8 Apr 2006
Musick's Campground
South Holston Lake
Washington Co., VA
Four American White Pelicans were among the overnight fallout of rain-downed
birds in the South Holston lake area Saturday morning.
Rick Knight, Carolyn Coffey and Wallace Coffey observed the pelicans in
Tennessee just offshore of Musicks' Campgroun on what locals call "Egret
Island." They where were in company with a mixed flocks of Ring-billed Gulls
and Bonaparte's Gull.
Before anyone other than the campground owner, Mae Musick, could get to the
site, a third-year Bald Eagle arrived at the island, circled once, and landed a
few yards away. The gulls scattered as the eagle approached but the pelicans
held tight. Then the pelicans took flight.
The pelicans flew in wide circles into Washington County, Virginia over the
Spring Creek Embayment. Then back up the creek several hundred yards towards
Va Rt. 75. The group flew back into Tennessee towards the Painter Creek
Embayment and nearby marina just off TN Rt. 44.
Rack and Carol Cross later found the birds while searching for them from the
boat ramp at Observation Knob Park in Tennessee. Looking north across the lake
to the TVA / Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency launching ramp, they saw the
birds on the shoreline of the TVA property to the east of the ramp. The birds
were not in view from anywhere else except Observation Knob Park at that time.
Few of the birders in the area saw one another but several cellphone
communications with birders working over favrious areas of Northeast Tennessee
indicated that increasing numbers of birders were arriving in the Observation
Knob vicinity to see the birds.
Rob Biller of Elizabethton, TN got photos of the eagle and pelicans.
This is the second record for a American White Pelican at South Holston Lake.
A bird was present 21-23 Dec 1991 in Washington County, VA near Avens Bridge.
It evidently left on 23 Dec and moved to the vicinity of Friendship Marina near
U.S. 421 Bridge in Tennessee where it was seen by John Shumate, Wallace Coffey
and others. It then flew to Boone Lake where it was seen near Davis Marina
(Sullivan Co, TN) 24-27 Dec.
For those of you keeping a scorecard, this is the first official sighting from
Musick's Campground -- tick one there.
Knight had covered a larger geographical area during this morning (4/8) andwill
post the birds we had at Musick's Campground during the pelican show.
Let's go birding......
Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN
