[Bristol-Birds] Paddle Creek and Musick's Campground

  • From: "Roy & Robin Knispel" <rknispel@xxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "Bristol-birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Tue, 30 Aug 2011 22:37:18 -0400

Reece Jamerson and I checked Paddle Creek Ponds about the middle of the 
afternoon.  As Glen Eller posted for us, we had three BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS 
there, along with a Spotted Sandpiper, a Pectoral Sandpiper, Green Heron, Great 
Blue Heron and about 15 Killdeer.

Next stop was the Weir Dam--only birds there were about 20 Canada Geese.

Then Musick's Campground, where we were joined after a short while by Wallace 
and Carolyn Coffey.  Highlights were
Cooper's Hawk
Kingfisher
D. C. Cormorant
BLACK TERN
Great Egrets            3
Great Blue Heron
OSPREY
The Osprey put on a great show, coming from the left and dropping in a 
spectacular dive right in front of the island (now a peninsula) with the willow 
tree not far in front of us to grab a fairly large fish right at the edge of 
the shore in shallow water.  He turned it as he flew off toward the Virginia 
shore.

As the sun was setting, Mike Sanders called Wallace and they agreed to check 
Paddle Creek to follow up on our Buff-Breasted Sandpiper report.  We caught up 
with them there as it was getting dark.  There were some folks fishing along 
the pond and they had been working around the pond, so between their activity 
and the darkness, we didn't find the Buff-breasted Sandpipers again.  

But, then, Wallace told us to train our scopes and binoculars on the three 
silos down the road where Barn Owls had been seen.  Mike spotted one sitting by 
the opening of the middle silo, and as we watched, an adult BARN OWL flew out.  
We thought we were seeing another owl there, so Mike, Reece and I drove down 
along Paddle Creek Rd. to try to get a better view of the silo opening.  We saw 
what we concluded were at least two additional Barn Owls, likely another adult 
and a young owl.   

     Reece and I had a great birding day with unexpected results and good 
birding experiences with Wallace, Carolyn and Mike Sanders.

Roy Knispel
Johnson City

Other related posts:

  • » [Bristol-Birds] Paddle Creek and Musick's Campground - Roy & Robin Knispel