[Bristol-Birds] wetlands an excellent introduction for BBC
- From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Bristol-birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2004 19:42:05 -0500
The Bristol Bird Club's Saturday birdwalk at Cedar Creek Marsh Wetlands in
Bristol Tennessee was an excellent introduction for our birders. The proposed
wetlands park has been a site visited and studied by area birders for more than
30 years.
Recently the BBC agreed to work in an effort to get the wetlands from a private
landower and having it donated to the city for a wetlands park. The owner has
agreed to review a proposal and indicated a willingness to donated about 8 to
10 acres to the city.
Larry McDaniel and Wallace Coffey are representing the BBC and working with the
city and landowner. They were leaders for the Saturday walk and were joined by
Kevin Hamed, Wilma Boy, Bill Grigsby and John Moyle.
We were treated to a frosty morning at the wetlands and many common species
which were enjoyable to watch at close range. Horses running in an adjancet
field next to Cedar Creek provided a great outdoors experience. We walked over
much of the area, crossing Cedar Creek on a nice footbridge and walking along
the wetland border on a good trail.
Everyone agreed the wetlands was a very special place and would make an
excellent park. Hamed will soon help us by contacting the Tennessee Valley
Authority to get their services in providing a delination of the wetlands.
Steve Cross, with the Bristol Tennessee city engineering department, provided a
detailed aireal photograph with color overlay of property boundaries and
possible wetlands for our use.
Bev Brown from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
visited the site at our invitation on 25 Oct. She said it was an excellent,
legitimate, wetlands and extended into more than the 7.5 acres we had marked on
the map. She recommended we try to get all of the wetlands. She thinks we
need a consultant to "deleneate" the exact wetlands so we can act on it quickly
and make sure that we know up front what comes under "state waters."
BBC member Wilma Boy was impressed with the area and said she felt it would
certainly make a nice wetlands park for the city. She has expressed and
interest in
the developments with the property.
In the winter of 1969-1970, Brent Rowell (Steele Creek Park's first ever
employed naturalist) made 10 bird counts at the wetlands from 15 Nov. through
17 Jan. In addition he trapped mammals there. Dr. Rowell is now on the
faculty at the University of Kentucky.
In the early 1990's he prepared the first master plan for programs and
organization of the new Steele Creek Park Nature Center under contract with the
city.
Among the 30+ bird species found at the Cedar Creek Wetlands 30 years ago
during Rowell's survey were:
Sharp-shinned Hawk
American Kestrel
Ruffed Grouse
Northern Bobwhite
Killdeer
Common Snipe
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Pileated Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Blue Jay
Common Crow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
Goilden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Loggerhead Shrike
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Eastern Meadowlark
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Northern Cardinal
Purple Finch
American Goldfinch
Pine Siskin
Rufous-sided Towhee
Dark-eyed Junco
Field Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Song Sparrow
(neighbor reported Great Blue Heron)
Our birders later went on to the South Holston Weir, South Holston Dam and
Musick's Campground before concluding with lunch at Shelley's Chicken.
It was intersting to compare some observations with those of the same time and
date by the Herndon Chapter TOS at Wilbur Lake and other sites in Carter
County. We had just one American Wigeon at the weir and just one found by
LRHTOS. The population of wigeon at the weir had been much higher in recent
weeks with well over 20 birds or so. In addition to loons, grebes, usual gulls
and such on South Holston Lake we did see the usual 6 Eared Grebe's near
Musick's Campground. The Herndon Chapter also found a larger number of
Buffleheads but the population at the weir is significant and growing fast.
We missed the rest of you.
Let's go birding...
Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN
We have called off the Meadowview Marsh destination because
nearly 1,700 cross country runners will descend upon Cattails Golf Course,
to compete for a gold medal at the 2004 Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Youth
Cross Country National Championship and that doesn't count parents, spectators
and coaches. Most all the roads in the immediate area of Meadowview Marsh
will be closed to traffic during the day.
We will probably be going to the proposed Bristol Tennessee Cedar Creek
Wetlands to get a good look and some brief birding.
Larry McDaniel, Bill Grigsby, Rack Cross and myself will lead the birding out
of the ETSU front parking lot. It will be a very good day with some good
birders participating.
The National Weather Service coudn't provide us anything better: Partly
cloudy, with a high around 51. Calm wind most of the day !
Due to the changing availability of Meadowview, we will determine our
destinations before we leave ETSU. This will be a good birding trip.
We'll look for you on the front row with your binoculars. Come and enjoy
birding and put all of the early-seasonal hassel behind you. Relax and bird.
What could be better on a great Saturday morning ?
Let's go birding.....
Wallace Coffey
Bristol
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