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The
Buchanan County Bird Club meets the Volume 3 Issue 5 May 2004 |
 May 10 Club
MeetingRack Cross of the Bristol Bird Club was our guest speaker at the last club meeting. Rack gave an excellent, informative and entertaining presentation. He first spoke at length about the bird trap he had designed called the L.A.R.U.S. Rack came up with the trap design while trying to trap Ring-billed Gulls in the Bristol area for the purpose of banding. The trap is designed to be light enough for easy transportation, and simple enough for easy deployment and repair. The trap lived up to its designer’s expectations when Ring-billed Gulls were  caught and held within it.Rack then talked about a birding trip to Texas he had taken within the last couple of years with Dave Worley and Bob Quillen. Dave Worley, a member of our own Buchanan County Bird Club, as well as a Bristol and Russell County Bird Club member, was on hand to lend his memories of the trip. At the end of the meeting President Roger Mayhorn, on behalf of the Buchanan County Bird Club, presented Rack with a carved figure of a Loon. It was a very enjoyable evening.The next scheduled club meeting will be on June 14 at the Buchanan County public library. Roger Mayhorn will present a powerpoint slide show on the birds observed at this year’s Magee Marsh trip.
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 Magee Marsh TripThe week-end of May 15-16 seven BCBC members, along with four members of the Eastern Kentucky Bird Club, traveled to Magee Marsh, a part of the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is located on the shores of Lake Erie in northern Ohio. The group went there to see the warbler migration, which always proves to be spectacular. The birds were not quite as numerous as past years, possibly because of rainy, windy weather. However, the birders were not disappointed as they were able to see 120 different species, ranging from hummingbirds to warblers, to rails, to eagles. BCBC members present at Magee Marsh were Ed and Barbara Caudill, Roger and Lynda Mayhorn, David Raines and Dave and Diana Worley. |
 New Nesting Species in Buchanan CountyIt seems that David Raines should form a partnership with his neighbor, Ed Bailey. Last month the two of them found a Cattle Egret in Ed’s field, which was a new species for Buchanan County. This month they have located a Cliff Swallow nest (right) in Ed’s barn. This is the first known record of this species nesting within the county. The enterprising Cliff Swallows attached their mud, jug like nest to a cup shaped Barn Swallow nest. This probably saved them several mud carrying trips. Because these Cliff Swallows built their nest in a barn, David has dubbed them “Biff Swallows”. Who knows? Maybe we have a new species J. Congratulations to David and Ed for another good avian find. |
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Bluebird Trail Update Around 65 Eastern Bluebird young have fledged from the 43 boxes of the two bluebird trails within the county. 34 have fledged from the Compton Mountain Trail and nearly that many from the Johnnie & Betty Ratliff Trail of the Breaks. There are still several more birds to fledge, and some are starting to build new nests for their second nesting of the year. Trail monitor, David Raines reports that he found one egg in one nest that did not hatch and two in another. In addition to the 5 dead nestlings reported in last month’s newsletter, Roger Mayhorn found another nestling dead in a nest after the other 4 had fledged. The cause for the loss of the bird is unknown. A few of the boxes are occupied by Carolina Chickadees. One pair was forced out of their nest, leaving 3 eggs when a wasp decided to build in the nest box. The wasp and wasp nest were removed, but the birds did not return. In another Chickadee box two eggs disappeared from a nest of 5. With predator guards in place and the boxes not being close enough to trees for squirrels to jump from, it is not yet known what the culprit might be. Perhaps it is a flying squirrel. The nest itself was not disturbed.A few of the boxes are occupied by Tree Swallows. These beautiful greenish–blue birds lay creamy white eggs after they line their nests with large soft feathers, preferably white in color. These swallows are small,but aggressive, as Roger Mayhorn found out recently, while checking on a swallow nest with 6 young. The male swallow nearly hit Roger in the face as it made several passes at him. One has to admire their scrappy attitude, when they are willing to take on an animal or person many times their size. Even though they are much smaller than starlings, they can rout these aggressive, larger but slower egg stealers. |
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Interesting Events On the morning of May 11 Ed Talbott III heard a Blackpoll singing as he got out of his truck in the public library parking lot. These small warblers have been found only a couple of times within the county. Ed has also been watching an Orchard Oriole that has been singing near the library. |
 During the week of May 23 Ed and Michelle Talbott made a couple of birding excursions to areas within Buchanan County. One outing took them to Poplar Gap Park, where they found Grasshopper Sparrows, Horned Larks and Killdeer. Another outing was to Bull Mountain, where they found 12 warbler species, like the Blue-winged photographed by Ed. Other warbler species found were Cerulean, Kentucky and Prairie. Ed and Michelle have also had a Louisiana Waterthrush singing along the river near their house at Weller Yard. To see more about these outings go to Ed’s website at
http://www.bcplnet.org/birdclub/Sum04/Buch1.htm
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| Club member, Todd Perkins has become somewhat of a night owl lately. He has been hearing Whip-poor-wills and Barred Owls. He has also heard a Yellow-breasted Chat and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo singing at night.Todd recently got a new lifebird, when he was on White top Mountain. He saw his first Least Flycatcher. Congratulations Todd! |
| On the morning of May 20, Roger Mayhorn took a bike ride around Compton Mountain. Even though he traveled only a couple of miles he managed to log 40 species along the way. The highlight of the morning was the two Cerulean Warblers singing near the roadway. He also heard two Great Crested Flycatchers, six Indigo Buntings, four American Redstarts, three Hooded Warblers, two Ovenbirds, two Eastern Meadowlarks, three Scarlet Tanagers, one White-eyed Vireo, one Wood Thrush, one Yellow-billed Cuckoo, two Yellow-breasted Chats, two Yellow-throated Warblers, and two Yellow Warblers. Since the birds were so abundant, Roger made several stops. Roger has also had a Cerulean and a Great Crested Flycatcher in his yard recently. |
| Michelle Talbott and her mother, Shirley Justus, spent Memorial Day week-end at Claytor Lake. While there, Shirley looked out the window and saw a strange bird with a red cap. After some good looks they identified the bird as a Common Redpoll. Redpolls rarely come this far south, but when they do, it is during the winter months. By the spring these birds have usually moved back northward to their nesting grounds. This was a great find for these two birders, especially since this bird was a lifebird for both of them. Congratulations ladies! |
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