I'm looking for birders to join in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Christmas Bird Count. Either contact me by email or show up at the Sugarlands Visitor Center (near Gatlinburg) at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, December 21. You can register, if you'd like, on the Audubon CBC website http://www.audubon.org/bird/cbc/ Click on "Get Involved" then "here" then show Tennessee circles in the drop down box and then "Register Here" and fill out the necessary info. The Smokies Count is mostly made up of hiking trails. Sometimes you'll see very few birds while hiking, other times you'll be treated to several feeding flocks. Weather can be different from what it is like in neighboring towns, so be prepared for wind, rain, snow...and often beautiful sunny, but cold, days! Ruffed Grouse is always a possibility on any trail...Black-capped Chickadees are possible at higher elevations (but watch out for possible hybrids!)...Red Crossbills, Pine Siskins, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Common Ravens...Maybe this will be a good year for winter finches - it's been a while since we've had Evening Grosbeaks. Help us find them by joining in the count. We will then meet again at 5:00 p.m. at the Cracker Barrel in Pigeon Forge for a compilation and hot meal. (This is the restaurant nearer the Park...there are two in Pigeon Forge) David Trently Knoxville, TN =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation. ----------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx ----------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send email to: tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s) endorse the views or opinions expressed by the members of this discussion group. Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ========================================================