[Bristol-Birds] Common Ravens again nesting at Bristol Motor Speedway, Sullivan Co., TN 13 Apr 2015
- From: "BBC Net" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "'bristol-birds'" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 13 Apr 2015 19:19:18 -0400
Ravens nest at BMS 13 April 2015 by Michelle King.jpg
Photo by Michelle King
13 April 2015
eastern Sullivan County, TN
Bristol Motor Speedway
A pair of Common Ravens again have
an active nest under the grandstands.
Michelle King, our inside discrete observer,
discovered the nest today while preparations
are underway for the Bristol track's new
Spring racing NASCAR Weekend dates of 17-19 April.
In previous years, the race was a March event
and the ravens nested on the artificial structure
in 2013 and were successful while tens of thousands
of race fans walked beneath.
The stadium, as a nests site, was discovered
9 Feb 2013 by Tom McNeil, J.T. McNeil and
Cathy McNeil.
Assuming eggs were laid no later than third week of February,
young would have hatched in three weeks and we probably
have young in the speedway grandstand nest at this date.
At higher elevations in our mountains, where they were known to nest
Decades ago, old time eggs collectors maintained that
nests held a full clutch of eggs by St. Patrick's Day.
Michelle is an experienced birder and has been involved
with the Bristol Bird Club for many years.
There was much concern about the welfare of the ravens
in 2013 and whether they would abandon the nest. Local
birders decided to simply monitor the situation and not to
call any unnecessary attention to their chosen site.
The nesting was successful that year and the young were
fledged. We could not find a nest last year but believe
the stadium was used.
Michelle says the ravens are nesting on an I beam and
supported by a gutter. It is located tothe right of tower
A and between the trash chuted and the Irwin Tools sign.
Ravens nest location stadium BMS 13 April 2015 by Michelle King.jpg
She was able to get up to the level of the nest and walked
out on a landing when the female raven flushed from the
nest.
She was able to get a photograph and then stepped back
into the elevator tower. There she had a window where
she could look out and, in about 10 minutes, the raven
returned to her nest.
The bird stood on the edge of the nest and appeared to
be feeding nestlings. The bird then carefully climbed back into
place on the nest and settled down.
The male was observed flying over a nearby campground
and coming back to the site where it perched on railings.
This is the same area where Michelle found sticks on the
ground below last year but did not located a nest.
There are concessions and souvenir booths below
the nest and that may limit the large crowds milling below
the nest.
The nest elevation is about 1450 feet.
Ravens have become more abundant and wide spread throughout the
ridge and valley region.
This may be just the second known nest site on an artificial
structure in Tennessee's ornithological history. Rick Phillips has seen
young being fed at an opening in one of the remnant buildings which
TVA built at Phipps Bend in Hawkins County, TN before they abandoned
work on what was to be a nuclear power plant.
Ravens have been found to be the most common species detected
nesting on cliff surfaces in Southwest Virginia.
Birders and some otherwise well-meaning researchers, have maintained
that almost any species is very prone to disturbance and activity about
their nests. For decades, it was believed by almost everyone that ravens
were highly sensitive to any disturbance about their nest and, for that
reason, nested in remote and high-elevation locations far away from man.
But modern day observers are maintaining that many of these species
(including ravens) are growing more accustom to disturbances and nesting
closer to man and his activities. One source notes that ravens will nest
within 600 feet of a road with traffic due to the availability of roadkills
for
food.
Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN
<//www.freelists.org/post/bristol-birds/jpg8z6UaXGnuq.jpg> JPEG image
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