The Chat
Buchanan County Bird Club Newsletter
Editors Roger and Lynda Mayhorn

The Buchanan County Bird Club meets the
2nd Monday of each month at the
Buchanan County Public Library at 6:00 PM

Volume 4     Issue 1     January 2005
December 15 Christmas Meeting
Buchanan County Bird Club Members met on Dec 15 at Italian Village in Grundy for their annual Christmas meal/meeting. Each member brought a gift, and after some good food and lively conversation, birding gifts were exchanged. 

Next Meeting – Monday, January 10 at 6:30. 
Club member Dave Worley will present a Power Point program on his birding trip to Costa Rica. Dave will meet with members at Italian Village for a pre-meeting dinner at 5:00 p.m.

Future Event – Birding Burkes Garden, Feb 12. 
Members will meet at Hardees in Tazewell at 8:00a.m. then travel, as a group, on to Burkes Garden. The Bristol Bird Club will be at Burkes Garden on the same day, and it is hoped that we can keep in touch with them by radio in case either group finds something special. Dress warmly. Burkes Garden can be brutally cold. Club members can find out about upcoming events by going to http://www.bcplnet.org/birdclub/events.htm that Ed Talbott updates. 
Breaks 2004 CBC Completed
Eight members of the BCBC participated in the 2004 Breaks Christmas Bird Count on Dec. 18. Four members, David Raines, Ed Talbott III and Roger and Lynda Mayhorn were in the field, while Johnnie and Betty Ratliff, and Ed and Mary Talbott watched their feeders within the 15 mile count circle. Terry Owens, Breaks Park naturalist and count compiler, birded the Breaks Park and had some help from relatives birding in the Haysi area.

Ed and Dave covered the area around Elkhorn City, including the productive Beaver Knob strip site, where they were surprised to find a Great Blue Heron standing on a frozen mudhole near the mountain top. They also located an American Kestrel, a Common Raven, a Winter Wren, Hermit Thrushes and a flock of nearly 500 European Starlings. 

Roger and Lynda Mayhorn canvassed the Poplar Gap Park and Grundy Airport areas, where they located the resident flock of Horned Larks, a Cooper’s Hawk, and an Eastern Meadowlark, then went on to Airport Mt to find an infrequent area visitor, the Red-breasted Nuthatch. These four birders met around 2:00 in the afternoon in Haysi. Shortly after they arrived they were treated to a view of 25 Turkey Vultures and 3 Black Vultures circling overhead. The group continued birding that area, then drove to John Flannagan Dam, where Ed Talbott’s sharp eyes picked up the only waterfowl on the lake, a female Ring-necked Duck.

Johnnie and Betty Ratliff and Ed and Mary Talbott added several species to the count with Johnnie and Betty adding a few, that the other groups didn’t find, including a House Wren, Brown-headed Cowbird and Common Grackle. 

The most unusual bird located during the count was the Merlin found by Ed Talbott III during count week near the Buchanan County Public Library in Grundy. Count week includes the three days before and the three days following the count day. No owls were initially located during the count day until David Raines, using his extraordinary ability to imitate the Barred Owl call, finally got one to call to him after dark on count day. The total number of species found by BCBC members was 62. The final total will not be available until Terry Owens finishes his compilation of all the data. 
New Buchanan County Record
A new record was set for Buchanan County on December 29, 2004, when David Raines found a Gray Catbird like the one pictured here, near his small yard pond in the Breaks. Gray Catbirds are common summer nesting residents here in the area, but are not seen once the fall migration has ended. This is the latest record for this species within the county. Congratulations David! 

That same day David had other unusual visitors at his feeders. A Brewer’s Blackbird came to feed, along with 5 Rusty Blackbirds and 2 Chipping Sparrows. With all of these unusual visitors and a rare Townsend’s showing up there recently as well as a rare Henslow’s Sparrow , some of us are beginning to wonder what David’s Christmas punch was spiked with. J
Winter Wrens Singing
In early December Ed and Michelle Talbott were pleasantly surprised to find Winter Wrens singing on Caney Island Branch near Weller Yard. These tiny winter visitors rarely sing while staying here, and usually begin singing only when they return in the spring to their nesting territories farther north. According to Ed, these two birds were singing to each other from one hillside to another. Those who have heard these tiny fellows sing know that it’s a real treat to witness.On the same outing Ed and Michelle’s dog “Chazzy” flushed two Ruffed Grouse and two Wild Turkeys. The strangest sight of the day was a slow moving Green Snake making its way across the road. Its hibernation button must have been turned off.
Bluebird Trails Update
Permission has been granted by Buddy Fuller, who is in charge of Keen Mountain Park, for the Buchanan County Bird Club to erect 10 Eastern Bluebird nest boxes on the road leading into the park. The VBS (Virginia Bluebird Society) has agreed to pay for the necessary materials for building the boxes and our generous and skilled carpenter, Johnnie Ratliff, has offered to build them. We are hoping to get the boxes erected before the spring nesting season. Bluebirds start checking out nesting sites as early as March, and the first nest may be built by the end of March or the beginning of April. The boxes will need to be monitored once a week from April 1st. to the end of August. If anyone would be interested in being a monitor please contact Roger Mayhorn.

