On February 17th I made my first birding trip to eastern TN since moving to western NC, breaking the ice so to speak. That was a most successful trip to an area northwest of home, netting three new birds for my TN list. While doing research for that trip I found several other targets I needed near the northeast corner of TN in an area north of home, but that would have been too much ground to cover for one day. So while driving back from my most successful initial TN trip I was already starting to plan my next TN trip, this one to northeast TN.
There were 3 key targets being seen north of me near
I-26. The first 2 were seen at South
Holston Lake, specifically from the boat launch along Route 421. First there was a White-winged Scoter
reported along with a Long-tailed Duck (since I got a Long-tailed on my
previous TN trip that one was no longer a target). Then there was a Red-throated Loon seen along
with several Common Loons. The Scoter
was reported multiple times, though the Loon was only reported once. So I was hopeful for the Scoter but realistic
that my chances were low on the Red-throated.
Though I’m always up for a long-distance Loon search – it’s almost like
my beloved seawatches. The third target
was perhaps even a longer-shot – a pair of Common Mergansers reported just once
on the Watauga River in Johnson City, and that was nearly a week earlier. But that spot would only require a short
side-trip on my route home, so certainly worth a try.
And then there’s another twist – the South Holston Lake boat
ramp is less than 10 minutes from the TN/VA state line. My VA statelist was a respectable 249, but I
still had many gaps. I set up an eBird
Needs Alert for VA and found only one recently reported target near the state
line – Wild Turkey, and they’re almost never reliable. With a bit more research I found very few
hotspots nearby, and few recent checklists submitted in the area. With no reliable targets to chase after my
thoughts turned to doing a bit of speculative birding in the area. One of my possible VA statebirds was the Pine
Siskin. This has been a great winter for
Siskins, with many moving through earlier in the season. So ordinarily I would think that this would
be the year for me to add that species to my VA list. But lately the reports from southwestern VA
had been pretty limited, with none being reliable. (Actually, the closest recent Siskin report
was from the Holston Lake boat ramp in TN – but I didn’t need Siskin for my TN
list.) Maybe I could get lucky and just run
into a flock. One of the closest
hotspots was Washington County Park on South Holston Lake. It had a nice wooded area which looked like
it could be birdy. So I decided to make
a short side-trip to the park and hope to get lucky birding the woodlands and
brushy edges.
The night before my trip I checked eBird one last time for
updates. Unfortunately, there was a
report from the boat ramp with no Scoter or Oldsquaw, and still no Red-throated
Loon. And no new Common Merganser
sightings. Had they all moved on? I was realistically thinking that I might not
get any new statebirds on this trip. But
even if that were the case, it would give me a chance to visit a new area.
The morning of the 20th was a cold one – 24 degrees when I
left the house. And when I crested the
mountains near the TN/NC line the temp had dropped to 18 degrees. The clouds near the top looked a bit ominous,
and were spitting a few snow flurries, but I wasn’t too concerned about road
conditions. Shortly after I crossed into
TN I spotted an immature Bald Eagle flying overhead – not new for my list but
perhaps an omen of good things to come.
I arrived at the Holston Lake boat launch area around 8:45
and started to get my bearings. First
there were long views like this one out on the lake in several directions where
searches for Loons might be fruitful.
But the photos of the Scoter and Long-tailed Duck looked to be in more protected waters and from a closer distance. The area between the boat ramp and the marina toward the west was quite protected, so I started my search there. Unfortunately, the only waterfowl there were 2 Canada Geese. I started to wonder if it might be worthwhile to try to access the marina and look for the ducks among the boat slips. There was also a somewhat protected area to the southeast, but that area came up empty for waterfowl. The only birds were a small flock of Ring-billed Gulls with a couple Bonaparte’s mixed in.
Then I turned my focus to a search for Loons farther out on
the lake. It was rather breezy, which
put a bit of a chop on the reservoir. My
first scan came up empty. Then on the
next scan I found a Loon which was obviously a Common. And then on a later scan I found 2 others
together but again they were just Commons – though they were a considerable
distance out making the IDs challenging.
I was coming up empty on both of my targets, but I didn’t
feel good that I had found the right spot for the Scoter. I started to wonder if there was another cove
with protected waters nearby that I hadn’t found yet. I walked a short distance north toward the
main road, and looking off to the northeast found a small protected cove. Could this be the right spot?
As I set up my scope a Red-breasted Nuthatch called from the pines overhead. One of the checklists with the Scoter also had a Red Nut – maybe I was finally in the right spot. On the first scan I saw only a Bufflehead. Then with binocs I spotted a dark duck on the water a short distance away. I put it in my scope and I had the female White-winged Scoter. And with another scan I spotted the Long-tailed Duck. A bit later all 3 divers where swimming together providing this phonescoped moment.
It’s amazing how looking in the right spot can increase your chances of finding your target birds. While I was there a local birder arrived also looking for the Scoter and Long-tailed and I was able to point her toward this protected cove. Looks like I wasn’t the only one who didn’t know where to look. I made sure when completing my eBird checklist for this spot to add some specific directions to this cove.
