The Tennessee warbler : newsletter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society

TH

TENNES

E WARBLER

Newsletter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society

August, 2005

Editor, Theresa Graham

PRESIDENTS MESSAGE

At the Spring meeting, we celebrated the 75 th Anniversary of the Memphis Chapter as well as the 90 th Anniversary
of TOS. Paul Baicich spoke of the recent discovery of an Ivory-billed Woodpecker and encouraged habitat
conservation. Thanks to all of the members of the Memphis Chapter who worked together to host the 2005
meeting. The birds were interesting, the work accomplished was important, and the time spent with friends was
memorable.

The Board of Directors approved a dues increase that should meet the needs of TOS for some time. We also
established a TOS Publication Committee that will consult with the various editors as well as work on matters
such as the digitization of past issues of the Migrant. Thanks to Mike Roedel for agreeing to Chair this committee.
A slate of officers for the next two years was approved.

TOS was formed 90 years ago to support education, research, and conservation efforts to benefit birds. TOS
remains one of the oldest conservation organizations in the state. We do a good job but like any organization, we
need to reflect periodically on our purpose and evaluate our performance. As President, one of my goals is to
provide leadership in moving the club forward. We can remain true to our 90-year-old mission while we continue
to make use of modern means. Our use of the website represents an effective change which has occurred in the
past few years. Our commitment to digitize the past issues of the Migrant is another positive example. I believe
that we can do even more.

I would like to begin a series of focused discussions to determine how we might improve our organization. During
the winter meeting, there was an open committee discussion regarding the dues issue which exemplified what I
have in mind. I propose that we all think about questions such as the following:

• What new services can TOS provide to its members?

• How can we better use the internet to increase communication across the state and to speed up the
time to act on important matters?

• How can we respond quickly to legislative issues?

• How can we improve the effectiveness of gathering data about birds from across the state?

• How can we increase the number of scientific articles submitted to the Migrant for publication?

• How can we support more scientific research?

• Why are so few records submitted to the records committee?

• What things are other state birding organizations doing that might work well for our organization?

• How can we entice more members to serve on state-wide committees and as officers in the TOS?

• How can we get the most for our dollars as we seek to support land conservation efforts financially?

• How can we better budget for appropriate spending of our funds?

• Can we follow up with another strong winter meeting?

I don’t have all the answers but I do believe that asking questions like these is a good place to start. The list is by
no means complete and I encourage you to add questions of your own as to how we can improve. Working
together we can make TOS even better as we remain dedicated to our stated mission. I invite you to meet in
Greeneville in early October to contribute to the process of developing a vision for the continued improvement of
TOS.

Danny Gaddy, President

The Tennessee Warbler

August, 2005

Page 2

TOS Fall Meeting
Greeneville, TN

September 30, October 1, October 2, 2005

The Greeneville Chapter extends a cordial invitation to TOS members to attend
the 2005 fall meeting, to be held in Greeneville on September 30, October 1 , and
October 2.

The Comfort Inn at 1790 East Andrew Johnson Highway (Highway 11-E) will be the
headquarters for the event. The Comfort Inn is holding a block of rooms for TOS members until September 23,
2005. For reservations at TOS rate, call 423-639-4185. TOS rate is $65.69 per room; if 10 or more rooms are
reserved, the rate drops to $62.99. TOS rate includes deluxe breakfast. To obtain the special rate, be sure to
mention that you are with the TOS group. Reservations may be canceled anytime up to 6:00 p.m. on September
30.

Directions to the Comfort Inn

[1] from 1-81, south of Greene County-

Take exit 23, and proceed on Highway 1 1 -E (also known as Andrew Johnson Highway) 1 5.7 miles to the Comfort
Inn, located on the right side of the road at 1 790 East Andrew Johnson Highway. (A major landmark, Greeneville
Commons Shopping Center, is also located on the right side of East Andrew Johnson Highway, 0.3 mile before the
Comfort Inn.)

NOTE WELL: As you enter Greeneville on Highway 1 1 -E, you will see an exit for Business 1 1 -E. Do not take this
exit, as it leads to the downtown area. The Comfort Inn is located on the main portion of 11-E, known as the by-
pass.

