Tag Archives: Hummingbirds

Unseen wood thrushes still make lovely music

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Photo by Jake Bonello/USFWS • A wood thrush sings at dusk from dense woodland cover.

The wood thrush, one of the most talented avian songsters in North America, returned this past week. I guess it’s now safe to plant corn. I’ve heard that many area gardeners hesitate to plant their corn until this native bird has given the “all clear” to signal that danger of a late freeze is past.

I haven’t seen a wood thrush yet, but I know that several of these birds have taken up residence in the woods around my home. I know because I’ve been hearing them singing mornings and evenings.

The wood thrush has a well-developed organ called a syrinx, which is the human equivalent of a larynx or voice box. For many songbirds, such as the thrushes, this specialized organ is more like a double voice box that permits a bird to produce two notes simultaneously while singing its song.

I think more people would take up the challenging pastime of birdwatching if not for the intimidation of trying to identify dozens of species that often demand attention to some specific details to contrast some birds from similar species.

But it is possible to enjoy birds even with looking at them. The wood thrush produces an elegant song that I never tire of hearing. Many other birds are vocal. They’re not all as musical as members of the thrush family, but its’s not necessary to ever lift a pair of binoculars to enjoy the birds in your own backyard. The sweet serenade of a wood thrush from woodland shadows is one of my favorite front porch evening activities every summer.

The wood thrush is one of the larger brown thrushes, which also includes such related birds as Swainson’s thrush, veery, gray-cheeked thrush and hermit thrush. Other less closely related members of the thrush family in North America include the American robin, Eastern bluebird and Townsend’s solitaire.

Photo by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service • The Wood Thrush often sings its flute-like song from deep under cover in dense woodlands.

The wood thrush is a fairly common bird in the region from April to October. Wood thrushes migrate south in the fall, dispersing to Mexico and Central America for the winter months, and then they reverse the route to return each spring.

The shy wood thrush does not usually venture too far from its preferred woodland habitat, but freshly disturbed soil in a garden will attract these birds as they seek out earthworms and insect larvae. Wood thrushes also feed on various fruits and berries, which means they can be attracted by plantings of suitable trees and shrubs.

The wood thrush, like many of its relatives, sings mainly in the early morning and again in the evening hours. They will also often sing after the tumult of an afternoon thunderstorm in the summer. I encourage anyone who lives near woods to pull up a comfortable seat outdoors and let the relaxing song of a wood thrust provide a great conclusion to the the day.

Naturalists often point to one of the wood thrush’s close kin — the hermit thrush — as the most gifted singer in this clan of gifted songsters. For discerning listeners, the hermit thrush’s flute-like notes are somewhat more melancholy, haunting and ethereal than even the incredibly enchanting notes of the wood thrush’s song.

The poet Walt Whitman employed a thrush as a symbol in his poem, “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d,” a moving pastoral elegy in honor of the assassinated President Abraham Lincoln.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A hermit thrush perches on a wooden fence rail. The bird’s rusty-red tail is evident in the photo.

Whitman evidently knew his birds, and it’s not difficult to identify that he referred to the hermit thrush when he wove this songbird as a symbol into his stanzas honoring Lincoln.

“Sing on there in the swamp,” Whitman wrote in his poem. “O singer bashful and tender, I hear your notes, I hear your call. I hear, I come presently, I understand you…”

Whitman and many other Americans have been made fans of this gifted songbird. In fact, the citizens of Vermont even proclaimed the hermit thrush as their official state bird.

In Northeast Tennessee, hermit thrushes are mostly a winter bird, but the wood thrush stays with us from spring to early fall. Enjoy the free music of resident wood thrushes this season. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
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To learn more about birds and other topics from the natural world, friend Stevens on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ahoodedwarbler. He often posts about local birds, wildlife, flowers, insects and much more. If you have a question, wish to make a comment or share a sighting, email him at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com.

Photo by Jean Potter • The wood thrush is a common summer resident of woodlands in Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia and Western North Carolina.

Ruby-throated hummingbirds return to region

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By George/Pixabay • A ruby-throated hummingbird sips sugar water from a feeder.

The hummingbirds are back, although they’ve been slightly late returning this spring. My first report of a sighting came from southwest Virginia this year.

Bobby Andis reported an arriving ruby-throated hummingbird on April 9 in Abingdon, Virginia.

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Edison and Emma Jean Wallin saw their first spring hummingbird at 6:10 p.m. on April 11 at their home in Unicoi. Their daughter, Amy Tipton, reported their sighting to me via Facebook messenger. Amy, like me, is still waiting for her first spring hummingbird.

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Lynda Carter emailed me to share her first spring sighting of a male ruby-throated hummingbird at her feeder at 8:45 a.m. on Saturday, April 11. She said that she lives near the end of the Embreeville Mountain in the Lamar community in Washington County.

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Brookie and Jean Potter welcomed their first spring hummingbird at 7:40 p.m. on April 11. The Potters live near Wilbur Lake in Elizabethton.

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Michele Sparks • The photographer got a quick shot of the first spring hummingbird at her feeder in Bluff City.

Michele Sparks had her first spring hummingbird arrive at 6 p.m. on April 13 at her home in Bluff City. Michele shared a photograph of the visiting hummingbird and noted that this year’s bird beat last year’s arrival date by two days.

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Joe McGuiness saw his first spring hummingbird on April 15 in Erwin.

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After feeling twinges of impatience with their expected arrival, I finally saw my first ruby-throated hummingbird at 7 p.m. on April 16. I had stepped onto my front porch and within seconds heard the familiar buzz of hummingbird wings. Some careful observation detected the tiny bird weaving in and out of the branches of a nearby shrub. After some more waiting, the bird flew to one of my feeders for a quick drink of sugar water.

