First Birding Trip to Eastern Tennessee - Breaking the Ice, Sevier and Jefferson Counties, TN, February 17, 2021

This has been a great winter for Evening Grosbeaks in the south.  Earlier in the winter most sightings were flybys of a small number of birds.  For instance I heard 2 birds fly over my yard on November 8, 2020, and a single bird on November 20.  As the winter progressed small flocks were reported at a few feeding stations here and there.  Several photos of these showy birds were posted on the local listserves providing some nice eye candy.

All the recent reports I noticed were from locations in NC – luckily I no longer needed this one for my NC list.  But then on February 9th Galen Goodrum posted an excellent photo of an Evening Grosbeak he saw in Sevierville, TN.  That was just under 2 hours away.  Since it may be a long time before Evening Grosbeaks irrupt into the area again, this may be my last chance to try to add them to my TN list.  When I moved to the area I had planned on traveling to eastern TN to work on that statelist, with the state line just an hour away.  But I had never quite gotten around to doing the research needed to bird in TN.  Maybe the nearby Grosbeaks would give me the impetus I needed to expand my horizons into TN.

I used to travel to Memphis, TN very frequently for work in the late 90’s and 2000’s.  I birded in the area many times with Jeff Wilson who was the best field birder I’ve ever met – I learned a lot from Jeff.  And along with a couple trips to the eastern part of the state over the years, I had amassed a nice state list of 237.  But of course I still needed Evening Grosbeak, along with a few regular species , not to mention numerous rarities.  As a first step to see what statebird targets might be around not too far from home, I set up an eBird Needs Alert for TN.  Quite a number of “needs” popped up, but many were way too far away.  So I needed to sort the long list to focus on counties that are closest to the NC/TN line.  Luckily there was still a considerable list of targets reasonably close to home.  Then I divided the list into those from counties northwest of me near I-40, and those toward the north near I-26. 

There were recent Evening Grosbeak sightings in both areas, but the more recent ones were from the northern counties.  So I initially leaned toward heading north.  But then several new Grosbeak sightings were posted from the Sevierville site to the northwest, including over 100 birds at one feeder.  So with my top target now looking like it was most likely in Sevierville, I focused my final research on the northwestern counties.  There were 2 additional recent targets in nearby Jefferson county – a Long-tailed Duck was seen for a couple days amazingly in a shallow farm pond along Falcon Road in White Pine.  And along that same road there were numerous reports of Sandhill Cranes – up to 55 from one report.  There was also one cryptic report of a pair of Mute Swans quite close to the Grosbeaks.  I say “cryptic” because the location was not shown accurately in the post, and the details mentioned a site that didn’t quite make sense.  Plus given that the post was now a few days old, I decided to pass on that one.  Lastly, I reached out to Galen and learned a bit more about his Evening Grosbeak sighting.

I had completed my research.  My plan was to first head to Sevierville for my highest priority Evening Grosbeaks, staying as long as needed to hopefully find them.  Then I would head to the Falcon Road area to hope for the Long-tailed Duck and Sandhill Cranes.  Now I needed to choose a day with good weather.  The biggest concern was the potential for snow showers or even heavier snow as I crossed over the mountains into TN.  I picked the 17th as a clear day.  Plus, as a bonus, seasonal temps were predicted.  I checked the eBird reports one last time for the latest updates just before I headed out the door – unfortunately the Long-tailed Duck was not found there on the 16th, and the last Crane report was from the 15th.  My optimism was waning a bit, though I’d be happy if I was just able to find the Grosbeaks.

I left the house predawn on the 17th and neared Sevierville at 8:30.  Photos on eBird reports seemed to suggest the Grosbeaks were coming to feeders on Rex Lane at a house with a large railing across the back deck.  And most sightings were from a location that looked to be a roadside pulloff between houses.  After taking a wrong turn that took me on a scary narrow mountain road, I made it to Rex Lane and came to that roadside pulloff.  Just as I pulled in I noticed some movement in trees right in front of me.  With a quick binocular view even through the distortion of my windshield I could tell I had Evening Grosbeaks.  I hopped out of the car and estimated at least 25 birds in the trees right in front of me.  Here’s a photo of a cooperative bird I took holding my phone up to my binocs.

And I could hear more Grosbeaks calling a short distance uphill.  I looked to the house up above me and there were maybe 50 more birds perched on the porch railing.  I got this tape of the flock as they milled about along the railing  The air was full of their raucous calls too - unfortunately I couldn't get the sound to come across.

