that a
blur was a hummingbird, but we couldn't be sure either time.  Turns
out that our first of the year occured at the feeder back home Sunday
afternoon!
We had numerous Blue-headed Vireos, a few Red-eyed, and 2 each
White-eyed and Yellow-throated.
At night the list grew.  Barred Owl one night and Eastern Screech-owl
the next.  But we were surprised by the sheer number of
Whip-poor-wills!  We heard up to 7 at a time - most I've ever heard
at once from one place. 
Getting off trail a bit earlier than expected, we decided to stop by
Cove Lake SP.  We knew it'd be full of people, and without any sort
of guidance, and it being mid-day, we considered it just a chance to
check out the place, but it turned out to be pretty good birding
nevertheless.  And I did add a state species:  that durned old Mute
Swan was chasing away everything that floated.  That is one species
I'd just as soon see through crosshairs as through bins, given the
damage I saw them do on the Chesapeake Bay.  But I'll still count it
as #233.  Roughly the number that Jeff has probably seen in TN this
year, I guess!  
We missed the Swainson's, but did hear Prothonotary Warbler.  Saw a
number of beautiful breeding-plumage Yellow-rumped Warblers and 2
Palm Warblers, as well as some species we'd seen at Big South Fork,
to end the weekend with 15 warblers and 4 vireos.  Not bad for "not
birding."
I hope to see every one of you at the TOS spring meeting May 2-4.
Charlie


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**************************************************
Charlie Muise, Senior Naturalist
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont
Townsend, TN  lat 35 deg, 38'23"  long 83 deg, 41'22"

"Up, Sluggard, and waste not life; in the grave will be sleeping enough"
 - Ben Frankline, Poor Richard's Almanac

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