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Dianne Draper in Jonesborough saw her first spring hummingbird on April 17.

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Every hummingbird’s arrival at our homes after an absence of nearly six months is nothing short of a miraculous achievement on the part of this tiny bird. According to the website hummingbird.net, most ruby-throated hummingbirds make a daring journey across the Gulf of Mexico to return to their summer homes in the United States and Canada. They typically depart at dusk for their nonstop Gulf flight of up to 500 miles, which takes 18 to 22 hours, depending on the weather.

Now that we’ve welcomed them back into our yards and gardens after such a harrowing journey, it’s important as good hosts to make sure these tiny wonders are kept safe.

Plant flowers! Many people have been told that red flowers are best, but the fact is hummingbirds sip nectar from a variety of blooms in all sorts of colors. The benefit of flowers is that nothing beats natural, and flower nectar is about as good as natural gets.

Some ways of ensuring that our hummingbird guests are kept healthy and secure are simply common sense. For instance, don’t use pesticides, herbicides or any other sort of toxin anywhere close to the vicinity of a sugar water feeder or a flower garden. Hummingbirds are such tiny creatures with such intense metabolisms that it only takes a minute amount of any harmful substance to sicken or kill one of these little flying gems.

Feeding hummingbirds is easy, but many people try to complicate the process. Only common, pure cane sugar, mixed to a ratio of four parts water to one part sugar, is a safe choice for these birds.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • Put sugar water feeders out early to attract the “early birds.”

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Rich Hall emailed me, not about a hummingbird, but about another exciting sighting.

On the morning of April 13, he saw two yellow-headed blackbirds. “I live in Goodlettsville, outside of Nashville,” he wrote. “Do you ever hear reports of them coming over this way?”

I emailed him back and let Rich know that the yellow-headed blackbird is considered a rare to uncommon visitor to the Volunteer State, but they do surface occasionally. The species often mingles with flocks that also include red-winged blackbirds and brown-headed cowbirds. Yellow-headed blackbirds are slightly more likely to travel through Middle and West Tennessee than in East Tennessee, but there have been reports from every section of the state. I saw a lone yellow-headed blackbird several years ago in Jonesborough. A town resident alerted the birding community to the bird’s presence.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • This yellow-headed blackbird mingled with flocks of brown-headed cowbirds and European starlings at a cattle pasture near Jonesborough, Tennessee in February of 2018.. The bird, the first of its kind seen in Northeast Tennessee since 1994, has generated excitement among birders. Some people have traveled from as far as Knoxville, Tennessee, and Roanoke, Virginia, to see the bird.

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To share sightings, ask a question or make a comment, email me at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com.

Yellow-throated warbler sighting on April 2 is first of season

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Susan Young/USFWS • The yellow-throated warbler can be a challenge to observe due to its habit of remaining aloft in the tops of tall trees.

You have to admire our feathered friends for always keeping a surprise or two tucked under their wings.

My first warblers of the spring season arrived on April 2, and neither was one of the species I fully expected to be this year’s “early bird” at my home.

A yellow-throated warbler and a pine warbler, both singing from a stand of pine trees, took this year’s early arrival status. This is the first time either of these two warblers has gained that distinction.

The Northern parula has in recent years claimed this honor, which in years past went to species such as hooded warbler or black-throated green warbler.

In 2025, an ovenbird beat all of other warblers to arrive on Friday, April 7, in the woodlands around my home. followed a few days later by a black-throated green warbler.

Technically, I noticed the yellow-throated warbler first, so it gets the honor of being the spring’s first returning warbler. Only a few minutes passed, however, before I also took note of the singing pine warbler. At press time, no other warblers have arrived.

Nikolaus Schultz/Pixabay • Pine warblers can become regular feeder visitors if fare to their liking is available.

I’m still waiting for my first ruby-throated warbler of spring. I’ve not yet heard from any readers, but I fully anticipate hearing about these tiny flying gems arriving any day.

Last year I welcomed back the season’s first ruby-throated hummingbird at 4:14 p.m. on Sunday, April 6. I’m hopeful I can shave a few days off that arrival time this year, but that’s entirely up to the hummingbirds.

As I have for many years, I am asking readers to share their first sightings of hummingbirds. I have tracked arrivals for several years now. To share your first spring sighting of a ruby-throated hummingbird, email me at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com or contact me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ahoodedwarbler. Please include the date and time of your sighting. I also welcome the sharing of other details about your sightings.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • Blue-headed vireos, such as this bird, are high-elevation summer residents in the region. In the spring and fall, they are also common migrants.

Regardless, spring has sprung. Dogwoods are blooming, and their blossoms are beautiful, but it’s also a reminder that our traditional “dogwood winter” with its accompanying dip back into cooler temperatures, is around the corner. Other birds have also been arriving.

A blue-headed vireo put in an appearance on March 29. A chipping sparrow did the same on March 30. When the dam finally breaks, dozens of birds will return or, in some cases, migrate through the region on their way farther north. April and May are exciting times for birders.

As for the two warblers that arrived on April 2, they represent species that have made only occasional appearances at my home. Perhaps the affinity for pine trees that both of these warblers share could have drawn them to visit. There are several stands of large pines thriving on the property.

As its name would indicate, pine warblers are almost always found near pines. These birds have white bellies, two white wing bars, dark legs and thin, relatively long pointed bills. Yellowish “spectacles” around their eyes help contrast them from other warblers. Adult males have olive upperparts and bright yellow throats and breasts; females and immatures display upperparts which are olive-brown.