My statebird map for White-winged Scoter is inserted
below. The blue-shaded states are those
where I’ve seen this species in its regular range – principally on the Pacific
coast, northern Atlantic coast, and along the Great Lakes. The cross-hatched states are those where it
is regular but I haven’t yet seen it. And
now TN was the 7th state where I’ve seen this species as an inland or southern
rarity.
So with one target under my belt I returned to my original spot to spend more time looking for Loons. My first couple scans came up empty – no Loons at all, just a flyby Bufflehead. But the water was pretty rough, and there was a bit of heat shimmer so distant viewing wasn’t exactly easy. Then I picked up one Common Loon in the distance, and a short distance away spotted a second Loon, both diving frequently. My initial take on this second bird was that it was noticeably smaller than the Common. Did I have the Red-throated? The overall appearance seemed to be that it was a browner bird, a bit lighter than the nearby Common. Then I focused on the head - the bill was smaller than the Common and the head was more rounded. I did not notice that its head and bill were more upturned typical of a Red-throated, but given the considerable distance (likely over a half mile) and its limited time above water, I felt like that wasn’t a deal breaker. After 30 minutes of studying this bird I concluded I had found the Red-throated Loon. Unfortunately, it was way too far away for photos.
In my statebird map below I’ve seen Red-throated Loon in all
its regular coastal states, but still need it in several states in the Great
Lakes region. And TN was my second state
(after VT) where I’ve seen it as a rarity.
Now it was off to VA and my speculative search for Pine Siskins. Just a couple minutes after crossing the stateline I arrived at the gate to Washington County Park, only to find out that it was closed. Mind you, it was not just a pole across the road to keep cars out but you could still walk in. No, it was a gate in a chain-link fence blocking all access to the park. That was disappointing. At least there was also a boat ramp down to South Holston Lake that I could explore. I set up my scope and only found a couple Ring-billed Gulls flying about. There was a little passerine activity along the shoreline but not much else. I was just about to call it quits on the VA part of my trip when I noticed a medium-sized red passerine fly past me along the shoreline. I put my binoculars on it and was shocked to realize it was a male Red Crossbill! I followed it to a grove of pine trees a short distance away and realized there was a whole flock of Crossbills up there. I guessed perhaps 8 or 10 birds flitting about, complete with their “kip kip” call notes. Just then the whole flock dropped down to the water’s edge to drink – I counted 14 Crossbills, more than half red adult males. I snapped this phonescoped photo unfortunately a second after most of the flock took of – at least 2 birds remained for the shot.
Red Crossbill was #250 for my VA list – my 24th state with at least 250 species. And VA was my third state where I’ve added this species to my state list since moving to the area (along with NC and SC). I’m still hoping to see Crossbills in TN most likely in the highest mountains along the Blue Ridge, where they are typically much more common than in VA.
A bit later I had a calling Brown-headed Nuthatch in those same pines. And a Palm Warbler foraging on the lawn below. A very nice stop. On my way back to TN I drove some of the back roads still hoping to find a Siskin flock but to no avail. Though I’m certainly not disappointed - I’ll take Red Crossbill over Pine Siskin any time! Maybe I can get back to the area in early spring and get Siskins as they are heading back north.
My next planned stops on my way south were a couple areas
along South Holston Lake hoping to find other waterfowl or gulls. A couple stops along the river below the dam
yielded an amazing 152 Bufflehead, along with 20 Wigeon. It was a fast-flowing river that looked good
for Common Mergansers, but not today.
And a stop at the dam overlook offered this nice scenic view, though I
didn’t have a single bird on the water.
Next I was off to the Johnson City area to try for the Common Mergansers. The birds had been seen on the Watauga River, which meanders through the area for quite a number of miles. The eBird report mentioned “Seen multiple times flying up/downstream. Landed in water in front of us”. There was only limited access to the river, providing a view of only one small portion of river habitat likely suitable for Mergansers. And along with the fact that the sighting was now 6 days old, this would be a long-shot to say the least.
I arrived at the pinned eBird location to find a small park
and fishing pier with a nice view of the river.
Certainly seemed suitable for Mergansers. But the problem was I saw no waterfowl at
all. I scanned upstream and down, and
waited at least 10 minutes, but still no waterfowl. Then on one scan I noticed a Great Blue Heron
standing on a grassy bank a short distance downstream. On closer look I thought I could see the dark
head of a duck, likely a Mallard, sitting in the grass nearby. I put them in the scope – it wasn’t a Mallard,
it was a male Common Merganser!
I was able to drive down closer to the roosting Merganser now barely visible over a small rise, and realized a female was by his side.
Later when I looked back at my photo of the Heron in the distance I realized you could see the reddish head of the female Merganser right behind the legs of the Great Blue. Not sure I would have spotted my targets if the Great Blue hadn’t been perched there. And if the birds had been resting along the shoreline just a short distance farther downstream they would have been around the bend and out of view. Certainly an element of luck involved with birding.
I’ve seen Common Merganser throughout most of its range,
though I still need it in 3 northern states, as well as 5 southeastern states
where this species might be better called the “Not So Common Merganser”.
That brings my TN list up to 243 – a nice addition of 6 birds over 2 trips in the same week. An excellent way to start my birding in eastern TN. I’ve come up with a list of another 34 possible targets along the eastern edge of TN to hope for in the future. Plus, another 32 additional targets in southwestern VA. Can’t wait for more trips to explore these new regions.
