[TN-Bird] more Carter Co. sapsuckers

SAT 26 JUN 2004
Chestnut Ridge, Cherokee Natl. Forest, Carter Co., TN
D. Holt

Behind Ripshin Lake on Chestnut Ridge, on the closed Forest Service road 
beyond Peters Cemetary, Tom McNeil and I found an adult pair of Yellow-bellied 
Sapsuckers feeding two fleglings.  There was a large dead tree with 
sapsucker-sized holes nearby, but we didn't see or hear any activities there.  
The adults 
were foraging on insects on the lichen-covered tree trunks.  The fledglings 
were not yet adept at flight, or even at climbing.  They were remarkably well 
camoflaged on the lichen encrusted trunks, but their calls and movements made 
them easy to find.

The location co-ordinates were N 36 09.656, W 82 08.426.  The elevation was 
3930 ft.  The dominant trees seemed to be Sugar Maple and American Beech.  
Associated trees included Yellow Buckeye, Basswood, Tuliptree.  The understory 
density was moderate, the shrub layer and herb layer fairly light, leaving some 
leaf litter visible on the forest floor.  There was very little in the way of 
evergreen cover.  Overall the structure was somewhat open but patchy.  The 
location was at a bend in the logging road that made a gap in the canopy about 
50 
ft. wide.  The slope was facing roughly east, and somewhat steep.  Other bird 
species present were Blue Jay, Veery, Red-eyed Vireo, Black-throated Blue 
Warbler, Hooded Warbler, and Dark-eyed Junco.

On our way back, we stopped at the sapsucker nest-site at the edge of Ripshin 
Lake.  We stayed only long enough to confirm that the young were still on the 
nest and being fed by both parents.

Don Holt
Johnson City, TN
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