Bryan Stevens • A pine warbler visits a feeder for a helping of suet.

Pine warblers feed mostly on insects, as well as some seeds and fruit. They tend to forage by probing in crevices on tree trunks and branches, or by poking their beaks into pine cones. Pine warblers spends a great deal of time on the ground, often in the litter of pine needles beneath large trees. They turn over leaves and clusters of pine needles to search for insects concealed beneath them.

The pine warbler doesn’t make the longer migrations of some members of the warbler family. In fact, some pine warblers are resident in the southeastern United States year-round. Visits to wooded suburbs in Atlanta in almost any season is sure to feature sightings. Many pine warblers have also included visits to backyard feeders into their daily routines. They’re fond of offerings such as mealworms, suet cakes and sunflower chips.

The only real requirement needed to attract pine warblers is the presence of pines. These birds utilize various pines, including loblolly, shortleaf, longleaf and white pines.

The yellow-throated warbler is also fond of pine trees. Not quite as common at feeders at pine warblers, the yellow-throated warbler has shifted its behavior to take advantage of the extra resource that a well-maintained feeding station kept supplied with diverse offerings represents.

Photo by Bryan Stevens A Yellow-throated Warbler makes a migratory stop in my yard on the first day of September.

The yellow-throated warbler is also commonly associated with mature trees that extend above the canopy. They also prefer that favored trees are located near a water source. Some of the favored trees for the species include sycamore, shortleaf pine, Virginia pine and bald cypress.

I’ll be interested to see if these two species linger or if they’re passing through and simply using my home as a stopping point to forage and rest before continuing on their way.

It’s a great time of year to stay alert to new arrivals. Keep a pair of binoculars at the ready, and don’t forget to share those sightings, especially as the return of ruby-throated hummingbirds is imminent.

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Bryan Stevens has written about birds, birding and birders since 1995. Email him at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com to make a comment, ask a question or share a sighting.

 

Start getting ready to welcome returning hummingbirds

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Photo by Bryan Stevens • Despite a perceived disadvantage of size, ruby-throated hummingbirds are quite capable of thriving in a giant world.

It’s late March and some of the early arrivals among our feathered friends are already back. As the calendar turns the page from March to April, a steady stream of spring arrivals will kick off with the return of birds like rose-breasted grosbeak, indigo bunting, Baltimore oriole, wood thrush and a dazzling array of warblers.

The most anticipated returning bird for many people is the ruby-throated hummingbirds. These tiny, feisty bundles of sparkling green feathers are sorely missed from after their departure in October to their return to Northeast Tennessee in early April.

These tiny flying gems are back in the continental United States. Their migration requires an annual spring crossing of the Gulf of Mexico. Once they arrive along the coasts of Gulf states, they need a bit of time to recuperate before resuming their relentless migration northward.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A male ruby-throated hummingbird perches at a feeder for a sip of sugar water.

Journey North, a website and project that tracks the yearly advance of ruby-throated hummingbirds as well as other birds, monarch butterflies and other migrants, received reports of ruby-throated hummingbirds in Louisiana as early as March 1.

People in Florida have also been seeing them in early March, but because some ruby-throated hummingbirds may winter in Florida, telling the overwinterers from the true migrants is difficult.

As of March 16, the northernmost report of a ruby-throated hummingbird came from Conyers, Georgia. A woman reported her sighting to Journey North on March 15.

I anticipate this season’s ruby-throated hummingbird migration will bring the first individuals to Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia and Western North Carolina in early April if not late March. It’s even possible there will be some Easter arrivals of hummingbirds in the region with this religious holiday falling on April 5 this year.

Most first spring observations of hummingbirds are males, although a few females are also early arrivals. Male hummingbirds arrive first so they can find and defend a territory.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • Male ruby-throated hummingbird show the namesake red throat. The feathers on a male’s throat are iridescent, which means they can change when seen from different angles. In poor light, the ruby-red throat can look almost black.

As always, spring migration can be a challenging time for hummingbirds. Temperatures, wind patterns and storms can influence the pace of migration. Even once these tiny birds make their epic spring crossing of the Gulf of Mexico, they will need time to rest and refuel before moving northward.

By mid-March, the advance of ruby-throated hummingbirds has usually reached states such as Georgia and South Carolina. By the end of March, these tiny flying gems have reached states such as Tennessee and North Carolina.

It’s time to get those sugar water feeders outside and waiting for the early arrivals. Once the chance of late-season freezes has passed, consider planting some colorful native flowers to provide nectar sources for hummingbirds. In addition, some hanging baskets of flowers can be purchased from garden centers with the benefit that these baskets can be brought indoors during unseasonable cold snaps.

In the meantime, take steps now to welcome hummingbirds back and keep them safe during their stay. Most experts also suggest avoiding red dyes or food colorings, which are often found in commercially marketed hummingbird sugar water. Don’t risk the health of hummingbirds for a little convenience.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • Only adult male ruby-throated hummingbirds have the vibrant red throat patch.

It’s easy to make your own sugar water mix, which can be stored in the refrigerator in an empty plastic juice jug. Boil some water and then add one cup of sugar for every four cups of water in your pot. Stir thoroughly. Let the mixture cool and then bottle it. Fill your feeders and store any remaining sugar water in the fridge in the aforementioned jug. Refrigerated, the mix should stay good to use for at least a week or two.

Last year I welcomed back the spring’s first ruby-throated hummingbird at 4:14 p.m. on Sunday, April 6.