[2] from 1-81, north of Greene County —

Take exit 36, and proceed on Highway 172 (also known as the Baileyton Road) approximately 12 miles to the
outskirts of Greeneville. As you enter town, you will pass under Highway 1 1 -E. Immediately beyond this overpass,
turn left onto an entrance ramp for Highway 1 1 -E, also known as Andrew Johnson Highway. Proceed 2.2 miles to
the Comfort Inn, located on the right side of the road at 1 790 East Andrew Johnson Highway. (A major landmark,
Greeneville Commons Shopping Center, is also located on the right side of East Andrew Johnson Highway, 0.3
mile before the Comfort Inn.)

[3] from Highway 11-E, north of Greene County (Tri-Cities area) —

Take Highway 1 1 -E (also known as Andrew Johnson Highway) to Greeneville. On the outskirts of town, you will
see Wal-Mart Supercenter, a major landmark located on the right side of the road at 3755 East Andrew Johnson
Highway. Proceed 1 .9 miles to the Comfort Inn, located on the left side of the road at 1 790 East Andrew Johnson
Highway.

Alternative lodging

The following hotels are located along Andrew Johnson Highway near the Comfort Inn:

Andrew Johnson Inn (2145 East Andrew Johnson Highway; 423-638-8124)

Charray Inn & Suites (121 Serral Drive, fronting East Andrew Johnson Highway; 423-638-1331)

Days Inn of Greeneville (935 East Andrew Johnson Highway; 423-639-21 56)

Hampton Inn (3130 East Andrew Johnson Highway; 423-638-3735)

Jameson Inn (3160 East Andrew Johnson Highway; 423-638-7511)

Visitors wishing to stay in historic downtown Greeneville may wish to consider the General Morgan Inn & Conference
Center (1 1 1 North Main Street; 423-787-1 000)

The Tennessee Warbler

August, 2005

Page 3

Field trips

Trips to the following sites are planned:

Wal-Mart Distribution Center wetlands, Lick Creek Bottoms Wildlife Management Area, and vicinity (Greene
County) — waterfowl, raptors, wide variety of passerines

Dutch Bottoms, Rankin Bottoms, and vicinity (Cocke County) — shorebirds, wading birds, gulls and terns,
various passerines

Phipps Bend (Hawkins County) — waterfowl, various marsh species, passerines

Camp Creek Bald (Greene County) — raptor migration, permanent-resident Common Ravens and Ruffed
Grouse, various passerines

Registration

The registration fee is $10.00. Attendees may pay upon arrival at the Comfort Inn, but pre-payment is encour-
aged. Send checks to Alice Loftin, Greeneville TOS Treasurer, 1308 Archcrest Court, Greeneville, TN 37743.

Weekend schedule

Friday. September 30

6:30p-8:30p Registration and refreshments; announcements; sign-up for field trips

Saturday. October 1

6:00a-7:00a
7:00a-12:00p
12:00p-1 :30p
1 :30p-4:15p
4:15p-4:30p
4:30p-

Breakfast [begins at 6:00 sharp, not before]

Field trips — depart from Comfort Inn

Lunch; return to Comfort Inn

Paper session — Comfort Inn conference room

Break

Business / Board meeting — Comfort Inn conference room

Sunday. October 2

6:00a-7:00a Breakfast [begins at 6:00 sharp, not before]

7:00a-12:00p Field trips — depart from Comfort Inn

12:00p Compilation — Comfort Inn

OCTOBER 31 th DEADLINE

The deadline date for the December issue of
The Tennessee Warbler is October 31 th .
Please submit all articles, announcements,
reports and items of interest by this deadline
date.

Submit Material To:

Theresa Graham, Editor
PO Box 366, Oakland TN 38060
(901)465-4263 (home)
(901)748-9324 (fax)
e-mail: 2graham@bellsouth.net

The Tennessee Warbler

August, 2005

Page 4

J.B. OWEN MEMORIAL AWARD

The purpose of the J.B. Owen Memorial Endowment is to honor the memory of J.B. Owen, longtime TOS member
known to thousands in East Tennessee through his columns in Knoxville newspapers. J.B. Owen was an active
member of Knoxville Chapter from 1 947 until his death in 2001 . He was awarded the TOS Distinguished Service
Award in 1990. The Endowment provides funds for the annual J.B. Owen Award, with expected value of $250 to
$500 per year.

