On Monday, March 5, I was finally able to confirm a FOY Osprey on the Hiwassee
Wildlife Refuge in Meigs County at Birchwood. It was seen on a nesting platform
in the Hiwassee River from the Cherokee Removal Memorial Park overlook. I am
pretty sure that I had glimpsed ospreys in two or three other places a few days
earlier, but those birds were either seen for only a few seconds at a time or
in very low light. In late afternoon on March 5, approximately 15 Red-breasted
Mergansers were seen from Booker T. Washington State Park in Chattanooga. I
rarely ever see this species at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge. This morning,
March 7, I saw 3 female Purple Finches on sunflower feeders at my home in
Birchwood (Hamilton County). These were the first Purple Finches of the entire
winter for me. In the winter of 2016-2017, there were several male and female
Purple Finches at my feeders for much of the winter. At roost time near dark
from the CRMP, I am still seeing from a few dozen to about 100 Sandhill Cranes.
They are roosting on sandbars in the Tennessee River (Rhea County) near
Hiwassee Island.
Charles Murray
Birchwood, TN