As I have for many years, I am asking readers to share their first sightings of hummingbirds. I have tracked arrivals for several years now. To share your first spring sighting of a ruby-throated hummingbird, email me at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com or contact me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ahoodedwarbler. Please include the date and time of your sighting. I also welcome the sharing of other details about your sightings.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • Ruby-throated hummingbirds such as this male are returning to the region.

Feathered harbingers: New bird sightings prove spring is here

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Photo by Bryan Stevens • The American robin is widely hailed as a harbinger of spring.

Crocuses are blooming, spring peepers are peeping and the birds are starting to feel the approach of spring. Increasing daylight helps trigger changes among many of the birds that are widely considered signs of spring.

Among the other harbingers of the season are several species that have gained reputations for signalling the transition from winter into spring by their presence alone.

Here are some of the top candidates among our feather friends for the honor of being a genuine symbol of spring’s imminent arrival.

American robins
Robins are widely considered harbingers of spring. They appear to become more common overnight, but for the most part, it’s only a shift in behavior.
While robins are present in winter, they shift from eating berries in large, quiet flocks to foraging for worms on lawns in smaller groups as the ground thaws. With increasing daylight, they also begin to feel the urge to partner with potential mates. The robin’s song, often interpreted as “cheerily, cheer up,” is a distinct sound of early spring and is used to signal availability to those prospective mates.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • Wilson’s snipes return to much of their range in early spring.

Wilson’s snipe
The snipe, a type of shorebird, is a real bird despite a common belief that this bird, the subject of futile snipe hunts, is mythical. Haunting wetlands with their distinctive “winnowing” (drumming) courtship flights, they are heralds for the advancing spring season. These migratory, long-billed shorebirds typically reappear in marshy areas and wet pastures in early spring, often arriving by early March to begin breeding in northern regions. While some individuals may winter in warmer parts of the United States, their widespread arrival and intense courtship activity are widely recognized as a sign of spring.

American woodcock
A snipe relative, the American woodcock is a premier, early-spring harbinger known for its dramatic “sky dance” courtship displays performed at dawn and dusk, often commencing as early as February or March. On the ground, the male produces a loud, buzzing, nasal sound — frequently described as “peent” — roughly every two seconds. These birds have a long bill equipped with a flexible tip, perfect for foraging for earthworms after the spring thaw has lured them to the earth’s surface. Males put on impressive display flights, using specialized wing feathers to produce a strange twitter as they descend back to earth in wide spirals. Other nicknames for this most unusual shorebird are timberdoodle and bog sucker.

Early American naturalist John James Audubon painted this trio of American woodcocks.

Eastern phoebe
Eastern phoebes belong to the flycatcher family and are among the earliest migratory birds to return to their breeding grounds, often arriving before many other species. Eastern phoebes are more reliable indicators of the actual start of spring migration than American robins because they fly north to catch bugs while robins often overwinter and get a head start without even migrating. Henry David Thoreau detailed spring arrival for many species around Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts, in the 1850s. He recorded the Eastern Phoebe arriving in early April and the Eastern Wood-Pewee in late May. Across the migration data for 22 consistently observed species in Concord’s historical bird data, the average timing of spring arrival has not changed significantly from Thoreau’s time to the present. However, there are a few exceptions, such as yellow warbler and Baltimore oriole, that now return to Walden significantly earlier than when Thoreau observed them.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • The Eastern phoebe is a flycatcher and a bird that reliably returns early in the spring season.

Eastern bluebird
Bluebirds are a widely recognized early harbinger of spring, often arriving in northern locations by February or March, signalling the end of winter. Seeing bluebirds in pairs, checking out nesting boxes or perched on low branches in open, rural areas are classic signs of early spring. The well-known writer and naturalist Henry David Thoreau famously wrote that the bluebird “carries the sky on his back,” documenting their arrival as a vital seasonal marker in Northern regions and Canada. Locally, many bluebirds overwinter, but they still begin exploring potential nest locations in early spring, often as early as February.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • Turkey vultures are a signal of spring’s arrival in some parts of the United States.

Turkey vulture
The return of turkey vultures is a significant, early sign of spring in many parts of North America, often appearing between February and March. As migratory scavenger birds, they return north to feed on animals that perished during the winter, often appearing in flocks. Hinckley, Ohio, celebrates the annual return of turkey vultures (locally called buzzards) to the Hinckley Reservation every March 15, a tradition dating back to 1957. Known as “Buzzard Day,” this event features a pancake breakfast, vendor fairs and spotter-led viewing of the birds returning to their roosts.

Louisiana waterthrush
Birders usually have to wait until April and May for most warblers to venture back to East Tennessee. The Louisiana waterthrush is a premier, early-arriving harbinger of spring in Eastern North America, often appearing in early March along fast-flowing, wooded streams. Known as one of the first migrant warblers to return, their arrival is signaled by a loud, ringing song that mimics the sound of rushing water. They typically arrive on breeding grounds weeks before many other migrant species, particularly other warblers. The loud, ringing song of the Louisiana waterthrush is often heard near streams before leaves have fully returned to the trees.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • The tiny blue-gray gnatcatcher returns to East Tennessee in late March.

Blue-gray gnatcatcher
This tiny bundle of feathers is an energetic, noisy songbird that arrives in the region in the final days of March. I often hear this bird’s raspy, scolding vocalizations before I detect their nonstop movements in newly-emerged leaves. They don’t arrive quite as early as the other birds on this list, but I’ve always held this bird as one of my personal birds of spring. Once the feisty blue-gray gnatcatcher is back, the spring season can truly commence. The gnatcatcher, which is one of our smallest birds, feeds on more than gnats. The only local birds as comparably small as the gnatcatcher are kinglets and hummingbirds.

