April 30 in Northern Hamilton County, Rhea County, and Meigs County was mostly
unseasonably cool, sometimes breezy, mostly cloudy, and with occasional
sprinkles of rain. I figured it was a good day for birding because it would
likely reduce the number of mosquito bites! April in SE Tennessee had been a
good birding month for me, and today was my best day of the month for
first-of-the-year birds and for the largest number of total species for the
day. The first-of-the-year birds follow:
* Gray Catbird – I heard at least 3 different birds at the Cottonport
Wildlife Management Area in a location with water on both sides of Maple
Springs Road in Rhea County.
* Northern Parula – 1 bird in the same area as the catbirds
* Prothonotary Warbler – 1 bird in the same area as the previous two species
* Prairie Warbler – Yuchi Refuge in Rhea County near gate 1
* Common Yellowthroat – Yuchi Refuge in Rhea County near gate 1
Other good finds for the day included:
* Yellow-breasted Chat – Two were heard in different locations at Yuchi
Refuge. I heard one on the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge in Meigs County, and one
was heard on my property in Birchwood (Hamilton County).
* Palm Warbler – 2 were seen from the overlook at the Cherokee Removal
Memorial Park in Meigs County.
* Solitary Sandpiper – 1 was seen at Yuchi Refuge, but a few other
shorebirds flew before I could get a good luck at them. All of these were in
wet areas near the Tennessee River.
* Blue Grosbeak – One was noted at Yuchi Refuge not far from the gazebo.
* Rose-breasted Grosbeaks – This spectacular species was present for the
13th consecutive day on my property in Birchwood.
I identified 55 total species for the day which is one of my highest totals
ever, and I didn’t have any mosquito bites while birding today!
Charles Murray
Birchwood, TN