The J.B. Owen Award is open to anyone with a project that promotes the welfare and conservation of birds in
Tennessee. Applicants are encouraged to submit:

• Cover letter with short project description and applicant contact information

• Resume

• Brief project proposal, of up to three pages, showing topic of the project, problem to be addressed, objectives,
expected results and significance, deliverables (for example, written report, journal article, presentation), project
location, and project schedule.

Each year, applications are due by May 1 and should be sent (preferably) by e-mail to marieoakes@msn.com or
mailed to Marie Oakes, 1 8 Rockingham Lane, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830. The J.B. Owen Endowment Committee
of KTOS will evaluate applications and will typically announce the Award winner the following September.

J.B. OWEN AWARD TO SUPPORT
OUTREACH PROGRAMS AT IJAMS NATURE CENTER

The Knoxville Bird Club has selected Ijams Nature Center of Knoxville to receive the 2005 J.B. Owen Award of
$500 for support of the Center’s outreach programs which promote conservation of birds in Tennessee. Through
these programs, in which an Ijams educator travels to regional schools, Ijams instructs 30,000 students annually
with curriculum-based classes that augment the classroom instruction of teachers. Many of the outreach programs
include a live non-releasable educational bird that focuses a student’s attention and creates a lasting memory. In
addition, Ijams educators routinely speak to adult groups about local birds, their habitat requirements, and
conservation status. Currently Ijams has transportation boxes only for smaller birds of prey. The Owen Award will
be used to purchase transportation cases for Ijams’ Barred Owl and Red-tailed Hawk. The high quality cases will
enable Ijams to take these large birds to schools and other off-site groups. In its review of Lyn Bales’ proposal on
behalf of Ijams, the evaluation committee concluded that support of the Ijams outreach programs provides an
outstanding opportunity to achieve the Owen Award goal of promoting the welfare and conservation of birds in
Tennessee. Previous Owen Award winners were:

• 2002: Foothills Land Conservancy of Maryville, Tennessee, for the Conservancy’s work in the acquisition
of wetlands - for the welfare and conservation of cranes and other birds - in the area between the Yuchi and
Hiwassee Island Refuges;

• 2003: Jennifer Powers, of East Tennessee State University, for support of graduate research on the
reproductive success and natal dispersal of American Kestrels;

• 2004: Samuel deMent of Greenwood, SC, David Vogt of Chattanooga, and Keith Hobson of Saskatoon,
SK Canada for support of the project on Stable-isotope feather analysis and foreign band encounter
comparisons of wintering American Kestrels in similar habitats west and east of the Southern Appalachians.

The J.B. Owen Award is open to anyone with a project that promotes the welfare and conservation of birds in
Tennessee. Information on applying for the Award can be found in this issue of the Warbler or at www.tnbirds.org .

The Tennessee Warbler

August, 2005

Page 5

REAUTHORIZATION OF THE MIGRATORY BIRD
CONSERVATION IMPROVEMENT ACT

The American Bird Conservancy will be testifying in support of the reauthorization of the Neotropical Migratory
Bird Conservation Improvement Act of 2005, H.R. 51 8, in June at a hearing of the House Resources Subcom-
mittee on Fisheries & Oceans Subcommittee. ABC will convey to the subcommittee that TOS, as well as
many of the Bird Conservation Alliance members, is a supporter of this legislation.

Background on H.R. 518

The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act, originally enacted by Congress in 2000, has been hugely
successful in helping to conserve neotropical birds throughout the U.S., Latin American, and the Caribbean.
H.R. 518 reauthorizes this important conservation legislation and at the same time makes important improve-
ments to further strengthen the Act. Specifically, H.R. 51 8 would: Increase funding from $5 million for fiscal
years 2006 and 2007, to $1 0 million for fiscal year 2008, and $1 5 million for 2009; Allow projects in Canada to
be eligible for funding when the appropriated amount is greater than $1 0 million; Reduce the demanding 3:1
matching ratio to 1 :1 for all projects; Allow projects based in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico to meet the
match requirement through either cash or in-kind payments; Require the Secretary of the Interior to convene an
advisory group to assist in carrying out the NMBCA.

