[Bristol-Birds] shorebird habitat is near excellent in region -- enjoy migration !
- From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Bristol-birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 2 Sep 2009 22:52:31 -0400
Conditions for birding at Musick's Campground on
South Holston Lake are near excellent.
Any rainfall may slow that pace but should increase
the presence of downed migrants.
Shorebird and exposed mudflat shoreline habitat at
Musick's Campground and in the Spring Creek
Embayment and the mouth of Spring Creek channel
along Va. Rt. 75 is very good and quickly approaches
the peak for stopping and holding shorebirds, terns,
herons, egrets, eagles, ospreys, grebes and a variety
of waterfowl. We can't ask for anything more !
We have now reach the drawdown point at which daily
coverage by birders is highly recommended. The best
time is early morning after heavy overnight rainfalls and
almost any day during the last hour before dark. Egret
Island and the outer bank island have surfaced.
Mudflats and roosting area are available.
The pebbled shorline attracts some of our rarest
and best shorebirds and is visited by Ruddy
Turnstones among many other species.
Black-bellied Plover and American Golden
Plover utilize the area at Musick's Campground
as do winter Dunlin. It is a feeding and resting
place for dowitchers, willets and smaller plovers.
The elevation Wednesday is at 1723.6 feet. We are tracking
well for exposed mudflats and sandbars are starting to be
exposed and cooler weather is bringing migrants in. In the graph
below the dark blue line indicates the optimal high water level
TVA is willing to seek at each impoundment. The red line
indicates the actual levels by dates and months for 2009.
The green line indicates a projected operation. The black line
indicates last summer's levels during the significant drought.
The shaded areas is the range TVA would prefer to operate
within at any given date.
Presently, the Watauga Lake reservoir elevation
is at 1953.5, which is down about five feet from
projected recreation season high of 1959 feet
elevation. We may have really nice exposed
mudflats at Roan Creek which will offer good
habitat anytime during this shorebird migration
period. No reports from there but it is a great
shorebirding site with great history.
Boone Lake remains full as TVA uses their
drawdown from the higher reservoirs. Watauga
and South Holston drawdown flows downstream
into Boone Lake. The Austin Springs
mudflat area has been hampered by high water
elevations as has become usual in recent years
but conditions will begin to improve during the
coming days.
Douglas Lake's mudflat areas have expanded significantly
and at about 986 ft. Viewing from shore is now feasible
and steadily improving. With another foot of lake
drawdown, Douglas will have extensive shorebird
habitat and proximity to onshore viewing at Rankin
Bottoms. This year, Labor Day weekend through
late September should be right for seeing shorebirds
there. Later on, best onshore viewing will be at
Dutch Bottoms, along Hwy. 25E. (Best elevation
projections and background, courtesy of Michael Sledjeski).
If you are ever at Rankin Bottoms on a super day,
you will think it is the greatest place on earth. Any
day is a very good day during fall migration ! It is
hallowed habitat for East Tennessee birders and
ranks with the state's best.
Get out and watch the shorebirds migrate.
Let's go birding . . . .
Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN
Other related posts:
