[bristol-birds] Re: Warblers in Buch. Co. VA
- From: "TH Cumbie" <thcumbie@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 17 Apr 2002 08:29:10 -0400
Greetings from Buladean,
I am impressed with this spring migration information. When Wallace
referred to the elevation, wouldn't another factor that causes migrants to
swing toward a lower elevation area be the vegetation and insect life that
goes with a lower elevation? Trees leaf out two weeks earlier in Johnson
City than they do in Buladean. Buladean shows an elevation of 2800 feet on
the map.
I have occassionally had huge migrant fall outs in the fall in my yard and
the fields around me. But have not witnessed that in the spring.
Thelma Hughes Cumbie
Mitchell County NC
----- Original Message -----
From: Wallace Coffey <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: 1-A Bristol-Birds <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, April 16, 2002 11:57 PM
Subject: [bristol-birds] Re: Warblers in Buch. Co. VA
>
> Roger Mayhorn and Area Birders:
>
> Roger may be quite correct that migrants (warblers, etc.)
> reach the Breaks Interstate Park area before they do
> some of the other areas of Southwest Virginia. I
> would, however, think that such a theory applies only
> to those birds whose migration patterns follow certain
> geographical features.
>
> I am not inclined to think that Pine Mountain is the
> main feature for warblers and certain other
> land birds. I bet, that when we finally learn what
> is happening, it is because of the Russell Fork cutting
> through the breaks at 980 feet elevation. When you
> think about this think: "New River at Bluestone Lake
> near Narrows flowing through a gap at 1,447 feet
> as it crosses into West Virginia." Much of the lower
> elevations in Southwest Virginia are in the "highlands"
> at 2000 feet or more.
>
> It appears that the New River birders get birds earlier
> than we do and they are still further north. It clearly
> seems that they get the bulk of Tree Swallows much
> earlier. I realize that many swallows migrate near
> or along waterways. I know that shorebirds and
> waterfowl do also. We may not have a good handle
> on which birds will follow what features in our region.
>
> Several of us were attending a talk by Doug Ogle at
> the Higher Education Center in Abingdon a couple
> of weeks ago when he mentioned the influence of
> the gorge and the Russell Fork on plant life. We
> later talked that it is very possible that birdlife is
> moving through these deep river gorges that cut
> through the mountains. Another very similar
> situation could possibly be the French Borad coming
> throught the mountains of Northeast Tennessee from
> North Carolina but there are doubts about the elevations
> (2100 feet) involved here. That example is not as clear.
>
> We at least know that warbler migration is generally
> detected in the Ridge and Valley region of our area
> before it is detected in the higher mountains during
> spring. It may be a little different in the fall.
>
> A few years ago, while watching the spring migration
> of birds coming in over my computer from the weather
> radar stations, I watched with many researchers
> as a heavy migration was moving through from
> the Gulf Coast, over Atlanta, towards Knoxville and
> then it went east around the Great Smokey Mountains
> throught the Piedmont of the Carolinas. To be more
> certain, I got on the telephone with the weather service
> at Morristown, Tenn. and they had Asheville, N.C. and
> Spartsburg, S.C. (I think) to set their reflectivity so we
> could get a better look. All of the radar people were
> convinced the big movement, which was from just
> before midnight well into the morning, was migrating
> birds. It went right around the mountains! Not
> through the mountains!
>
> Dick Peake and others have observed and determined
> that the Blue-winged Warblers have invaded Southwest
> Virginia following the Big Sandy drainage along the
> Pound River to push the Golden-winged Warblers east
> and further out of Southwest Virginia. This was
> detected since 1984. The Golden-wings have declined
> over two decades, precipitously during the 1990's.
> (see Peake's book, page 61). Of course there are
> very large continental population centers of Blue-wings
> in the areas west and northwest of Virginia.
>
> This suggest the influence of these cross-cutting rivers
> on the birdlife of the region. But that doesn't speak
> to migration, just range expansion.
>
> Let's go back to the birds moving around the Piedmont
> in spring migration. It may be that many species or
> individuals cut back through the New River and head
> north along the river through Western Virginia. I am
> not sure but I think it merits more thought and study
> by you guys in your region as well.
>
> The very low elevation along the Russell Fork alone
> could explain why you get migrants earlier than the
> rest of us, if that is in fact supported by more long-term
> data rather than just watching a few seasons or less
> of bird migration reports on these lists coming over
> computers. Chattanooga (685 feet) and Knoxville
> (890 feet) get earlier spring migrants and are also
> at lower elevations and further south. Their spring
> and vegetation is considerably more advanced than
> we have at this time.
>
> Elevation along cross-cutting rivers in those lowlands
> may be more of a factor than we give credit. You
> guys are closer to the axis of the Appalachians than
> we are further south. Ogle points out that the axis
> of the Appalachians is where the New River cuts
> through.
>
> I hope this didn't ramble too much.
>
> Whatever.
>
> Wallace Coffey
> Bristol
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> *************************************************
> 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 Chapter TOS, Greeneville TOS
> Chapter, Blue Ridge Birders Club, Butternut Nature
> Club, Buchanan County Bird Club, Bristol Bird Club,
> Clinch Valley Bird Club and Cumberland Nature Club.
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> Wallace Coffey, Moderator
> jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx
> (423)764-3958
>
>
*************************************************
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 Chapter TOS, Greeneville TOS
Chapter, Blue Ridge Birders Club, Butternut Nature
Club, Buchanan County Bird Club, Bristol Bird Club,
Clinch Valley Bird Club and Cumberland Nature Club.
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(423)764-3958
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