[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Smoky Mountain Birdin' Break



Hi Carolinabirders,

My girlfriend and I spent the weekend - actually Duke's Fall Break, 
Saturday through Tuesday - out in the Smoky Mountains. Well, first we hit 
the summit of Mount Mitchell, highest point east of the Mississippi. I 
was hoping to run into some Black-capped Chickadees while we were up 
there. No such luck; the entire place - most of the southern Blue Ridge, 
actually - was socked in with dense fog, intermittent rain, and stiff 
breeze. Juncos were the only birds around, and a few tiny brown 
salamander larvae in the spring the only other animals. It was fun to see 
the alpine habitat there, so different from anything else in the state.

After some brief civilized fun in Asheville, we headed for the Joyce 
Kilmer Memorial Trail, the only place in NC which has never been logged. 
I saw very few birds here as well, primarily because (1) the trees were 
so tall that the birds were too far overhead to see, (2) the undergrowth 
was so lush that I couldn't see birds through it, and (3) I was too 
stunned by the beauty of the place to really mind that I wasn't seeing 
birds and do anything about it. My girlfriend, a naturalist but not a 
birder, was not about to complain. My only notable bird sighting on the 
day was a Ruffed Grouse that flew across the road as we were driving in 
from Robbinsville, my first for the state (but not my last for the 
trip...).

The next morning, as we were packing up to leave the campground, I 
started hearing bird calls. We were in a hurry, so I couldn't be 
thorough, but I did pick out a Black-throated Green Warbler from the 
flock.

Our main activity for the day was to drive up to the Wolf Laurel area, 
hike up to Straddon Bald, camp there, and explore the area. Again I was 
stymied in my search for Black-capped Chickadee. However, the Naked 
Ground Trail, which ran downhill from the Bald, was swarming with 
migrants! Most of them appeared to be whizzing past without stopping. The 
area was above cloud level, in fact the clouds enveloped the area for 
almost our entire time there, so these birds may have actually been 
migrating, skimming the mountaintops as they did so. Or maybe we were 
just hiking in the less desirable habitat at that time. A dozen or so 
passed by every minute. Eventually, we did find an area where the birds 
were hanging around; I think it was on the Deep Creek trail, just east of 
its intersection with Naked Ground. The habitat was an east-facing slope, 
a little less breezy and drier than the ridge where the Naked Ground 
trail runs. Unfortunately, the mist made most of the birds into mere 
shapes, impossible to identify to species. The few that came close enough 
included Solitary (BH) Vireo, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Tennessee Warbler, 
Orange-crowned Warbler, and an assortment of "confusing fall" types that 
I suspect were mostly Blackpoll. My NBC (Non-Birding Companion) 
eventually pried me away, but the birds seemed to be still moving. We 
also uncovered a couple of Blue Ridge Two-lined Salamanders, Eurycea 
wilderae, while we were out there, one of them only inches from our tent 
on the Bald.

My companion had had the poor judgement to agree to host a potluck dinner 
on the last night of Fall Break, which meant that we had to leave 
immediately the next morning. I did convince her to stop a few more times 
for salamanders, mostly various species of Desmognathus (Dusky 
Salamanders). We didn't encounter any birds of note on the hike down. 
However, while we were driving back out of the forest, at one point a big 
brown lump scuttled to the edge of the road and paused there. Ruffed 
Grouse! And a second one, just beyond it! These two posed extrememly 
cooperatively, the closer one perhaps 25 feet from the car, while we 
handed the binoculars back and forth to admire them. Even my girlfriend 
had to appreciate birds like these, especially as I described the 
drumming behavior of the males in spring. Another grouse hopped across 
the road and into the Rhododendrons at close range a little further 
downhill.

Back in the yard, things are quiet. At least one hummer appeared at my 
feeder last week, but after I cleaned and refilled the feeder before 
leacving for break, the liquid level hadn't dropped a centimeter between 
then and this morning. I guess the regulars have all moved on. Now it's 
just a matter of keeping the sugar water fresh and hoping for a 
miracle... I'm also disappointed that my house is not yet among the many 
in Durham and Hillsborough which are being visited by Red-Breasted 
Nuthatches. My feeders haven't really attracted any migrants or wintering 
birds yet, although I have noted a few in the trees and sky over and 
around the yard: American Redstart, Northern Parula, Ruby-crowned 
Kinglet, even some fly-by Canada Geese. Guess I just have to keep waiting 
for my yard's reputation to get established among the feathered folks...

Good birding!

Josh



Joshua S. Rose
Duke University
Department of Zoology

jsr6@acpub.duke.edu
http://www.duke.edu/~jsr6/