Kim and all on this email distribution:
I sent an email to the mayors office and copied the city legal office this
morning requesting an immediate end to this action.
I encourage everyone to do something similar .
Thanks!
Roy McGraw
Franklin, TN
On Aug 25, 2020, at 9:57 PM, Kim Bailey <kimhbailey@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Tonight at the Purple Martin roost in downtown Nashville, John Noel
discovered an Animal Pro truck parked in the symphony plaza was waiting to
"fog" the trees holding the purple martins. They had been hired by the
symphony because they claimed it was a public health issue. The small group
of birders present (John, Melinda Welton, Mary Glynn Williamson, Ann Paine,
Kim Matthews and myself) began to frantically make phone calls. I talked to
the two people in the truck and told them the birds were protected by the
Migratory Bird Treaty and they did not have the necessary authority to
continue with their plans. I was able to reach Matt Norman of TWRA who agreed
to contact the company and tell them they could not proceed tonight. They
said they would work on a new plan. I have asked Matt Norman to follow up
with them tomorrow and let them know they cannot be harassed. If any of you
have contacts at the symphony or the mayor's office, please lend your voice
so that we can educate the city about the importance of protecting these
birds. We aren't convinced they are out of the woods yet.
Kim Bailey
Nashville
From: tn-bird-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <tn-bird-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> on behalf
of Graham <grahamgerdeman@xxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, August 19, 2020 9:23 PM
To: tn-bird <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [TN-Bird] Purple Martins - downtown Nashville
8/19/20 - Davidson County
It takes a heck of a lot for me to venture into the Country-covid theme park
of downtown Nashville, but I went to see the Purple Martins coming into roost
downtown in Nashville this evening, and it was spectacular. It was very nice
to run into Melinda Welton and Laura Cook and her family down there. As
reported elsewhere (including on the local news), the Martins are staging all
along the river in the area of the pedestrian bridge by late evening,
descending to the trees in front of and around the Schermerhorn Symphony
center by around 8pm. I suspect the trees around the Titans Stadium and
Cumberland Park may also be full to capacity with them.
It's simply impossible to try to count these kinds of numbers, but I did
attempt it, by first isolating 100 birds on the wires in my binoculars, then
with naked eye counting in blocks of 100, then by 1000. My comfortable
estimate for eBird was 150,000 birds, but if there is a more scientific count
made, I'm fairly sure the actual number is several times higher. I wasn't
sure if I should guess 100k or a million. I would feel confident I was seeing
50,000 birds, and then I would turn to look over another part of the city and
they were like flying ants over the skyscrapers. It was like standing in a
Nashville skyline, Purple Martin 'Snow Globe' that someone was shaking. Truly
exceptional. Best (and only) reason I can think of to go downtown.
Graham Gerdeman
Nashville