What bird do you look forward to seeing again every spring? What’s something provided by nature that provides assurance that spring is just around the corner?

Feel free to write to me to share your answers by emailing ahoodedwarbler@aol.com.

 

 

 

 

Waterfowl numbers help increase Elizabethton Christmas Bird Count total

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Photo by Krista-269/Pixabay.com • Common loons in summer breeding plumage are strikingly handsome birds that show much grace and agility in the water.

The 83rd consecutive Elizabethton Christmas Bird Count was held Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. Twenty-four observers participated in seven parties found a total of 73 species, plus an additional species found during count week.

Compiler Rick Knight noted that the annual survey benefitted from good weather with a temperature range from 23 to 66 degrees coupled with clear and calm conditions.
The species total is right on the recent 30-year average for this CBC. The all-time high for the Elizabethton CBC was 85 species in 2017.

The list:
Canada goose, 372; mallard, 81; redhead, 3; ring-necked duck, 17; greater scaup, 2; lesser scaup, 1; bufflehead, 109; and hooded merganser, 26.

Wild turkey, 18; pied-billed grebe, 10; horned grebe, 14; rock pigeon, 208; mourning dove, 72; killdeer, 3; Wilson’s snipe, 7; ring-billed gull, 3; common loon, 1; and great blue heron, 11.

Black vulture, 26; turkey vulture, 131; sharp-shinned hawk, 1; Cooper’s hawk, 2; bald eagle, 4; red-shouldered hawk, 1; red-tailed hawk, 14; Eastern screech owl, 5; and great horned owl, 2.

Photo by Bryan Stevens
A flock of Wild Turkeys make their way across a snowy field.

Belted kingfisher, 17; red-bellied woodpecker, 28; yellow-bellied sapsucker, 19; downy woodpecker, 15; hairy woodpecker, 4; Northern flicker, 27; pileated woodpecker, 15; American kestrel, 14; and Eastern phoebe, 13.

White-eyed vireo, 1; blue jay, 130; American crow, 343; common raven, 9; Carolina chickadee, 101; tufted titmouse, 66; ruby-crowned kinglet, 11; golden-crowned Kinglet, 24; and cedar waxwing, 18.

White-breasted nuthatch, 29; brown creeper, 1; Carolina wren, 74; and winter wren, 11.

Brown thrasher, 1; Northern mockingbird, 58; Eurasian starling, 1058; Eastern bluebird, 117; hermit thrush, 8; and American robin, 236.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A white-breasted nuthatch grabs a sunflower seed.

House sparrow, 28; house finch, 135; purple finch, 4; American goldfinch, 74; and pine siskin. The siskin was listed as a count week find. Birds seen within the same count circle but outside of the specific count day are noted as “count week” birds and still tallied with the species found on the actual count day.

Chipping sparrow, 1; field sparrow, 20; fox sparrow, 1; dark-eyed junco, 24; white-throated sparrow, 87; Savannah sparrow, 1; song sparrow, 83; Swamp Sparrow, 3; and
Eastern towhee, 14.

Eastern meadowlark, 67; common grackle, 1; pine warbler, 3; yellow-rumped warbler, 55; and Northern cardinal, 102.

Knight singled out the white-eyed vireo as a species worthy of elaboration. The vireo was seen in Hampton at the watershed trail among a stand of pines. It was the third instance for this species on this particular CBC; white-eyed vireos were also seen in 1997 and 2001.

Notable misses, according to Knight, included barred owl, red-breasted nuthatch and white-crowned sparrow.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A male Northern cardinal visits a feeder on a snowy afternoon.

 

Roan Mountain Christmas Bird Count finds 43 species plus another during ‘count week’

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GYRLI1981/Pixabay • With its high elevation and unique habitats, Roan Mountain often produces good birds, such as red crossbills, for Christmas Bird Counts. Many of the species are difficult to find in other locations.

Unpredictable December weather makes the Roan Mountain Christmas Bird Count one of Tennessee’s most challenging surveys. This year was no exception, and the count had to postponed to a later date when a winter storm impacted the region.

The 73rd Roan Mountain Christmas Bird Count was eventually held Tuesday, Dec. 16, with six observers in two parties.

Count compiler Rick Knight noted that weather for this count was generally favorable (clear conditions and a temperature range from 17 to 46 degrees), but it was quite windy on top of the mountain making bird-finding difficult. At lower elevations, the winds were light. One to four inches of snow covered the ground, but roads were clear.

Participants tallied 43 species, plus one species added during the count week.

The list:

Canada goose, 30; American black duck, 17; wild turkey, 11; mourning dove, 17.

Sharp-shinned hawk, 1; Cooper’s hawk, 1; red-shouldered hawk, 2; and red-tailed hawk, 2.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • Two red-tailed hawks made this year’s Roan Mountain CBC. 

Red-bellied woodpecker, 6; yellow-bellied sapsucker, 1; downy woodpecker, 4; hairy woodpecker,1; Northern flicker, 1: and pileated woodpecker, 3.

Eastern phoebe, 1; blue jay, 25; American crow, 120; and common raven, 8.

Carolina chickadee, 21; tufted titmouse, 24; golden-crowned kinglet, 6; red-breasted nuthatch, 3; white-breasted nuthatch, 14; brown creeper, 1; Carolina wren, 5; and winter wren, 2.

