Early this morning, while birding in the Green Mountain Branch watershed of Iron Mountain (one of the more fascinating tributaries of Beaverdam Creek in upper Shady Valley, TN), a Winter Wren was singing at 3,200 feet elevation. This establishes a lower, creeping distribution for this species in that rich tributary drainage. Green Mountain Branch continues to host several species which are found at increasingly lower elevations. The Dark-eyed Junco (3) were near the same location today. Here we are finding the Veery slowly inhabiting lower elevaitons along the stream. The Winter Wren was singing in a micro habitat of dark cove hardwood with mature yellow poplar and hemlock understory featuring thick great rhododendron. Even at Sandy Gap atop Iron Mountain, I had Northern Raven, Rose-breasted Grosbeak singing, Canada Warbler 2 and Veery 3 along with a Wood Thursh. Most of those were not there at that elevation three weeks ago. A Chestnut-sided Warbler was singing on Sluder Road near Gentry Road and Green Mountain Branch at 3,000 feet today. This is a species I've not easily encountered at the lower elevations in the valley. Rick Knight had fledglings at 2,600 feet in Crandull Cove of the upper end of the valley 10 June 1988. Other investigators have found it right on down to 2,800 feet with regularity. Knight also had Winter Wrens as low as 2,400 feet in the Beaverdam gorge in the north of Crandull Cove. John Shumate and I had it as low as 2,350 in the gorge during out breeding bird mini-route coverage in the late 1990's. The Dark-eyed Junco has been found as low as 2,200 feet at Stillhouse Branch and Beaverdam Creek confluence 8 June 1997 (Shumate, Coffey). Andy Jones saw a Canada Warbler 16 Jun 1996 at 2,290 ft. in a yellow poplar cove hardwood of the Beaverdam Creek gorge. I suspect this is the lowest elevation this species has been recorded in Northeast Tennessee during the breeding season. Ron Harrington has found a small red spruce plantation in this drainage and he has hopes of a Golden-crowned Kinglet nest this season -- just as we found in the Hurricane area of the Mount Rogers NRA last year, for the lowest elevation ever in the southern Appalachians. Meanwhile, two pairs of Canada Geese have young this spring in Shady. Today I saw one pair with five young and a second with three young. The goose population is slowly growing since I found the first breeding evidence in the valley 20 May 1995. Chris O'Bryan and I had two singing Willow Flycatchers at Quarry Bog, 10 May of this year. I found another male singing at the U.S. 421 bridge over Beaverdam Creek early this morning. One of the birds at Quarry Bog was back on territory again today along Brickyard Branch. Let's go birding..... Wallace Coffey Bristol, TN ************************************************* BRISTOL BIRDS NET LIST Bristol Birds Net Photo Gallery located at: http://f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jwcoffeyy/album?.dir=/efd5 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. -------------------------------------------------- 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 wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (423)764-****