[TN-Bird] ravens nesting at speedway
- From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "TN-birds" <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2013 12:07:35 -0500
The photo above shows the nest construction and a raven perched
nearby.
The photo was taken Saturday, 9 Feb 2013, by Tom McNeil.
Who would have "thunk" that a pair of Common Ravens would choose
a site in the enormous grandstands of the Bristol Motor Speedway to
build a nest ? Right here in Sullivan County !
Tom McNeil saw ravens there Friday and then, with J.T. McNeil and
Cathy Myers found a pair building a nest there Sat., 9 Feb 2013.
Rick Phillips may be one of the least surprised when he read
that birders had found a nest at the speedway. Phillips has more than
curious evidence that the species nests in the big concrete building
structures left behind when TVA abandoned construction of the Phipps
Bend Nuclear Power Plant on the Holston River in Hawkins County.
Old-time egg collectors in Northeast Tennessee taught us, years ago,
that a complete clutch of raven's eggs could be expected in their
nest on St. Patrick's Day -- March 17! They nested in the highest
elevations, probably well above 4000 feet elevation.
Bristol Motor Speedway expects more than 100,000 spectators for
a major NASCAR spring race -- the Food City 500 on March 17.
The track also has a smaller race the day before and a fan event
on March 15 -- three days of NASCAR activities of large proportion.
If the ravens can't tolerate the presence of race fans
and racing and make it thru this nesting season, they will not make
it thru any future years with a nest at the track.
Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN
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