[TN-Bird] Sequatchie Valley Scissor-tails

On Sunday afternoon, June 8th, from about 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Lola and I
visited Sequatchie Valley in Bledsoe County looking for Scissor-tailed
Flycatchers.  The past several years a pair of Scissor-tails has nested on
Nine Mile Crossroad.  The pair is back again this year and is nesting on the
same pole and the same transformer.  Nine Mile Crossroad is about 9 miles
north from Pikeville on Hwy. 127.  Turn right (east) onto Nine Mile
Crossroad; continue across the intersection with Old State Hwy. 28; and the
nest is on the second pole on the middle transformer.
 

We talked to Earl Keady who lives in the house on the left just beyond the
nest site.  He is interested in the birds and would likely allow you to park
in his driveway if asked.  We also met a local, Tom Van Winkle, who happened
to drive by as we were scoping the birds.  Tom stated that he has seen
several other Scissor-tails in Sequatchie Valley.  He stated he saw a
different male a couple of miles away on Slaughterhouse Road (about 2 miles
back towards Pikeville) on Hwy. 127.  He also stated he saw a male near
Robinette Road off East Valley Road.  Tom said he had seen a female and what
he thought were three juveniles in the vicinity of Farley Gap Loop and Akins
Road off East Valley Road.  Tom is a TDOT employee who travels around the
surrounding counties and seems to have taken an interest in Scissor-tails in
the area.  We visited the other sites but did not find any other birds
except the Slaughterhouse Road site.  A male Scissor-tail was found sitting
on the fence line just as we turned off Hwy 127 onto the gravel road that is
Slaughterhouse Road.  I was able to get a couple of photos of this bird.  We
returned to the nest area and found the nesting male hanging out in a field
about two tenths of a mile south of the nest area on the east side of Old
State Hwy. 28.  The male made several hawking maneuvers and the female
continued to sit on the nest on Nine Mile Crossroad.  Based on observations
of the locals, Sequatchie Valley could be developing a nice Scissor-tail
population.

 

We also made a late afternoon visit to the Bridgestone/Firestone Centennial
Wilderness Area in White County before heading home.  We saw several singing
Henslow's Sparrows.

 

Chuck Estes

Oak Ridge, TN

 



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