Northern mockingbird, 7; Eurasian starling, 23; Eastern bluebird, 8; and American robin, 2.

House sparrow, 5; house finch, 5; red crossbill, 2; pine siskin, 2; and American goldfinch, 119.

Field sparrow, 7; fox sparrow, 4; dark-eyed junco, 25, white-throated sparrow, 5; song sparrow, 35; Eastern towhee, 5; yellow-rumped warbler, 1; and Northern cardinal, 22.

In addition, a purple finch was found during the count week. CBC circles do accept birds seen during “Count Week, which is defined as the three days before and after the official count day, but they are recorded separately as count week birds and do not count towards the official count day totals. Their inclusion still provides important data.

The first Christmas Bird Counts were conducted on Christmas Day (Dec. 25) in 1900. The annual census arose from a proposal made by famed ornithologist Frank M. Chapman. According to Audubon.org, these yearly counts, conducted throughout the country, have provided a wealth of data over the past century.

Observations made due to CBCs have helped Audubon researchers, conservation biologists, wildlife agencies and other interested individuals to study the long-term health and status of bird populations across North America. When combined with other surveys such as the Breeding Bird Survey, the data provides a picture of how the continent’s bird populations have changed in time and space over the past hundred years.

Frank W. Chapman

The concept of the Christmas Bird Count, according to the website for the National Audubon Society, arose from a less than bird-friendly custom prevalent at the turn of the 20th century. So-called sportsmen would conduct a “Side Hunt,” a rather blood-thirsty Christmas custom that saw hunters competing to see who could score the largest amount of feathered and furred corpses.

The annual holiday bird survey may even have arisen from an earlier custom with roots in Europe that came to the United States of America with early colonists. The “Side Hunt” has some similarity to a peculiar celebration in Ireland and other European countries known as “Wren Day” or “Hunt the Wren Day.” The event was conducted the day after Christmas, the date of Dec. 26 being consigned as Saint Stephen’s Day. By the 20th century, the hunt consisted of tracking down a fake wren carried atop a decorated pole. Crowds would parade through towns in masks and colorful attire. These groups were referred to as “wren boys.”

Whether or not the “Side Hunt and “Wren Hunt” shared any connections, it was a huge step forward for conservation when Chapman, the preeminent ornithologist of his day, proposed a new holiday tradition. His radical idea was to count birds during the Christmas season rather than hunting and killing them.

I will report on the total for the Elizabethton Christmas Bird Count in next week’s column.

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Bryan Stevens has written about birds, birders and birding since 1995. Email him at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com.

Christmas Bird Count produces grebes, other finds

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Photo by Bryan Stevens
The pied-billed grebe paddles through the water after it was rescued after a stranding on a lawn.

I took part in the Elizabethton Bird Club’s 83rd annual Elizabethton Christmas Bird Count on Dec. 20.

The count focuses on a circle within Carter County with Elizabethton serving as the center. Consider the circle as a pie sliced into six pieces. Different groups bird within those “slices” of terrain. The groups rotate each year to vary the participation. As a result, it had been six years since I last led the count effort for the Butler/Little Milligan area that includes a great deal of Watauga Lake.

Donna Dewhurst/USFWS • A horned grebe parent tends chicks.

One of my favorite reasons for taking part in this particular count is the great mid-day lunch break at the Dry Run General Store and Deli in Butler. This marked my third time over the last 18 years having lunch at this great spot. The lunch break also gives the participants a chance to study the list of birds seen and calculate what other species can be added and where to best look for those species.

The counts conducted in areas with access to water have the potential for the most species, so it’s always a little more fun to bird around Watauga Lake or Wilbur Lake. The Watauga River in Elizabethton is also good.

We had good weather for this most recent count, but it was a slow effort to add birds to our list. Without a doubt, spring and fall bird counts are much more exciting than a Christmas Bird Count.

Below is the list for my group, which included Rob Armistead, Brookie and Jean Potter, David and Connie Irick and Chris Soto. This is only the list for Little Milligan and Butler. I hope to provide the complete list at a later date.

We found a total of 46 species:

Canada goose, 32; mallard, 7; greater scaup, 2; hooded Merganser, 4; wild turkey, 18; pied-billed grebe, 8; horned grebe, 14; rock pigeon, 52; mourning dove,1; ring-billed gull, 1; common loon, 1; and great blue heron, 2.

Photo by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service • Common loons are quite at home in the air and on the water, but these birds are awkward if weather forces them to set down on land.

Red-tailed hawk, 3; belted kingfisher, 3; red-bellied woodpecker, 3; downy woodpecker, 2; Northern flicker, 1; pileated woodpecker, 3; American kestrel, 2; and Eastern phoebe, 1.

Blue jay: 14; American crow, 68; common raven, 2; Carolina chickadee, 2; tufted titmouse, 11; white-breasted nuthatch, 4; winter wren, 1; Carolina wren, 5; golden-crowned kinglet, 1; and ruby-crowned kinglet, 1.

Eastern bluebird, 14; hermit thrush, 1; American robin, 5; brown thrasher, 1; Northern mockingbird, 3; European starling, 43; and cedar waxwing, 2.

House finch, 2; American goldfinch, 25; dark-eyed junco, 5; white-throated sparrow, 8; song sparrow, 3; Eastern towhee, 3; Eastern meadowlark, 1; pine warbler, 1; and Northern cardinal, 7.

While birding in Little Milligan and Butler, we had plenty of views of Watauga Lake and opportunities for spotting birds often affiliated with water. The umbrella term of waterfowl can include such birds as ducks, geese, loons and grebes. We had representatives from all of these groups on our list. I was pleased to finally see some ducks and grebes this winter.

