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

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

Volume 5     Issue 9     September 2006

The scheduled speaker was not able to make the meeting due to illness, but club president, Roger Mayhorn presented a program on fall warblers using recent photos of the warblers coming to his yard interspersed with photos taken on Warbler Day by vice-president Ed Talbott and Michelle Talbott. Club members were glad to welcome three guests to the meeting: Russ Belcher, Molly McCutcheon and Susan Mayhew.

Next Meeting - October 9

Saturday, October 21 – Sparrow Watch at the home of David Raines in the Breaks community begins at 8:30.

Saturday, October 28 – Annual Sparrow Day at the Justus property at Guesses Fork. Those attending will meet at the mouth of Guesses Fork that morning at 8:30, then car pool to the property. 

Keep up with future birding events by checking the events page on the BCBC web site at http://www.bcplnet.org/birdclub/events.htm

On September 16 members of the BCBC made the trek to the Birch Knob observation deck on Pine Mountain near Clintwood, VA. The group went there to watch for migrating hawks. Unfortunately the hawks didn’t cooperate. Only 20 Broad-wings were spotted, a couple of Red-tails and one accipiter (Cooper’s or Sharp-shinned). The day was still an enjoyable one with beautiful views and good conversation.

Some members got good looks at a beautiful male Black-throated Blue Warbler that landed near the deck. Present were Sheldon and Orpha Woods, Roger and Lynda Mayhorn, Ed and Michelle Talbott, Susan Mayhew and her parents. Molly McCutcheon arrived later, after this photo was taken by Michelle Talbott with her camera on a tripod. More Birch Knob photos can be found at Ed and Michelle’s web site at http://www.pbase.com/aquilaet/birch2

On September 8 David Raines estimated at least 2000 Chimney Swifts using the chimney at Grundy High School as a roosting site. This has been a regular roost for migrating Chimney Swifts since as far back as the 1960’s shortly after the building was built.

On September 8 surprising news was announced that a new bird species has been found in northeast India near the Chinese border. The bird is a small, multicolored bird that has been named Bugun Liocichla. It was named for the Bugun tribe that lives nearby. A photo and more information about the find can be found at http://www.birdlife.org/news/news/2006/09/bugun_liocichla.html

This year’s Warbler Day was a success with twenty-one birders joining the Mayhorns on Compton Mountain to watch the warblers and other migrants as they fed through the trees and shrubs of Roger and Lynda’s yard. Birders started arriving as early as 7:00 a.m. to see the first wave of migrants. Dave and Diana Worley of Rosedale were the first to arrive, followed soon by Don and Dawn Carrier of Bristol in their small French Car, a Citroen. New club members, Jerry and Jane Thornhill of Lebanon came to enjoy Warbler Day for the first time, as did Susan Mayhew.

The warblers soon began to arrive: An American Redstart, Bay-breasted Warblers, Black-and-whites, Blackburnians, Black-throated Greens, a Cape May, Chestnut-sided Warblers, Hoodeds (a bright yellow male with his black hood really got everyone’s attention). There were also Magnolia’s, an Ovenbird, a couple of Palm Warblers, Pine Warblers, 19 Tennessee Warblers, a male Black-throated Blue, Worm-eating Warblers and Yellow-throated Warblers.

Other interesting species were a male Baltimore Oriole, a couple of Brown Thrashers, a Gray Catbird, a large flock of Cedar Waxwings, a Common Raven, 3 Eastern Kingbirds, a Northern Flicker, a Pileated Woodpecker, many Scarlet Tanagers, in fall plumage, many Red-eyed Vireos, several Ruby-throated Hummers, the first Swainson’s Thrush of the fall migration, one Wild Turkey (heard late in the day) and 2 Yellow-throated Vireos. Fifty-three species were recorded for the day.

After birding the yard and hiking the birding trail the group had a tasty lunch of hotdogs, chicken nuggets, baked beans and spinach dip, prepared by Lynda Mayhorn. Several people brought good food to add to the meal. The fresh cantaloupe and watermelon brought by David Raines from his garden were great. A special dessert, a carrot cake prepared by Dawn Carrier with a warbler done in frosting was delicious. Several birders went back for seconds. By the end of the day every last crumb had been eaten. The weather was excellent, the birds were numerous, the food was good and the conversation was interesting, which made for a very enjoyable day.

Dave and Diana Worley belatedly accepted their Birder of the Month Award while at the Mayhorns’ for Warbler Day. They received the award for the many lifebirds they got on their trip to Trinidad and Tobago in July.

Apologies go to Janice Martin, Bristol member, who also went on the Trinidad and Tobago trip, but was not mentioned in last month’s newsletter. Janice got 140 lifebirds during the trip. She will also receive her Birder of the Month award for the lifebirds she logged on that trip.

Congratulations to all! Congratulations also go to Dave Worley as the new Russell County Bird Club president. Good luck Dave!

The Birder of the Month award for August goes to Richard Kretz for his photo of the Black Tern at Laurel Bed Lake at the Clinch Mountain Wildlife Management Area in Russell County. Black Terns are uncommon in the area. Congratulations Richard! (See photo in last issue)

On August 28 David Raines saw thirty-one Common Nighthawks flying over his property on Middlefork in the Breaks community. The birds were migrating southward for the winter.

