Based on the tip from Josh Stevenson, we found the Nashville roost at Metro
Center last night. It's 2.8 miles NW of the Howerton roost, at the intersection
of Great Circle Road and Mainstream Drive. 36.19892, -86.80857
By 7:30pm there 10s of thousands of birds in the air and several thousand
perched on top of the Titan’s indoor practice “bubble.” At 7:55pm the birds
started streaming into 6 mature Bradford Pear trees!
It'll be more difficult to estimate the number of birds roosting here because
they generally approach horizontally rather than at an angle as they did at the
other site. My impression is that there may be somewhat fewer.
There is a parking lot next to the Titan’s bubble and opposite the intersection
that makes a terrific spot to view the spectacle.
Nexrad radar shows the birds dispersing this morning (as well as two huge
roosts in KY).
http://weather.rap.ucar.edu/radar/displayRad.php?icao=KHPX&prod=bref1&bkgr=gray&endDate=20170803&endTime=11&duration=1
The enormous starling roost that has been at Metro Center in years past is gone
and may be the roost that has formed along 2nd Avenue downtown Nashville.
Melinda Welton
Nashville, TN
On Aug 11, 2017, at 11:09 AM, Melinda Welton <weltonmj@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Josh/TNbirders
That is quite amazing!
I’m going to go out tonight with a couple of folks and it would be great to
have others so we can “stake out” the Metro Center area and Buena Vista
Heights. Let me know if you’d like to join in.
Melinda Welton
615-210-8095
Nashville, TN
On Aug 11, 2017, at 10:43 AM, Joshua Stevenson <ifihadastick@xxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:ifihadastick@xxxxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
Melinda/TNbird folks,
Now would be a good time for me to mention what I saw earlier this week
while at the Titans Practise field Monday night, August 7, between about 6
to 8pm. Purple Martin's started to swarm around the Titans field and around
the whole Metro Center area, increasing in density until an enormous number
of them actually rested on the cabling structures that form a grid pattern
on the big "bubble building" that the Titans Practise in. Attached you will
see a photo taken from my cellphone. The black does after all Purple
Martins. Admittedly I'm not a pro at estimating large numbers but my safe
bet for total count that I observed over the hours was 20,000. By 8:30, the
entire flock moved on and I'm not 100% sure but I believe went in the
northerly direction. They did not roost on the building, only rested for a
while.
Joshua Stevenson
Nashville, TN
sent from mobile
From: Melinda Welton
Sent: Friday, August 11, 10:31 AM
Subject: [TN-Bird] Re: The Nashville Purple Martin roost is no longer active
To: Joe Siegrist
Cc: tn-bird
Joe, There has been a huge starling roost at Metro Center for several years.
I’ll get up there and see what’s going on this year. Melinda Welton
Nashville, TN > On Aug 11, 2017, at 8:39 AM, Joe Siegrist wrote: > >
Melinda, > > With our radar tools we are still seeing a radar signature for
a roost northwest of its old position. It appears to be in the vicinity of
Metrocenter/North Rhodes Park and Buena Vista Heights
https://www.google.com/maps/place/36%C2%B011'16.8%22N+86%C2%B048'33.1%22W/@36.1850124,-86.8146672,4187m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d36.188!4d-86.8092
<https://www.google.com/maps/place/36%C2%B011'16.8%22N+86%C2%B048'33.1%22W/@36.1850124,-86.8146672,4187m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d36.188!4d-86.8092>
> > While the radar data can't get an exact fix on the ground, you should
be able to see birds coming in if you drive around that area at sunset. I
hope you can get some people out there to hunt it down! It's somewhere in
that bend of the Cumberland River. > > Good luck with the treasure hunt, > >
Joe Siegrist, President > Purple Martin Conservation Association > > > >
-----Original Message----- > From: Melinda Welton
[mailto:weltonmj@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ;<mailto:weltonmj@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>] > Sent:
Thursday, August 10, 2017 6:33 PM > To: tn-bird > Cc: Joe Siegrist >
Subject: The Nashville Purple Martin roost is no longer active > > The
Nashville roost isn’t forming this year. It was first detected on NEXRAD
radar in 2004 by the Purple Martin Conservation Society, and Scott Somershoe
found the exact location in 2010. > > On July 25th I reported that a road
was being constructed through the roost. On Aug 1st I went out to the area
and saw one individual Purple Martin near the river. On the 8th from the
walking bridge several of us saw around 4,000 birds in the sky and at sunset
they headed in the direction of the roost. Last night, the 9th, we went to
the roost saw not a single individual in the sky!! On August 10th, 2016
David Hanni took timed photographs and estimated there to be 60,000 birds
entering that roost. > > This morning David Hanni and I looked at NEXRAD to
see where the birds might have gone. We saw nothing in Middle TN, but there
looks to be an ENORMOUS dispersing roost on the Mississippi near
Tiptonville. Mark Greene said he’d go out in the next couple of days and see
what the birds are. Interestingly, about 10 years ago there was a roost on a
peninsula on the Mississippi with ~500,000 Purple Martins! > > This is the
radar loop from dawn this morning. >
http://weather.rap.ucar.edu/radar/displayRad.php?icao=KHPX ;
<http://weather.rap.ucar.edu/radar/displayRad.php?icao=KHPX>∏=bref1&bkgr=gray&endDate=20170810&endTime=12&duration=2.
> > We’re going to keep an eye on the Nashville downtown for the next
couple of weeks, but I’m not optimistic. > > Melinda Welton > Nashville >
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