[Bristol-Birds] Re: turkeys & harriers - Washington Co, TN
- From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Bristol-birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 4 Feb 2005 03:09:44 -0500
Rick Knight and Area Birders:
The Hales Chapel Rd. continues to produce good turkey numbers. This is the
same vicinity and road where Larry McDaniel and Rob Biller had 107 on 7 Feb
2004 --- almost one year to the day.
The maxium number of Northern Harriers I am aware of for the region was 10
in Hawkins County nearly 25 years ago. On Dec. 12,1980, Tom Laughlin and
Rick Phillips found a roost of birds concentrated on a one-acre site near
the Surgoinsville Airport. They returned to the spot two days later (Dec.
14) and collected 100 pellets during 30 minutes of searching. Laughlin was
going to analyze them for prey content. I saw a large bag of the pellets
and it was impressive.
The habitat consisited of approximately 40 acres of rolling upland terrain
vegitated chief by broomsedge. It was crossed by several barbed wire fences
and bordered on the north, east and west chiefly by wooded areas. The
airport was on the south edge. It was being subdivided.
On 14 April (just before 5 p.m.) they trapped and banded a male Northern
Harrier at this location.
A week later (21 Dec) Laughlin and Phillips took me to the site. I wanted
to see the habitat. They had captured a Rough-legged Hawk and two Northern
Harriers at this location in the three years prior to banding there. Those
birds were taken to Bays Mountain Park for Fred Alsop to get photographs.
While at the site on 21 Dec 1980, I estimated 8 to 10 birds (at least two
males and 6 females/immatures). I was shown a couple of "butcher block"
feeding posts which, from prey remains, had been heavily used.
It was interesting that there was much chasing going on between the birds.
That included one bird driving two others from the ground and into the air.
Males were challenged from their fence post perches by larger females. On
Dec. 14, Laughlin and Phillips saw an adult male knock a dark harrier to the
ground. Watching for such behavior may be an indication of a roost.
Surely your find of 8 birds at Bowmantown on Thursday is the maximum for the
species in the five-county Northeast Tennessee area.
That is one great find ! Thanks for the neat report.
Let's go birding....
Wallace Coffey
Bristol
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