The VBS has also agreed to pay for the materials for 6 nest boxes to be erected around the lake in the Breaks Park. These nest boxes will also be built by Johnnie Ratliff and will probably be host to Tree Swallows instead of bluebirds. Tree Swallows are often seen flying over the lake, while few Eastern Bluebirds are seen in that area. A monitor is also needed for this group of boxes.
Wild Turkeys on Slate Creek
Marie Miller reports that on December 12 her neighbor, Agnes Keen, saw a flock of 10 or more Wild Turkeys on the mountain side across from her home on Slate Creek. Wild Turkey numbers seem to have dropped somewhat in the area within the last couple of years. There haven’t been as many sightings as there were 4 or 5 years ago.
Poplar Gap Birding
Scouting for the upcoming Breaks CBC Roger and Lynda Mayhorn birded Poplar Gap Park on Dec 16. There they found 13 of the resident flock of Horned Larks. These ground feeding birds have black feathers that stick up above their heads from which comes the name. Also there they found 2 Eastern Meadowlarks, a Common Raven croaking as it flew overhead, a Pileated Woodpecker, a Northern Flicker, a Blue Jay, a Carolina Chickadee, Northern Cardinals, European Starlings as well as Song and White-throated Sparrows. After leaving the park they found a Great Blue Heron near the mouth of Slate Creek in Grundy.
Wild Turkeys and Cooper’s Hawk
On December 22, Dave Worley was driving through Buchanan County and saw 17 Wild Turkeys fly across the highway. Later that day he saw a beautiful Cooper’s Hawk right beside the road.
House Wrens Moving Into the Area?
Ed Talbott III went for a run with his dog, “Chazzy” at Poplar Gap Park on December 23. He missed seeing the Horned Larks there, but he did find a Hairy Woodpecker, 4 Eastern Meadowlarks and a House Wren. The House Wren was an unusual find since this is not a common species within the county, and is certainly not usually found during the winter months. The first evidence of this bird successfully nesting within the county was found in 2003, and it was found nesting here again in 2004. Along with the December 18 sighting by Johnnie Ratliff and this Poplar Gap sighting on December 23, it would seem that this species is beginning to move into the area. This brings mixed feelings to county birders. On the one hand these birds have a beautiful song and are easily attracted to nest boxes. On the other hand this species can be deadly to Eastern Bluebirds, as they will kill bluebird nestlings, or break bluebird eggs. They will often take over 3 or 4 bluebird nest boxes, building dummy nests in some that are never used.
Northern Cardinal Numbers Increase
For some unknown reason the number of Northern Cardinals showing up at the feeders on Compton Mt has increased dramatically. In past years the cardinals usually numbered in the teens with the number increasing during the winter of 2003 to 24. In early December of 2004 the number increased to 28, then on December 23 the cardinals numbered 35 at the Mayhorns’ feeders. There were 18 males and 17 females. This photo shows just a few of the males decorating a Viburnum (Snowball) bush. 

The cardinals aren’t the only species increasing at the Mayhorns’. Their Mourning Dove population has exploded from a high number of 32 to a new record high of 69. They are beautiful and interesting to watch, but that many can clean out an open platform feeder within a few minutes.
Blackford Christmas Bird Count
Ed Talbott III, David Raines and Roger and Lynda Mayhorn participated in the Blackford CBC in Russell County on December 26, as they have done for the past few years. 66 species were counted during the count day with both Golden Eagles and Bald Eagles being the most unusual species for the day. That evening the count teams met at the Bonanza Steak House restaurant in Lebanon for their annual compilation dinner. Bob Riggs, the count compiler, discussed the different species observed during the count. 
Pine Siskins 

Pine Siskins have been showing up sporadically at feeders throughout the area since the fall migration. This one showed up at the Mayhorns’ on Compton Mt on December 23.