The complete bill can be found at: http://thomas.loc.gov/ Type in the bill number (H.R. 51 8).

CONSERVATION POLICY COMMITTEE REPORT

The CPC is reviewing and will be commenting on the proposed private development of TVA lands at Nickajack
Dam. TVA has released a draft environmental assessment of the proposal for public review. For a copy of the
draft assessment see

http://www.tva.aov/environment/reports/littlecedar2/index.htm .

The public comment period closes June 16.

Submitted by Melinda Welton

TOS Conservation Policy Committee Chair

SPRING COUNT DATA IS DUE NOW

If you haven’t already sent your spring count data to me, please do so as soon as possible so I can wrap up my
compilations and reports to the editor of The Migrant. This includes both traditional spring counts and the North
American Migration Count, run on May 1 4th. All count data should include:

1 - all hours and miles by foot, car, and other means (as canoe, horse, etc.)

2 - all hours and miles for any nightbirding (owling).

3 - weather conditions on the day of the count

4 - beginning and end times for the count (as 0700-1 800)

5 - any feeder watcher information, including number of hours and names

6 - names of all the participants

Please send the data to: Ron Hoff, 282 Hackworth Ln., Clinton, TN 37716 or by email to rondollv@esper.com .

I hope you all had a great time counting. Thanks for your submissions and data.
Ron Hoff

The Tennessee Warbler

August, 2005

Page 6

SPRING STATE MEETING 2005

The TOS spring state meeting, celebrating 75 years of the Memphis chapter and 90 years of the TOS, was held in
Memphis, April 29 to May 1 . Kudos to everyone who contributed to making the weekend enjoyable and productive.
Ninety members from across the state attended.

There were 1 63 bird species observed in Shelby County for the weekend. Eleven Cerulean Warblers were noted
at Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park. At Ensley Bottoms, birders found a Peregrine Falcon, 3 Painted Buntings,
and numerous shorebirds: nesting Black-necked Stilts, a Willet, a Marbled Godwit, a Baird’s Sandpiper, and 2
Wilson’s Phalaropes. Shelby Farms produced Sedge and Marsh Wrens, another Painted Bunting, and Lincoln’s
Sparrows, plus the Harris’s Sparrow, present since March, which was seen by many. Surely the most notable and
prized sighting was an adult male Yellow-headed Blackbird, found at Shelby Farms on Saturday by Dan and Laurie
Mooney. The very cooperative bird was relocated Sunday and seen by about 40 TOS members. Photos from the
state meeting are posted on the TOS web site.

Our banquet speaker, Paul Baicich, gave an engaging presentation regarding bird conservation, past and future.
Fie encouraged and challenged us to do more to ensure that birding has a bright future. Fie reminded us that
buying Duck Stamps is an important way for birders to support game and non-game bird habitat. Fie suggested
that we find ways to share our interest with the wider community. Also, he touched upon the rediscovery of the
Ivory-billed Woodpecker in Eastern Arkansas, 50 miles from Memphis. Paul had been present a few days earlier
at the Washington press conference announcing the sighting of the woodpecker. Our own chapter member Fred
Carney briefly recalled his experiences from a trip he made to Louisiana in the 1 930s. Fred recalled hiking through
an open forest of spectacular trees following the woodpecker’s call, to find a family of three Ivory-billed Woodpeckers.
Fie watched as they pecked about on a tree. Fred most surely remains one of the few people who have seen the
Ivory-bill.

Nelle Moore and Theresa Graham of Memphis and Tony Koella of Knoxville were honored with Distinguished
Service Awards. Special thanks to these individuals for their many years of distinguished service to the TOS.

Rob Peeples and Margaret Jefferson

\

2005 SPRING MEETING PHOTO AVAILABLE

The group TOS photo from the spring meeting (color, by Dan Mooney) is available on the website in a
format such that it can be downloaded and printed. However, if you would prefer to receive an 8X1 0 photo
(printed at Walgreens), you can send a check for $5.75 (cost of photo plus shipping), made out to MTOS
to the address below. This will include an ID sheet.

Additionally, Carolyn Bullock has 6 black and white photos from the 1 990 meeting. MTOS will include one,
for free, to the first 6 who order the 2005 photo, if so requested. If you should want the 1 990 photo, but not
the 2005 one, send a check for $3.25.