The grebes are a grouping of birds lumped together as waterfowl. Worldwide, there are 22 grebe species. This family also includes three extinct species — Alaotra grebe, Atitlán grebe and Colombian grebe.

Many people are unaware of the grebes. After all, they are oddball birds with not a lot in common with other waterfowl such as loons and ducks. In eastern Tennessee, southwestern Virginia and western North Carolina, the pied-billed grebe is the member of the grebe family most likely to come into contact with humans.

The pied-billed grebe’s scientific name, Podilymbus podiceps, can be roughly translated as “rear-footed diver.” The reference is to the fact that this grebe, as well as others of its kind, have their feet positioned so far back on their bodies that movement on land is difficult and awkward.

In winter, however, horned grebes can be somewhat abundant on area lakes. The common name of horned grebe refers to a yellow crest of feathers located above and behind the eyes, reminiscent of “horns” in the eyes of an imaginative observer. In winter these horns are absent and the colorful horned grebe of the nesting season is replaced by a bird in a dull white and dark gray plumage.

Grebes range in size from the least grebe, which weighs only about six ounces, to the great grebe, which can tip the scales at four pounds. North American grebes include red-necked grebe, horned grebe, eared grebe, Clark’s grebe and Western grebe. In extreme southern Texas, birders can find least grebes in suitable wetland habitats.

Other grebes found around the world include birds with such descriptive names as the great crested grebe, hooded grebe and silvery grebe.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • Brookie Potter spots a “bumble,” otherwise known as an abominable snowman, near Watauga Lake during the Christmas Bird Count.

With the exception of the least grebe, I’ve seen all of North America’s grebes. During visits to Utah in 2003 and 2006, I observed the sleek, long-necked Clark’s grebe and Western grebe. On a 2006 trip to Utah, I visited Antelope Island State Park and observed tens of thousands of eared grebes gathered on the Great Salt Lake for the nesting season. In Tennessee, one of the most reliable locations to find eared grebes is from viewing areas at Musick’s Campground on South Holston Lake, where a small number of these grebes have wintered for many years.

My Christmas Bird Count excursion proved a fun time with friends. We didn’t find a lot of birds, but we enjoyed finding the ones that we did see. Happy New Year to readers. I hope everyone finds some good birds in 2026.

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Bryan Stevens has written about birds, birding and birders since 1995.

 

 

Eastern screech-owls are ‘beautiful little hunters’

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Courtesy of Carl Peters • An Eastern screech owl perches on a shepherd’s hook holding bird feeders in an Erwin yard.

I received an email from Susan Peters, an Elizabethton resident, along with a photo taken of a small owl by her brother, Erwin resident Carl Peters.

The photo was taken at a friend’s home in Erwin when the owl perched on a shepherd’s hook used for holding a hanging bird feeder.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • Lucy, a rehabilitated owl living in captivity at Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina, educates the public about her fellow owls.

“It’s a beautiful little hunter,” Susan remarked in her email, adding that she would love to have the owl identified. She speculated that the visitor might be a Northern saw-whet owl or boreal owl. The latter would have been far out of range. Saw-whet owl was a possibility considering these tiny owls are known to reside on Unaka Mountain, but a closer study pointed to the identity of the visitor being an Eastern screech-owl.

As Susan pointed out in her email, no ear tufts are prominently visible on the bird in the photo. But any number of reasons could explain the absence of the ear tufts. These tufts, which are actually feathers that the ow can control, help with camouflage or to signal an individual owl’s mood. They can raise their tufts if they want to appear larger and more intimidating or flatten them to blend in with a tree trunk, and they may also flatten them when agitated or in a state of attentiveness.

There’s not a lot in the photo for a size comparison with the bird, but it seemed more the size of a screech-owl than the slightly smaller saw-whet owl. I’ve seen both owls and the saw-whet always strikes me as more dainty than a screech-owl.

An adult Eastern screech-owl is about 10 inches long, which is about the same size as an American robin. The owl, however, is much more sturdily built than the robin. This owl’s wingspan is usually between 18 and 24 inches. Weight varies, but a heavy screech owl weighs only 6 to 8 ounces. That’s equivalent to a cup of water.

Eastern screech-owls come in two color variations, sometimes referred to as “morphs.” These are red or rufous and gray. There is a rare brown variation that may be a hybrid of a red owl and a gray owl. The highest percentage of red screech owls occurs in Tennessee, of all places, with an estimated 79 percent of owls in the Volunteer State being of the red variety. I’ve actually not seen a red morph in many years. My recent sightings have been of gray individuals. The owl in Carl’s photo appears to be a red morph.

Eastern screech-owls are effective predators, or as Susan described them, “beautiful little hunters,” but they mostly tackle small prey, such as house sparrows, mice and large insects.

Owls are more common than we think; we simply don’t encounter them often because of their nocturnal lifestyle. The Eastern screech-owl has proven very adaptable to living in close proximity to human beings.

Many myths have taken root about owls. Some of these are more grounded in reality than others.

Photo by Bryan Stevens
An Eastern Screech-Owl at rest in a roosting hole in a large sycamore tree.

A prevalent belief is that owls are wise. Of course, that’s a relative term. Is it meant they are wiser than other birds or wiser than human beings. According to the website for the International Owl Center, owls are probably seen as wise due to their large eyes, resolute posture and relatively silent behavior. The website acknowledges that owls are good at being owls, but they are stubborn birds when people attempt to train captive specimens to perform tasks.

