20 SEP 03 Natural Tunnel State Park, VA Clinch Mountain Fire Tower, VA Musick's Lakeside Campground TN / VA . Saturday 20 SEP 03 Bristol Bird Club members Sam Cross, Mary Jane Erwin, Judy Roach, Bill Grigsby and I arrived at Natural Tunnel State Park near Duffield, VA early AM to substitute for scheduled bird walk leaders unable to attend due to hurricane Isabel. The bird walks were on the new birding trail inside the park built by Eagle Scout Seth Pierson and his troop. These early morning hikes marked the official first use of the new for its intended purpose. These and other well attended events composed the Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail Festival held this weekend. In addition to observing a good migrant wave of warblers and vireos leaders were offered a copy of the new book featuring the Mountain Area section of the Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail. I was grateful to get one of the few copies available (soon they will be plentiful), although, I was surprised to find Musick's Lakeside Campground not included in the book as I consider Musick's a location of prominent importance to Virginia birding. . In the afternoon Sam and I ventured to Mendota, VA and up to the Clinch Mountain Fire Tower to participate in the Bristol Bird Club Hawk Watch. Many members were present and a great day of hawk watching was already under way upon our arrival. Larry McDaniel reported that numbers exceeded any other day this year! I think the final number was 500. . From there Sam and I proceeded to Musick's Lakeside Campground and found seven Caspian Terns and two Eared Grebes along with a single Pied-billed Grebe on the Virginia side. Four Spotted Sandpipers were counted in Tennessee. . 'Til we bird again . Rack Cross Blountville, TN ************************************************* BRISTOL BIRDS NET LIST 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. It serves the Russell County Bird Club, Herndon TOS Chapter, Blue Ridge Birders Club, Butternut Nature Club, Buchanan County Bird Club, Bristol Bird Club, Clinch Valley Bird Club and Cumberland Nature Club. -------------------------------------------------- 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-****