 That was amazingly easy!  I stayed for 15 or 20 minutes to take it all in.  It reminded my of my time growing up in Maryland when large flocks like this would descend on my feeders every few years.  But that was a different time some 30 or 40 years ago when the eastern population of the Evening Grosbeak was much more common.  In fact, in April 2016 the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) listed the Evening Grosbeak as a species of Special Concern due to strong population declines occurring mainly in central and eastern Canada.

My statebird map for Evening Grosbeak is inserted below – the blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen this species; the cross-hatched states are those where it is regular but I haven’t yet seen it.  Or at least in the East, those are states where Evening Grosbeak used to be regular.  And now NC and TN are the two tan-shaded states where I’ve seen this species as a rarity.

Next it was off to Falcon Road in Jefferson County.  Although I was happy to have found my top priority target, I was still hopeful that the Long-tailed Duck and Sandhill Cranes might still be around.  Falcon Road cuts through an extensive area of farmland, with several farm ponds nearby.  One eBird report mentioned the Long-tailed Duck was in the “largest pond” – GoogleMaps showed a larger pond adjacent to the road on the west side so I assumed this was the one.  And all recent checklists had good numbers of multiple waterfowl species.  I drove up to what I thought was the key pond and did a quick scan – no waterfowl at all.  I looked more closely and all I could I could fine were a couple Buffleheads.  Perhaps the Long-tailed had indeed moved on.  Or maybe I had the wrong pond – there were other larger ponds a bit farther off the road that could be possible candidates.  I drove a bit farther to the north and came to another pond that was a bit smaller – this one had quite a number of ducks so I was hopeful.  Although I had 7 Shovelers and 23 Green-winged Teal, I could find no diving ducks at all.  It wasn’t looking good. 

There were two ponds on the east side of the road that I had driven by earlier without checking because they were so small.  But with no luck at the larger ponds, I needed to check these last 2 smallest ones.  I turned around and checked the first one – not surprisingly no birds.  Then I got to the next one and saw something floating in the middle.  I put it in my binocs – it was the Long-tailed Duck!  It was close enough that I got this photo holding my phone up to my binocs.

I would have never expected a diving duck on such a small pond.  I guess it too decided this wasn’t the best location because it soon took off and flew back over to its preferred larger pond. 

TN was now the third state where I’ve seen Long-tailed Duck as a rarity, along with CO and NE.  I’ve also seen this species in most of its regular states on the Pacific coast, northeast Atlantic coast, and along the Great Lakes.

Not to be greedy, but now my attention turned to my third target – Sandhill Crane.  There was suitable habitat all around me – rolling hills covered in hayfields and harvested row crops.  I slowly did a 360 scan but didn’t find any tall gray birds walking through the fields.  But with all the hills, there could easily be Cranes nearby that were hiding just out of view.  I drove a bit farther south to get a different angle but again came up empty.  Then I spotted a flock of large birds flying low over one of the fields.  I first thought they were Canada Geese but realized they weren’t quite right.  With a closer look I realized they were Sandhill Cranes – a flock of 9 birds.  They passed over the road and disappeared behind a nearby hill to the west.  A couple minutes later another flock of 15 Cranes flew by, nicely giving their bugling calls - you can see them in the distance near the top of the hill.

 TN was my 38th state for this wide-ranging species, including 12 states on the East Coast where it is a rarity.

That’s 3 for 3 for my targets - what an amazing first trip to eastern TN!  That brings my TN state list to 240. 

Now that I live in western NC, I realize that pursuing statebirds in TN is actually very similar to my old statebirding trips to several New England states when I lived in MA.  Back then it was about an hour drive for me to cross into ME, VT, RI, and CT, and I found many new statebirds in each of those states within 2 hours of home.  So now that I’ve broken the ice for TN birding, I’m looking forward to many more trips to the Volunteer State.  In fact, when researching this trip to the northwest along I-40, I found several other TN targets to the north along I-26.  Hopefully I can make a trip to that part of the state in the near future.

I love statebirding!