Not all owls, despite persistent claims, are nocturnal. It’s true, according to the International Owl Center, that a large proportion of owls are nocturnal, meaning they are active at night.

But there are always exceptions. According to the International Owl Center, a few owls are diurnal, meaning they are active during the day, and some others are crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk.

There are approximately 230 to 250 species of owls. There’s some debate among the experts about the exact number. Here are some interesting common names for some of those species: Golden masked owl, ashy-faced owl, white-fronted scops owl, black-capped screech-owl, cinnamon screech owl, snowy owl, Eurasian eagle owl, spectacled owl, mottled wood owl, great grey owl, pearl-spotted owlet, little owl, barking owl, powerful owl, Tasmanian boobook, chocolate boobook, laughing owl, long-eared owl and short-eared owl.

I’ve been hearing two species of owl – Eastern screech-owl and great horned owl – at home this fall. That’s the other thing. You’re much more likely to hear an owl than see one. I don’t mind. It makes this little bird a bit more mysterious, and there’s something to be said to being able to put on an air of mystery.

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Share a sighting, ask a question or make a comment by emailing me at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com.

Photo by Bryan Stevens
An Eastern Screech-Owl perches in the branches of an Eastern hemlock.

With apologies to Arthur Carlson, wild turkeys can fly

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Larry Smith/USFWS • A trio of wild tom (male) turkeys parade with fanned tail feathers at Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma. Toms are also known as gobblers.

NOTE: I wrote the original version of this column back in November 2015. With some revisions, here’s a timely column on one of the nation’s premier fowls.

As Americans, we all have our holiday traditions. I will carve 30 minutes from my schedule to watch one of my favorite holiday sitcom episodes.

Not surprisingly, there’s an element linked to birds in the episode, which is often cited as one of the most ingenious sitcom episodes in the history of television. The episode is “Turkeys Away” from the first season of WKRP in Cincinnati, a sitcom that aired from 1978 to 1982 and revolved around the antics of the staff of a down-and-out radio station. The episode originally aired Oct. 30, 1978, early in the first season of the series. I especially like that every member of the ensemble cast was woven into the storyline for this classic Thanksgiving episode. The series is such a favorite I own all the seasons on DVD.

Turkeys Away” aired during the first season of WKRP in Cincinnati, a sitcom broadcast from 1978 to 1982 that revolved around the antics of the staff of a down-and-out radio station.

In the event that there are readers who haven’t seen the episode, I’ll try to avoid any blatant spoilers. The action involves a radio promotion that, in hindsight, was destined for disaster. The episode unfolds at the perfect pace, finally culminating in a hilarious series of scenes as the promotion backfires in spectacular fashion. I’ve memorized most of the lines of dialogue, but I still enjoy hearing them delivered by the talented actors Richard Sanders, Loni Anderson, Howard Hesseman and Gordon Jump. Hesseman passed away in 2022 on Jan. 29 at age 81. Frank Bonner, the actor behind sleazy ad rep Herb Tarlek, died June 16, 2021, at age 79. Jump died Sept. 22, 2003, at age 71. Anderson died this year on Aug. 3, two days shy of her 80th birthday.

Anderson’s character, Jennifer Marlowe, delivers one of my favorite lines while on the phone trying to appease an official outraged by the station’s “turkey drop” stunt. “Mister mayor, many turkeys don’t make it through Thanksgiving,” she says into the phone as the station’s staff deals with fallout from the promotional catastrophe. The line perfectly showcases Anderson’s comic timing and in-character demeanor.

With Anderson’s death, the living cast members now consist of Gary Sandy, Jan Smithers, Richard Sanders and Tim Reid.

In the Thanksgiving episode it’s Jump who gets the pivotal line with his perfectly delivered, “As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!”

That classic line provides my segue into the subject of this week’s column, which is America’s wild turkey. I sometimes wonder if my favorite episode of WKRP, which first aired 47 years ago, has had some influence in persuading many people that turkeys cannot fly. It’s a widely held misconception that the wild turkey cannot fly. The turkey is perfectly capable of flying at speeds up to 55 miles per hour, but they often prefer to walk and run over the ground. They’re good sprinters, in fact, and can reach a running speed of 25 miles per hour. Turkeys can even swim!

On the other hand, the domesticated barnyard turkey is a fowl of a completely different kind than its wild cousin. Although the wild turkey — the largest of North America’s game birds — can weigh as much as 37 pounds, it’s the domestic turkey that holds the record as a heavyweight. The largest domestic turkey on record tipped the scales at 86 pounds. That bird certainly could have provided an ample banquet for your Thanksgiving meal. Domestic turkeys are bred to be big, which means they are incapable of flight and are also poor runners. Of course, these domestic kin of wild turkeys don’t face a gauntlet of predators.

I remember the first time that I observed wild turkeys in flight. I was driving near Persimmon Ridge Park in Jonesborough, Tennessee, when about a dozen large, dark birds flew across the road just above the roof of my vehicle. I was definitely perplexed as my mind worked to figure out the identity of these birds. I had almost settled on vultures — although the flight pattern had been all wrong — when I saw that some of these flyers had landed in a field adjacent to the road. On the ground, they were easily recognized as wild turkeys.

In addition to watching my Thanksgiving episode of “WKRP in Cincinnati” I may also take a drive to see if I can’t spy some wild turkeys in the countryside. If they take flight, that would be a bonus!

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Bryan Stevens has written about birds, birders and birding since 1995. Email him at ahoodedwarbler @aol.com to share sightings, ask questions or make comments.

Bryan Stevens • Wild turkeys cross a snowy field.