[Bristol-Birds] Shady Valley bird update stuff

  • From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "Bristol-birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Mon, 17 May 2004 17:36:06 -0400

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-****

Other related posts:

  • » [Bristol-Birds] Shady Valley bird update stuff