Northern Chester County: For the last seven years, I have lived in a house that is in an isolated rural setting and can attest this seems to be poor habitat for mockingbirds. I'm surrounded by cropland, woodland, and pasture, and am happy to report a wide variety of bird species, but I have sorely missed having any resident mockingbirds. A couple of miles over, I have friends who live in a cluster of country homes and they have mockingbirds galore. This spring I had one that stayed for a bit, but I think he failed to find a mate, so moved on. Strangely enough, this setting is also devoid of squirrels. There are plenty of overcup oaks, and swamp chestnut oaks, but it is so rare for me to see a squirrel, I am as excited as when I see a fox. Even in the winter, when I can scan the woods, I see no squirrel nests. There was one this year about a quarter mile behind the house, and I saw the squirrel only once. It is a very snakey region, and I wonder if they have discouraged the squirrels. Just a couple of mile over in Beech Bluff, squirrels are plentiful. "Those who dwell, as scientists or laymen, among the beauties and mysteries of the earth, are never alone or weary of life." - Rachel Carson <http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15332.Rachel_Carson> Carol Reese Ornamental Horticulture Specialist -Western District University of Tennessee Extension Service 605 Airways Blvd. Jackson TN 38301 731 425 4767 email jreese5@xxxxxxx <mailto:jreese5@xxxxxxx> =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to SIGN YOUR MESSAGE with first and last name, CITY (TOWN) and state abbreviation. You are also required to list the COUNTY in which the birds you report were seen. The actual DATE OF OBSERVATION should appear in the first paragraph. _____________________________________________________________ To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx _____________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, send email to: tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. ______________________________________________________________ TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s) endorse the views or opinions expressed by the members of this discussion group. Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ------------------------------ Assistant Moderator Andy Jones Cleveland, OH ------------------------------- Assistant Moderator Dave Worley Rosedale, VA -------------------------------- Assistant Moderator Chris O'Bryan Clarksville, TN __________________________________________________________ Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ARCHIVES TN-Bird Net Archives at //www.freelists.org/archives/tn-bird/ MAP RESOURCES Tenn.Counties Map at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/states/tennessee3.gif Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com _____________________________________________________________