[TN-Bird] Smokies
- From: "Mitch Mobley at charter" <19660211mm@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <sourpersimmon@xxxxxxxxx>, <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 5 Nov 2011 22:00:58 -0500
I can testify to the fact that it indeed did get cold in the smokies. I
just returned from a three day venture from Cosby campground. The first night
we camped at the Davenport Gap shelter. We hiked approximately 11 miles via
lower Mt. Cammerer trail, three hours of which it was steadily raining. Day
two was down the AT about 7 miles, to Cosby Knob Shelter, after a short detour
to MT Cammerer fire lookout tower. Saturday it was a short three miles down Low
Gap trail, back to the parking lot with a 2300 " elevation drop.
Regretfully I chose to save the weight and did not carry my field guide.
The conditions where not optimum and I spent most of the time watching the
trail in front of my feet. It seemed the birds had mostly vacated the area. I
did hear a few occasionally. I have not gotten beyond my local yards birds for
ID'ing by sound.
I was able to ID a Great Horned owl this morning before the rest of the
gang climbed out of their sleeping bags. A lifer for me, so that got me pumped
up enough to forget I couldn't feel my toes.
Crows where the most prevalent birds for the trip. I did get a look at a pair
that I think might have been purple finch at about 4200 ' but visibility was
very poor and I am an amateur to say the least.
I got a decent look at a pair that resemble the blue gray gnatcatcher at
4000'. The fog was very thick so my binoculars were useless. Is there another
bird in that area that would have the distinct white outer tail feathers or
should I be comfortable which my ID?
All in all a good trip, Would do it over in a heart beat just to have been
able to observe that Owl, as the sun tried to make its way over the mountain,
gliding from tree to tree without a whisper of sound. At least not above the
faint trickle of the stream across the trail. All alone with nature. Oh why do
I not make time to do such, more often?
Mitch Mobley
Lebanon (Laguardo)TN
EXCALIBUR ACRES
Wilson County
----- Original Message -----
From: Rikki Hall
To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Friday, November 04, 2011 2:26 PM
Subject: [TN-Bird] ambitious sharpie
While in my backyard this afternoon, an alarm cry drew my attention to the
woods just in time to see a northern flicker burst into the yard with a
sharp-shinned hawk in close pursuit, just a foot behind. The flicker curved
back into the trees trying to lose the hawk, giving sharp cries throughout the
chase. A few seconds later they emerged down the hill with the flicker several
yards ahead. It banked up into open space and the hawked banked away, giving
up, and flew off to the west. It was a small sharpie, probably a male, not much
bigger than its intended prey.
It must have gotten cold up in the Smokies last night, because today I saw a
FOS pair of juncoes foraging on the ground and a female purple finch on a
feeder.
Rikki Hall
South Knoxville, Knox Co.
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