BBC Snippets

Link: http://www.freelists.org/archives/bristol-birds/03-2008/msg00071.html

Twenty- one members of the BBC were on hand for the club’s April 8, 1995 field trip to the Holston Army Ammunition Plant in Hawkins County at Kingsport and it was a "five-star" day for great birding.

Bill Little and Greg Lee were the "insiders" at the plant who made the arrangements.

It was the first time birders had been allowed in the facility on an outing to see the Double-crested Cormorant and Great Blue Heron rookery which was discovered in 1991-1992 by Ron Caldwell and John Copeland,biologists at Lincoln Memorial University's Cumberland Mountain Research Center.

Little, who worked at the plant and was a BBC member, had been keeping records in the spring of 1995 and had permission from the commander of the facility to photograph the nests. He made arrangements for BBC to tour the site. But we had to submit our Social Security numbers for what we were told was security purposes.

Birders were met at the gate and loaded into two vans and driven to the area where we were allowed to spend almost four hours birding and photographing the nests. We tallied 48 species during our visit

The area contained an estimated 57 Great Blue Heron nests and we found five Double-crested Cormorants sitting on nests.

Only four Tennessee counties had historical breeding cormorants and the rookery, at Kingsport in 1992 represented the first documented observation of nesting Double-crested Cormorants in Tennessee since 1955.

We estimated 30 cormorants about the rookery while we were there. It was believed to be the first such rookery known in the Holston River watershed.

The rookery stood on Clay Island in the Holston River. It was completely within the 4,000+ acre plant area and there was no access by boat or foot.

The Double-crested Cormorant was found there by Caldwell and Copeland, April 17, 1992, when five individuals were on the river during breeding season.

On May 14, 1992, the biologists observed an individual carrying nest material in its beak. Two cormorant nests, each with two nestlings, were observed June 22, 1992 on Clay Islands. These nests were found within a nesting colony of Great Blue Herons.

The Great Blue Herons, were sighted on every field trip the researchers made. A rookery consisting of several nests was found on Clay Islands. The colony had nested on the islands in previous years as old nests were observed in January 1991, according to Caldwell and Copeland in an article they published in the state journal of ornithology.

They also wrote that on June 23, 1992, an Osprey nest was found just off the ammunition plant property on Long Island. The nest was situated atop a powerline pylon. No nesting activity was observed but they did see Osprey present several times.

The rookery has moved slightly up the river in recent years since a pair of Bald Eagles started nesting there a few years ago.

PARTICIPANTS FOR THIS HISTORIC BBC FIELD TRIP WERE: Lloyd Jones, John Shumate, Jr., Lorrie Shumate, Carolyn Coffey, Suzanne Clark, Allen Clark, Judy Roach, Bill Little, Priscilla Little, Judy Musick, Louise Tilson, Greg Lee, Karen Quesenberry, Wallace Coffey, Mary Spivey, Rick Knight, Richard Lewis, Phillip Lewis, Judy Tomlinson, Carol Lynn and Karen Musick.

from the archives of the Bristol Bird Club

Link: http://www.freelists.org/archives/bristol-birds/03-2008/msg00004.html

Bristol Bird Club members enjoyed the best weather you could imagine and a fabulous canoe/birding trip on the Clinch River in Russell County, Saturday, June 15, 2002. It was the highlight of a weekend that began on Friday and ended on Sunday.

Excitement was in the air when birders began arriving at The Nature Conservancy's famous Rikemo Lodge in Scott County. It is a beautiful hunting lodge built in 1969 by the former Clinchfield Railroad which used it to entertain their clients.

Luggage and packs and were carried in, boxes of food loaded to the kitchen, nine canoes ready on a trailer and a truck.

The rustic facility, is perched atop Copper Ridge amidst trees and peaceful views, 600 feet above the river. It provided an excellent base for exploring Southwestern Virginia's natural treasures.

It was located near Dungannon, as part of Gray's Island Preserve, which protects one of the most significant habitats for globally rare freshwater mussels.

Janice Martin had a new and excellent handout of the 2002 BBC Membership List, hot off the press.

Birders pulled up chairs around the long dinning tables and spent a leisurely evening chatting and having dinner together. Others lingered late into the evening in the comfortable chairs and on the couches around the 20-foot-long giant, stone fireplace.

Saturday morning found members in the kitchen getting their breakfasts ready and dressed for the much-anticipated down river birding. Don Holt had butterflies in his stomach.

Sprits were high and expectations created considerable excitement. The gang was soon car pooled to Cleveland where the canoes were launched.

Ron Lapp, and his niece who flew in from Ohio for the trip, pushed off in his personal canoe. The group was headed up by Braven Beaty of The Nature Conservancy and Janice Martin. Wallace Coffey and Carolyn Coffey followed the lead with Ed Talbott and Michelle Talbott in the next boat and Dave Worley and Diana Worley in that order. Larry McDaniel and Don Holt made up still another team and their boat followed by Mary Erwin and John Hay. Judy Musick road on board with Mary Evans and Mike Evans while Tom Horsch and Jil Riendeau paddled last to sweep along for boats that may needed assistance.

The nearly seven-mile trip took about half the day as the BBC journeyed into one of North America's most sensitive and valued biodiversity hotspots as recognized by The Nature Conservancy.

The spirited group of BBC river runners and their guests ate bagged lunches on the river bank before finally pulling in at Carterton where the boats were taken out, racked on a truck and trailer and hauled back to Rikemo.

Back at the cozy, rustic, surroundings of the former hunting lodge of hand-hewn logs with beautiful pegged floors, returning parties found Bob Quillen, Rose Lapp and June Fulbright enjoying birding in the 100-acre preserve.

 The lodging, boats and weekend were free to BBC if the club would make a trip list of birds seen and heard available to The Nature Conservancy.

Later, many gathered on the big porch with rockers while others took turns catching an afternoon nap and warm showers in their private rooms.

The lazy afternoon awoke to chips and fruits and all kinds of dips and spreads and great appetizers provided by Jil Riendeau. In early evening, dinner was on big time as birders again gathered in the great hall for Jil's catered dinner and dessert. No one wanted to leave the tables. Everyone just visited and lingered and soaked it all in. We even learned a lot about family histories and Confederate history.

They were still raving over the dinner when several birders got tangled up calling in Screech-Owls to the back porch. Even though there was an owl flying all around the building, a small group in the front yard was whistling the owl call while there were others birders calling from the back porch. The owl was not only interested but somewhat confused. Neither group knew the others were out calling and each thought the other was the owl. So they called back and forth to each other and took pride in their owl calling success. The real owl did not call but flew from front to back several times :-)

Some went on a successful after-dark birding exploration to find the Chuck-wills-widow and Don Holt surprised a woodcock. Others stayed up late talking about plans for future trips which the club could take and others turned in early for a good night in the big handmade four- poster beds.

There were so many extra birders joining the trip that BBC extended the limits and allowed some to bring their sleeping bags and sleep by the big fireplace in the lodge hall.

Most had early breakfast on Sunday and a few slept in for an extra hour or two.

Everyone thought it was a tremendous weekend and had dreams of more -- even Janice Martin who was drying out her underwear from getting a big spill in the river at the first rapids. :-0 Never grab limbs from a canoe, Janice :-( You were told that before you picked up a paddle :-)

from the archives of the Bristol Bird Club