Send your check to Linda Zempel, 6682 Stonetrace Drive, Bartlett, TN. 38135. The deadline for sending
out these photos will be September 10.

/

The Tennessee Warbler

August, 2005

Page 7

TOS DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

Marcia Davis

Tony Koella was awarded the TOS Distinguished Service Award at the Knoxville Chapter’s June 1 picnic which
was held at Ijams Nature Center. The award is given by the statewide organization in recognition of outstanding
service to the Tennessee Ornithological Society.

As a member of the Tennessee Ornithological Society since 1967, Jon A. “Tony” Koella of Rockford, Tennessee
has played important roles as a dedicated conservationist and as a leader at both the state and local levels. Tony
made a very significant contribution to ornithological knowledge in Tennessee when he recognized the importance
of Rankin Bottoms in Cocke County and contributed most of the early wading and shorebird records from this
important bird area. Tony served as TOS State President from May 7, 1 983— when he took office at the Reelfoot
Lake State Park Spring Meeting — until May 4, 1 985. As president, he challenged members to broaden the base of
participation in TOS and to involve more young people by sparking their interest in birds. Tony also urged local
chapters to form conservation committees. During his tenure as president at the spring meeting of 1 984, TOS first
considered the possibility of conducting a breeding bird atlas. At the spring meeting of 1985 the society fully
endorsed the Breeding Bird Atlas Project. TOS also supported the Peregrine Falcon Restoration Project as a
conservation project. Tony served as State of Tennessee Assistant Conservation Commissioner in the mid-1970s
under Governor Winfield Dunn. He was always interested in the development of new wildlife areas.

He was interested in broadening the membership of TOS. In 1974, Tony and Ken Dubke of Chattanooga went to
the Highland Rim region and encouraged the establishment of a new local TOS chapter. In 1 989, Tony was elected
vice president of the Knoxville Chapter of TOS. At the local level Tony has been one of the most dedicated participants
in annual bird counts. Although Tony often birded alone, he was quick to share his discoveries and special birding
locations with other club members. When he found a rare Harris Sparrow at his White Pine farm, birders came
from all over. Tony showed many people one of East Tennessee’s last Bachman’s Sparrow locations near Crab
Orchard. He thoroughly explored the places he birded — covering nearly every square yard to obtain a complete
species count.

Tony was born on June 1 0, 1 938 in Knoxville but he grew up in Rockford in Blount County. His mother sparked his
interest in birds by giving him a bird book to keep him busy. He started birding at around the age on twelve in the
early 1950s. The late J.B. Owen was one of his earliest birding companions. Over the summers during high
school, Tony — an Eagle Scout — taught nature and birding to Boy Scouts at Camp Pellissippi near Norris, where
he was a counselor. He is a graduate of Maryville High School, North Carolina State University and Harvard University
where he received an MBA degree. He has five children.

Tony’s main contribution to birding in Tennessee is his discovery of the abundant birdlife at Rankin Bottoms on the
French Broad River in Cocke County. When Tony first reported sightings of over 100 Great Egrets at a time and
regular flocks of over a hundred shorebirds on the mudflats at Rankin, few people had ever heard of such numbers
in East Tennessee. When Tony led field trips to Rankin, many people learned about this special place. Today
Rankin Bottoms is recognized as one of the premier birding places in East Tennessee. It is a critical stopover site
for migrating shorebirds.

Tony is an avid lister when it comes to keeping a Tennessee state bird list. In spite of a debilitating physical illness
that has slowly robbed him of his mobility, Tony keeps up with his birding and even continues to pursue new birds
for his state list.

The Tennessee Warbler

August, 2005

Page 8

CHAPTER. NEWS

THE JOHN SELLARS CHAPTER (Lebanon/ Wilson
Co) members are usually involved in various trips
during the summer, thus we do not meet in June and
July. As expected, when birds are to be viewed during
travels or sitting in the backyard, they will do so! Trips
by members include Florida, Illinois, Dakotas,
Wyoming, Montana, Alberta-Saskatchewan, train ride
to British Vancouver, Louisiana, and to the Blue Ridge
Mountains. We look forward to our August meeting to
plan for the year and enjoy hearing of everyone’s
travels.