Bullock’s Oriole - After a Bit of Prodding, Mecklenburg County, NC, February 12, 2021

This winter there have been no less than 3 Bullock’s Orioles in NC.  Each has been a long-staying feeder bird which eventually became quite reliable.  But the closest was nearly a 2-hour drive away near Charlotte.  Couldn’t quite justify the long ride and standing out in the cold staring at a feeder.  I’ve had a lot of experience looking for rarities at feeders and have decided it’s typically my least favorite type of birding.  Often you have to spend an extended amount of time staring at a boring feeder looking at chickadees and titmice.  And even if the target does show up, it’s not like the bird is unexpected.  Not to mention your emotions if the bird doesn’t show up.  For example, twice I’ve spent an entire day unsuccessfully looking for a Bullock’s Oriole at a feeder (in NH and ME.)  It’s a no-win kind of situation. 

But then again, as hockey great Wayne Gretzky once said – “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”.  Or if Wayne Gretzky was a birder he might have said – “You miss 100% of the birds you don’t chase after”.  Despite the Great One's advice, I decided I’d just wait for one to show up somewhere closer.

But then on February 11 Simon Thompson posted an excellent picture of a Bullock’s Oriole in Mecklenburg County saying “this fellow is super reliable”.  If I were to chase after it I’d have to figure out how to look for the bird.  With some quick eBird research I found that the bird was at an eBird hotspot very nicely titled – “stakeout Bullock's Oriole, Huntersville (2020-2021) Call or text 704-578-4671 for Permission”.  I texted the homeowner to get permission, and found out that the feeders were visible from outside – no need to enter their house during these Covid times.  And I noticed that my birding friend Bill Hooker had just seen the bird as well.  Bill had been trying to talk me into go after an earlier Bullock's, and said this bird was truly quite reliable.  I finally had exceeded the “activation energy” needed to chase after the bird. 

I was out of the house early on the 12th and pulled into the stakeout spot by 8 AM.  I drove around back and was greeted by a large flock of least 75 Pine Siskins at the feeders.  Pretty impressive!  The Oriole was being seen feeding on an orange attached to one of the feeder poles, and sometimes seen perched in trees nearby.  It was raining a bit so luckily I could see the feeders right from the driver’s seat in the dry and warm car.  I positioned my car to see the orange feeder as well as all the rest of the feeding station to begin my vigil.  With no Oriole at the feeder, I scanned the trees, but with no luck.  Then I looked back at the orange and there was the male Bullock’s Oriole chowing down.  I only had to wait 5 minutes before the bird arrived.  It stayed there for several minutes before it flew off around the corner of the house.  Talk about being reliable…

Bullock’s Oriole was #311 for my NC statelist.  In my statebird map below the blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen this species in its regular range.  And NC is now my 6th eastern state where I’ve seen it as a rarity (the tan states).

 After spending more time watching the Siskins, including finding a Purple Finch mixed in, I contacted Bill Hooker and met up with him for some quick birding in Rutherford County on the way home.  We are both working on our county lists there, and picked up 2 rare Eurasian Collared-Doves in “downtown” Ellenboro, and Coot and Ruddy Duck at the lake at Isothermal Community College.  A nice ending to a very nice morning.

More Rarities at Dobbins Farm – But Not the Expected One, Anderson County, SC, February 10, 2021

Ross’s Goose is one of my favorite birds, dating back to my numerous work trips to the Memphis area in the late 90s and 2000’s.  During the colder months I would enjoy seeing large flocks of white geese either migrating through or wintering in the area.  The vast majority were Snows, but with close examination I would spot occasional Ross’s Geese mixed in.  In flight, a Ross’s would often be at the head of the line.  It was fun to play “Where’s Waldo” looking for those diminutive geese among their larger cousins.  Over the years I would end up adding Ross’s to my lists in 31 states and 1 Canadian province as this species rapidly increased in numbers. 

When I moved to the Carolinas I needed Ross’s Goose for my statelists in both NC and SC, as well as Snow Goose in South Carolina.  I was able to see Ross’s in NC within just a few months of moving to the region in 12/19.  And finally got Snow Goose in SC about a year later in 11/20 at Dobbins Farm in Anderson County.  And although there were several more Ross’s records in the mountains of NC, there were no nearby records of Ross’s in SC.