Fox Sparrows

The Fox Sparrow is one of the larger sparrows and the ones here in the east are the Red (taiga) and have a reddish-brown coloring. They have migrated southward from Canada and the northern states and have started showing up at feeders in the area again this winter as they do almost every year. They are rather shy birds and prefer to feed in or near thick cover, where they can dart quickly if a predator appears. Johnnie and Betty Ratliff have had one coming to their feeder since the first part of December. The one at their feeder was the only one counted on the Breaks CBC. The one in this photo showed up at the Mayhorns’ for a couple of days, then moved on. 

Mockingbird Numbers Increasing in the Area
It would seem that Northern Mockingbird numbers are on the increase within the county. Where they were never or very rarely seen, they are now becoming almost a common sight. Johnnie and Betty Ratliff are seeing them year round, and this fall they had the first record of one coming to an area feeder. David Raines has one in his area in the Breaks. Both sets of Talbotts are seeing them. This one was photographed at the Mayhorns’ on Compton Mt on January 4, 2005. A nest for this species is yet to be found within the county, except for an unsuccessful nesting attempt in the Breaks area back in the 1980’s.
Great Blue Heron
A Great Blue Heron was observed on December 28 by Ed Talbott III near his home at Weller Yard on the Levisa River. Ed and Michelle see these birds pretty often at their place. These birds are becoming a much more common sight than they used to be within the county. A nesting rookery, where several of these birds build their large nests near each other, is yet to be found in the area. 

On the same day as the heron sighting Ed saw a small duck or some other waterfowl with a white rump flying down the Levisa. Ed was driving in the opposite direction at the time and was unable to make a positive identification.
Feeder Birds in the Breaks
On December 28 David Raines had the following birds at his home feeders: 2 Common Grackles, 1 Brewer’s Blackbird ( not common to the area ), 1 Red-winged Blackbird, 1 Purple Finch and a Brown Thrasher. The thrasher has been coming to David’s feeder since back in late October. Most thrashers move farther south for the winter, but occasionally one will decide to tough it out with the rest of us.
Birding Southern Buchanan County
Roger Mayhorn and David Raines decided December 30 to bird the area of Buchanan County south of the Russell Fork River in the Council, Davenport area. Along the river they found a couple of Great Blue Herons, a few Mallards and a male Belted Kingfisher. (The male does not have the reddish-brown chest band that the female has.) They located 4 woodpecker species: Downy, Northern Flicker, Pileated and Red-bellied. A Red-shouldered Hawk gave them good looks as it flew low overhead. 4Golden-crowned Kinglets were working the treetops. Northern Cardinals were numerous and so were the vocal Carolina Wrens. They seemed to be singing everywhere. At least 16 were seen or heard. Some good habitat and some good farm ponds were located in the area for future watching. Some migrating waterfowl can probably be found resting there from time to time. 
Savannah Sparrows on Guesses Fork
Ed and Michelle Talbott went for a short birding hike with Michelle’s mother, Shirley, on the Justus property at Guesses Fork on December 30. Near the cattle feeders they found 2 Savannah Sparrows like the one in this photo. This sparrow is about 5 ½ inches in length, has a small bill, pointed wings and a short, notched tail. It has noticeably sharp streaking on the breast and usually has some yellow on the lores (area between the eye and the bill). This species is not as common in the area as White-throated Sparrows or Song Sparrows, so it is always fun to find one.
Falcon Heard on Deskins
Todd Perkins heard an American Kestrel behind his house on Deskins on January 1. He had seen one in the same area last year. This is a small falcon we don’t see that often in Buchanan County because we don’t have a lot of open, grassy fields that this species requires for hunting. I’m surprised Todd slowed down long enough to hear a Kestrel, with having his photo in the paper twice within a couple of weeks for his hunting exploits. The rest of the club members will have to watch to make sure Todd’s head doesn’t swell too much. Good job Todd! 
Burkes Garden Birding
Ed and Barbara Caudill birded Burkes Garden in Tazewell County on Jan 2 and found 14 Red-headed Woodpeckers. After hearing this Roger and Lynda Mayhorn decided to go see for themselves on January 5. They weren’t as lucky as the Caudills, finding only 4 Red-heads, but they were treated to great spectacle, when a Northern Harrier came gliding over a pasture very close to them and began hunting only 3 or 4 feet off the ground. This species, formerly known as the Marsh Hawk, is perfectly suited to glide on the slightest breeze, and is a joy to watch. This photo was taken when it came back for a second search of the pasture. 
 
 
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