Lebanon Chapter had a good Spring Count this year.
At the April meeting, all had interesting bird
observations. Highlights included a dozen vultures
seen eating a turtle head, a shrike with a missing
portion of its tail feathers, a great look at a marsh wren,
and nesting birds of various kinds and sightings of
our birds returning for spring.

We were saddened by the recent loss of Grace
Speck’s husband, Hubert, due to an illness.

The John Sellars TOS anticipates a Fall Count and
some bird-related programs for the new year. Of
course, birding will ALWAYS be enjoyed!

Melissa Turrentine

KNOXVILLE CHAPTER

Shade Grown Coffee Sales - Our club sells over 20
bags of shade-grown coffee each month. Shade-
grown coffee is much better for wildlife, including birds.
So we have made a little bit of money, over $300 so
far, as well as helping the birds and educating some
folks.

“Birds in Blooms” - KTOS raised $582.40 in the silent
auction which preceded a very entertaining and
informative talk by Sam and Mary Ann Venable at the
April 22 Dogwood Arts Festival “Birds in Blooms” event
held at Ijams Nature Center. The following morning a
public bird walk was held atop Sharp’s Ridge which
also was a DAF sanctioned event. A fun time was
had by all!

August Meeting to be Held - For only the second time
in our club’s history we will hold an August meeting -
everyone is welcome to attend we have a special
guest speaker! On August 3, Don Holt, member of
the Herndon (Elizabethton) Chapter of TOS, will
present “Some Odonates of Upper East Tennessee.”
Don Holt works for the University of Tennessee
Extension Service as a Program Assistant in the
Camp Explore Program at Clyde Austin 4-H Center,
Greeneville, TN. He is a lifelong resident of Carter
County, TN. He received his B.S. degree in Biology at
ETSU, Johnson City, TN, with concentrations in botany
and ecology. He began watching butterflies,
dragonflies and damselflies in the field in the late
1 990s and hasn’t come back in yet. If any of you have
had the fortune to go out in the field either birding or
looking at other critters with Holt, you know he is an
excellent naturalist. His program will review
photographs of dragonflies and damselflies species
he has found in East Tennessee. He will talk a bit about
their natural history and, as he put it, anything else he
remembers. Many birders are starting to catch the
Odonate “bug” from watching dragonflies migrate
along with hawks to checking summer wetlands for
rails and damselflies. Holt hopes his program might
inspire some of you as well. So come Wednesday at
7 p.m. to room 117 of the UT Vet Building to learn
about another type of winged creature.

Sharp’s Ridge Report - Adoption by KTOS and
continuing clean up efforts on Sharp’s Ridge have truly
benefited all citizens of Knox County bringing much
needed attention to a unique birding location! Thanks
go to our Conservation Committee chairman, Mark
Campen for his efforts working with the City of
Knoxville and chapter members in organizing these
clean up dates.

Other activities our members have participated in
recently include:

Knox County Spring Count - April 24
TOS Spring Meeting April 29 - May 1
International Migratory Bird Day - May 14

Articles submitted by:

Charlie Muise, Kathy Bivens & Tracey Muise

The Tennessee Warbler

August, 2005

Page 9

CHAPTER. NEWS

MEMPHIS CHAPTER - Our annual Shelby County
spring migration count was held on International
Migratory Bird Day, May 14. Twenty observers found
131 species. Among the more noteworthy were an
Osprey, a Bald Eagle, and a Sanderling.

A fairly high number of shorebirds remained at Ensley
Bottoms. The day turned up 10 White-rumped
Sandpipers, 13 Dunlins in breeding plumage, 45 Stilt
Sandpipers, and 4 Short-billed Dowitchers. Also in
the Ensley area were 60 Eurasian Collared-Doves.

Painted Buntings were found at both Ensley Bottoms
and Shelby Farms. Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park
yielded several warbler species: 16 Cerulean, 2
Swainson’s, and a late migrant Blue-winged.

