[Bristol-Birds] Mendota Heritage Festival

  • From: "Harrington, R" <roneharrin@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "Bristol Bird Network" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2012 20:26:54 -0400

Fellow Birders:

Had  interesting visitors stop by our booth at the Mendota Heritage Festival on 
Saturday. Several folks told me about seeing American Bald Eagles hanging out 
along the North Fork of the Holston this summer. Two showed me pictures to 
prove it: one mature ABE and one immature. Another fellow told me he saw an 
Osprey and an ABE flying together over the river last week. One lady, Molly 
Kiser, Mendota, showed me some beautiful bird pictures she had taken. I 
encouraged her to enter them in a nature photography contest (e.g., Wildlife 
Weekend at Steele's  Creek Park). As I was talking with Hutch Hutchison who had 
wondered in from the tower, a young man came running over to tell me there were 
lots of hawks overhead. The wind was picking up, black clouds were boiling, and 
it was starting to rain. All I could spot were several Black and Turkey 
vultures riding on the wind. Later John Mongle came by and took some pictures. 
He now lives near Mendota. 

 

Then there is the story of Rocky Raccoon: Barbara Hays, who lives in Mendota, 
was driving to work one recent morning along a stretch near Mendota called the 
"bluff." Suddenly a raccoon fell out of the sky and hit the road in front of 
her car. She stopped, got out, and noticed out of the corner of her eye a hawk 
flying overhead. From her description it sounded like a Red-tailed hawk. The 
raccoon was dead. Found a bullet hole. The next day while driving along the 
same section of road, a raccoon fell out of the sky in front of her car. Again 
she stopped. Again she saw a hawk flying overhead. Again the raccoon was dead.  
There was a bullet hole. Same spot. Barbara seem sane and sober to me. Even 
though she warned, "you will not believe this story," I did. 



Didn't have time to enter the cake walk event or play corn hole and horse 
shoes. Bought some nice organically-grown veggies and a nice jar of pickles. 
Had my blood pressure checked at the nearby medical clinic. Turned down some 
good looking hot dogs in the cafeteria. Watched with interest as two ladies 
made some nice egg baskets under the same tent where I was set up. Briefly 
visited the book sale in the library. Got rained out around 2:30.



Ron Harrington

Bristol, VA

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