That is until late January 2021 when Ross’s and Snows appeared at not 1 but 2 farm ponds in Anderson County.  Remarkably the sites were just 11 miles apart “as the goose flies”.  Unfortunately, I had commitments at home that prevented me from getting out at that time.  But the reports continued at both spots for a couple weeks, until I was finally able to make a run to the area on February 10.  The last report from the first site, Clemson University Simpson Research Station, was on the 7th – 2 Ross’s were seen with 5 Snows.  And from the other site, Dobbins Farm where I’ve seen several rarities since moving to the area, the last report was on the 8th with 1 each Ross’s and Snow.  There were no reports positive or negative from the 9th.  But I was still quite optimistic that the birds that had been around at the Clemson site for 13 days, and at Dobbins Farm for 11 days, would still be around when I was finally able to look for them.

My plan for the 10th was to first head to the Clemson site since it was closer, then bird the Dobbins Farm area.  I got out of the house early on the 10th and arrived at the Clemson site at about 9 AM.  The Ross’s and Snow Geese were sometimes seen with Canadas on the farm pond there, and sometimes seen foraging in fields nearby.  As I pulled up to the pond I hoped (dare I say expected) to see some white dots on the water which would be my target birds – but I didn’t see a single goose.  I got out and with a quick binocular view couldn’t find any waterfowl at all.  They must be feeding in the fields I surmised.  There was suitable grazing habitat all around me, so I did a 360-degree search but still found no geese.  I drove east a short distance and looked from that different vantage point but again found no geese.  At least I still had Dobbins Farm to search for my target.

Twenty minutes later I arrived at Dobbins Farm again hoping to see those white dots on the ponds in the distance.  First I arrived at the upper pond – no geese at all.  Then I pulled down to the lower pond – no geese again.  I checked both ponds more closely, but there’s next to no way a white goose could hide on these relatively small farm ponds.  To say that I was upset would be an understatement – saying a number of things to myself that I can’t put in print here on my blog.  I had gotten there just a day or 2 too late.

I was tempted to just get back in the car and drive home, but decided to do at least a little birding at Dobbins before heading back.  One of my other targets at that farm has been Brewer’s Blackbirds that are occasionally reported from the site.  In fact a male/female pair were spotted there a few days earlier.  The cows were feeding in their troughs along the road so I though perhaps a blackbird might be there feeding on some spilled grain.  I quickly searched the area but came up empty.  Then I heard a couple blackbird call notes in the distance.  The recent report mentioned the Brewer’s were “Seen in top of trees behind lower pond”, so I looked into those trees in the distance and sure enough there was a blackbird perched near the top.  Too far to ID with binoculars, so I quickly got out my scope.  The bird was very glossy, with a yellow eye, and short tail – I had myself a male Brewer’s Blackbird!  Here’s a picture of those trees in the background behind the lower pond.

And a phonescoped view of the bird, though admittedly too distant to confirm the ID in this less-than-ideal photo.

 While studying the Brewer’s I realized that there was a nearby meadowlark singing an odd song.  I focused on the call and realized it was the singing Western Meadowlark, a bird I first heard here back in November and was now being occasionally heard and seen yet again among all the Eastern Meadowlarks.  Who knows how long it had been singing and I hadn’t noticed it while concentrating on the blackbird.  Then I turned back to the blackbird and realized there was a second one in the trees – another male Brewer’s.  Nice consolation prizes – a new SC statebird in the Brewer’s, and an even rarer Western Meadowlark.

Here’s my statebird map for Brewer’s Blackbird – the blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen this species in its regular range.  The cross-hatched states are those in its regular range where I’ve yet to see this species.  The 4 tan states are those where I’ve seen it as a rarity.

I drove back to the upper pond hoping against hope that I might still find those white geese.  At the northeastern end of the pond I spotted a few Canada Geese at the edge of the pond.  While scanning through them I noticed a pair of geese flying overhead.  They circled and pitched in right in front of me – it was a pair of Greater White-fronted Geese.  I got these passable phonescoped photos of the pair.

White-fronts are actually rarer in the region than Ross’s.  Over the last 6 years in the SC Upstate there have been 15 reports of Ross’s while just 11 reports of White-fronts.

I’ve now seen White-fronted Goose throughout most of the states in its regular range, along with most east coast states where it’s a rarity.  Most of those northeast sightings are of birds from the Greenland flavirostris race, while sightings from the western Carolinas are most likely from the inland frontalis race.

That gave me 2 additions to my SC state list, bringing my total to 284.  Not to mention my second observation of the Western Meadowlark – only the second SC state record.  So even though I missed my target (and expected) Ross’s Goose, I’ll gladly take this great set of consolation prizes.  I’ll just have to get the Ross’s Goose in the future – maybe on a future trip to Dobbins Farm.