Rob Peeples and Margaret Jefferson

THE LEE & LOIS HERNDON CHAPTER of TOS

elected new officers at the April chapter meeting.
Officers include: Tom McNeil, president; Don Holt, vice
president; Dianne Draper, secretary; and Gilbert
Derouen, treasurer. Bryan Stevens serves as editor
of The Kestrel, the chapter’s newsletter. Graphic
design for the newsletter is provided by David
Thometz. Frank Ward serves as chapter historian.
Rick Knight compiles and records chapter records.

The chapter’s Spring Bird Count, held April 30, 2005,
set a new record with 1 61 species. The old record —
157 species — had been established in 1992. This
year’s spring count was the 62nd consecutive annual
count held in the counties of Carter, Johnson, Sullivan,
Unicoi and Washington.

New high counts for individual species were also set.
The 1 21 Solitary Sandpipers shattered the old record
of 82. High counts were also recorded for Tree
Swallow (233), Wild Turkey (30), Palm Warbler (16)
and Swainson’s Warbler (7).

The chapter led a bird walk at Sycamore Shoals State
Park in Elizabethton on May 1 4 as part of International
Migratory Bird Day.

The chapter’s Summer Bird Count, conducted June
1 8, 2005, and restricted to Carter County, yielded 1 1 5
species plus one hybrid, Brewster’s Warbler.

Bryan Stevens

STEPHEN M. RUSSELL CHAPTER - The Bristol
Bird Club (BBC) enjoyed another active season. At
the May meeting, officers were elected for 2005-2006:
President, Bill Grigsby; V.P., Larry McDaniel; V.P.,
Dave Worley, Treasurer, Janice Martin; Secretary,
Diana Worley. State Board of Directors for 2005-2006:
Larry McDaniel, Wallace Coffey, Bill Grigsby, Tom
McNeil, and Dave Worley. According to tradition, the
June BBC picnic marked the transition of presidents.
Thanks to Rack Cross for his excellent service and
leadership as president during the past year.

Recent Activities:

The Bristol Bird Club had a great weekend May 13-
15 th at Natural Tunnel State Park (NTSP), Duffield,
Virginia. Natural Tunnel is a beautiful park with great
facilities and wonderful views of Natural Tunnel and
southwest Virginia. On four walks, May 1 4th and 1 5 th ,
there were 23 non-BBC or NTSP participants. This is
a cooperative event between the Bristol Bird Club and
Natural Tunnel State Park. We appreciate the work
done by the NTSP professional and volunteer staff to
put on this successful weekend of birding as an
International Migratory Bird Day event to introduce
others to birding and to see the NTSP Birding Trail
and the various habitats and the species of birds in
each type of habitat.

A great time was had by 39 Bristol Bird Club members
Saturday, June 11 th at Steele Creek Park, Bristol
Tennessee. The picnic was at the Civitan Shelter and
featured a bountiful feast. The weather cooperated
and was quite comfortable on the ridge in the shade
of the trees around the shelter. We did get a little
birding in as well. A House Wren was nesting in the
gable of the shelter that was hard to miss. Many other
birds were in evidence in the area. Just before closing
the park, a Summer Tanager came to one of the trees
at the shelter giving us some good looks at a beautiful
bird.

Up Coming Activities:

BBC Mendota Hawkwatch coordinated by Ron
Harrington and Larry McDaniel (starting Sept. 8 th or
9 th ) through the end of September in conjunction with
the Mendota Hawk Migration Festival. The BBC Field
Trip to Mendota fire tower will be September 24 th .
Natural Tunnel State Park/BBC Fall Bird Walks,
September 10 th - 11 th BBC Annual Banquet is to be
held September 23 rd .

Bill Grigsby

“THE TENNESSEE WARBLER”
Published by the

Tennessee Ornithological Society
P.O. Box 22682
Memphis, TN 38122

PRSRTSTD
U.S. Postage
Paid

Memphis, TN
Permit No. 1286

Send Corrections & Change of Address Requests to:

The Tennessee Warbler ♦ P.O. Box 22682
Memphis, TN 38122 ♦ treasurer@tnbirds.org

Copies of An Annotated Checklist of the
Birds of Tennessee by John C. Robinson are
available for $1 5.00 by mail.

To order, send check to:

TOS

c/o Carolyn Bullock
4746 Cole Rd.

Memphis, TN 38117
(901)683-3818

carolvnbullock@aol.conn