Mourning Warbler Found on Caney Island Branch

Ed & Michelle Talbott made the great discovery of a Mourning Warbler at Caney Island Branch on September 27. Sightings of Mourning Warblers are rare in the county. The 1st. year female pictured here was photographed at the Mayhorns’ on Compton Mt on September 20, 2005.

Johnnie & Betty Ratliff near Grundy had 240 Purple Martins to fledge from their martin houses this summer. This is the highest number to fledge they have had in several years. For some reason the Ratliff's’ lost their martin colony some years ago, but within the last four years the birds have come back, and have increased in number each year. 

This Warbling Vireo was found and photographed on Compton Mt at the Mayhorns’ home on September 3, 2006. This is the first reported record of this species within the county since October 11, 2002, when another member of this species was spotted. It was also at the Mayhorns’ on Compton Mt.  Another Warbling Vireo was sighted in the Mayhorns’ yard on September 24, 2006.

Plenty of Warblers in Russell County

The migrating warblers have recently been pouring into the yard of Richard and Pam Kretz near Lebanon in Russell County. On September 26 Richard saw Magnolias, Tennessees and Cape May. Since September 1st. other warbler species he has observed are Black-and-whites, Yellow, Yellow-throated, Hooded, Common Yellowthroat, Blue-winged, Blackburnian and Yellow-rumped, like this one he photographed earlier. Richard says that he has seen more species this fall than in the three years he has been keeping records. He believes the large numbers are in part due to his neighbor leaving a section of weedy pasture unsprayed. That section of pasture is adjacent to Richard and Pam’s property.  Richard’s great bird photos can be found on his website at http://www.pbase.com/rkretz/birds

After having been absent during the summer months Ospreys have been seen repeatedly on the Levisa River this fall. Sheldon Woods and Roger Mayhorn have seen at least one Osprey flying up and down the Levisa River behind Grundy, and David Raines has observed Ospreys in different areas on the Levisa from Big Rock to Grundy. One has also been observed at the Breaks. 

On September 11, while driving on Bull Mountain, David Raines saw a crow flying across the road carrying a snake. David wasn’t sure if the crow had killed the snake, or if the snake had been killed by a motorist, and the crow took advantage of the opportunity. Since crows are known to clean up road kills, it is likely that the crow found the snake dead on or near the highway.

Richard Kretz found a Black-crowned Night Heron at Hidden Valley Lake in Russell County on September 14. While Black-crowns are seen fairly often on larger bodies of water like South Holston Lake, they are rather uncommon in Buchanan and surrounding counties. On the same outing Richard also found 3 Solitary Sandpipers. The heron and the sandpipers were probably stopping over to feed during their fall migration southward.

On September 19 David Raines saw 19 Broad-winged Hawks and One Northern Harrier (formerly known as the Marsh Hawk) passing over his place in the Breaks. On the same day he saw 9 Common Nighthawks passing through. Nighthawks like to fly over open fields and pastures to eat insects on the wing during their fall migration.

On September 23 David saw a Nashville Warbler on his property. Nashvilles pass through the area during migration, but are not as numerous as some of the other warbler species. A Nashville Warbler was also observed on Compton Mt on September 28 by Roger Mayhorn 

On September 3 Ed & Michelle Talbott took a quick hike up the mountain near their house at Weller Yard below Harman. There they found the following warbler species. Black-throated Green, Cerulean , Hooded , Worm-eating, Black-and-white, Blackburnian, Tennessee and Northern Parula.  Photos of their hike can be seen at http://judy.pbase.com/aquilaet/caney6

Roger & Lynda Mayhorn joined Bob Riggs, Tom Edwards and Ron Harrington on September 22 at the Mendota Fire Tower to watch for migrating raptors. It was a cloudy day and the hawks were not very active, but 68 Broad-wings were counted as well as a Cooper’s, a Sharp-shinned and an Osprey. The highlight of the day was when a Bald Eagle flew by, and was shortly joined by another.

Ron Harrington mans the Mendota tower all during the fall hawk migration and does a very good job of it.

Unusual Warbler Behavior 

Each year during the fall migration many Yellow-throated Warblers come into the Mayhorns’ yard on Compton Mt, and Roger has noticed something unusual about the species for several years. The birds seem drawn to the electrical poles and to the electrical equipment. The birds spend several minutes inspecting the poles and the equipment. They may then fly away only to return to it within a few minutes. Roger thinks that possibly the tall poles remind the birds of the tall, slick trunks of Sycamore trees. During the time of John James Audubon the birds were known as “Sycamore Birds” because of their affinity to the large trees for nesting. Perhaps the birds see the electrical equipment on the poles as just extensions of the same large tree, perhaps as unusual branches.  Or is it possible that the electrical field generated by the equipment is attracting the birds? It would make an interesting study. 

Hummingbird Moth

Here is a great photo of a Hummingbird Moth taken by new club member Jerry Thornhill, who lives near Lebanon VA. Hummingbird Moths look very much like hummingbirds as they flit from flower to flower to gather nectar. Hummingbird Moths are usually seen at or near dusk and not during the bright light of midday. Good photo Jerry!