SAT 26 JUN 2004 Chestnut Ridge, Cherokee Natl. Forest, Carter Co., TN D. Holt Behind Ripshin Lake on Chestnut Ridge, on the closed Forest Service road beyond Peters Cemetary, Tom McNeil and I found an adult pair of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers feeding two fleglings. There was a large dead tree with sapsucker-sized holes nearby, but we didn't see or hear any activities there. The adults were foraging on insects on the lichen-covered tree trunks. The fledglings were not yet adept at flight, or even at climbing. They were remarkably well camoflaged on the lichen encrusted trunks, but their calls and movements made them easy to find. The location co-ordinates were N 36 09.656, W 82 08.426. The elevation was 3930 ft. The dominant trees seemed to be Sugar Maple and American Beech. Associated trees included Yellow Buckeye, Basswood, Tuliptree. The understory density was moderate, the shrub layer and herb layer fairly light, leaving some leaf litter visible on the forest floor. There was very little in the way of evergreen cover. Overall the structure was somewhat open but patchy. The location was at a bend in the logging road that made a gap in the canopy about 50 ft. wide. The slope was facing roughly east, and somewhat steep. Other bird species present were Blue Jay, Veery, Red-eyed Vireo, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Hooded Warbler, and Dark-eyed Junco. On our way back, we stopped at the sapsucker nest-site at the edge of Ripshin Lake. We stayed only long enough to confirm that the young were still on the nest and being fed by both parents. Don Holt Johnson City, TN =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation. ----------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx ----------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send email to: tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s) endorse the views or opinions expressed by the members of this discussion group. Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ========================================================