[Bristol-Birds] Sandhill Cranes utilizing Spring Creek Embayment along VA Rt. 75
- From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Bristol-birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2013 00:09:46 -0500
Two Sandhill Cranes face sunrise and mountains at Musick' Campground
(photo by Tom McNeil)
South Holston Lake
Washington Co., VA
9 Feb 2013
Two Sandhill Cranes fed at the mudflats of the Spring Embayment of South
Holston Lake
along VA Rt. 75, just north of the Painter Creek Rd. turn to Musick's
Campground Saturday
afternoon.
The Spring Creek Embayment, either at this site or near the Washington County,
VA park, has
been an area frequented by the cranes for many years and has been the best
place in
Southwest Virginia to see the cranes during that period.
What we have not been successful with is finding where the birds feed in
stubble fields or grassy grazing areas away from the water and elsewhere in
Washington County. There may be a record here or there but nothing like we
have enjoyed along TN Rt. 44 just down the road. They have several times spent
the winter roosting on the Musick's Campground property at the lake's edge or
on similar nearby and protected sites.
Tom McNeil's discovery of two birds on the shoreline at Musick's Campground at
sunrise may suggest they are roosting there or very close. When the two birds
were detected near Observation Knob Park in Sullivan Co., TN a few evenings
ago, it seemed they were going to roost in a cove of the park. Of course
nothing is to prevent them from roosting at more than one site.
However, the discovery of the birds away from the TN Rt 44 corn stubble field
and Observation Knob Park in the middle of the day, Saturday, may suggest that
the stubble field food supply is becoming a bit thin and they are searching
elsewhere for food.
Let's go birding . . . .
Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN 
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