Area Birders, We had rain during the night, but by morning the sky was clearing. Fog was lying in the valleys below us. When I first stepped outside around 7:20 you could almost feel energy in the air. Evidently the birds felt it too, because within a few minutes the yard and surrounding woodlands were hopping with birds. (Pardon the pun.) At first I was seeing the regulars, then a Scarlet Tanager chased another Tanager across the yard. At the edge of the yard in the woods I could here the pip, pip call of Swainson's Thrushes as they fed on wild grapes. Shortly an immature male Redstart did a flycatching act as it dived from the upper branches of a maple to catch an insect near the ground. A Chestnut-sided Warbler landed in the top of the Black Walnut tree, and was soon followed by two Black-throated Greens. The Tennessee Warblers began moving about as they picked caterpillars from the undersides of leaves. They would total 9 before the morning was out. Within minutes a Blackburnian fed among the branches of a second walnut tree. A male Common Yellowthroat hopped from stem to stem among a stand of Goldenrod as the flowers bowed their heads wet with dew. Eastern Bluebirds perched on the electrical wires as if they were spectators to the avian display below them. A Cooper's Hawk glided through the neighbor's pasture not far from a perched flock of Starlings, which stayed put, probably thinking it safer than trying to outfly the hawk. After the Cooper's had left, a Red-shouldered Hawk, that I had heard in the distance, came with wings fixed in a glide from behind the trees at the edge of the yard, reminding me of a 747 coming in for a landing. Just before landing in the walnut tree the hawk saw me and flew past across the house and into the nearby woods. A Magnolia Warbler suddenly appeared in the top of a maple tree and hopped about in the topmost branches. A Yellow-throated Warbler worked its way along the dead branches of a locust tree in the neighbor's pasture, while a Red-bellied male worked higher up in the tree. A Summer Tanager flew to the top of the apple tree and ate from an over ripe apple. That?s the first Summer Tanager I had seen in Buchanan County for several years. It was good to see one again. In a short time a Pileated Woodpecker called as it skimmed the treetops heading for the deeper woods. Two Eastern Wood Pewees and two Eastern Phoebes kept up an aerial display as they hawked insects or chased each other. Six Scarlet Tanagers made regular trips to the dogwood tree to pick the bright red berries, that seemed even brighter in the wetness of the morning. A Great Crested Flycatcher and Yellow-billed Cuckoo took turns sitting in the top of the apple tree in the center of the backyard. The rapid staccato calls of a couple of Wood Thrushes could be heard coming from the darkness beneath the trees at one side of the yard. On the slope above the front yard four Gray Catbirds were busily feeding on the dark, purple Pokeberries, that I had refrained from cutting just for that purpose. Two chipmunks ran back and forth under the sunflower feeders as the last two hummers of the season zipped here and there, stopping at the Trumpet Honeysuckle Vine to taste the fresh morning nectar of the tube-like flowers. After coming into the house for breakfast I glanced out the window and saw a warbler feeding in the cherry tree just a few feet away. I grabbed for the video camera and filmed what I'm 90% sure was a Blackpoll. I have to take a closer look. I apologize for making this so long, but it was a fantastic morning, one that I will think back on this winter, when the snow instead of warblers will be flying. The number of species totaled 53 breaking my yard record of 47 set just a few days ago. All of the birds are listed below. Enjoy each morning, Roger Mayhorn Grundy, VA American Crow 3 American Goldfinch 6 American Redstart 1 (immature male) American Robin 2 Blackburnian Warbler 1 Blackpoll Warbler 1 (male in nonbreeding plumage) Black-throated Green Warbler 2 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1 Blue Jay 3 Brown Thrasher 2 Carolina Chickadee 3 Carolina Wren 3 Chestnut-sided Warbler 1 Chipping Sparrow 3 Common Yellowthroat 2 (1 adult male, 1 immature male) Cooper?s Hawk 1 Downy Woodpecker 2 (males) Eastern Bluebird 5 (3 adult males, 2 immature males) Eastern Phoebe 1 Eastern Towhee 9 (3 males, 6 females) Eastern Wood Pewee 4 European Starling 84 Field Sparrow 2 Gray Catbird 7 (some eating Poke berries) Great Crested Flycatcher 1 House Finch 5 House Sparrow 1 Magnolia Warbler 1 Mourning Dove 6 Northern Cardinal 3 (males, 1 immature) Northern Flicker 1 Northern Mockingbird 1 Ovenbird 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker 2 (1 male, 1 female) Red-eyed Vireo 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak 5 (3 adult males,1 immature male, 1 female) Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2 Scarlet Tanager 6 (males) Song Sparrow 2 Summer Tanager 1 Swainson?s Thrush 6 Tennessee Warbler 9 Tufted Titmouse 2 Turkey Vulture 1 Veery 1 Vireo 1 (unidentified, probably a Philadelphia ) White-breasted Nuthatch 3 White-eyed Vireo 2 Wild Turkey 9 Wood Thrush 3 Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1 Yellow-throated Warbler 1 Chipmunk 2 Eastern Gray Squirrels 4 (1 very young one) in the chestnut trees Woodchuck 1 Butterflies ? Question Mark, Red - spotted Purple, and Spicebush Swallowtail. ************************************************* BRISTOL BIRDS NET LIST This is a regional birding list sponsored by the Bristol Bird Club to facilitate communications between birders and bird clubs of Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee. It serves the Russell County Bird Club, Herndon Chapter TOS, Greeneville TOS Chapter, Blue Ridge Birders Club, Butternut Nature Club, Buchanan County Bird Club, Bristol Bird Club, Clinch Valley Bird Club and Cumberland Nature Club. -------------------------------------------------- You are subscribed to Bristol-Birds. To post to this mailing list, simply send an email to: bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe, send an email to bristol-birds-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the one word 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. -------------------------------------------------- Wallace Coffey, Moderator jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx (423)764-3958