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Smoky Mountain Birdin' Break
- To: carolinabirds@duke.edu
- Subject: Smoky Mountain Birdin' Break
- From: Joshua Stuart Rose <jsr6@duke.edu>
- Date: Wed, 13 Oct 1999 17:03:14 -0400 (EDT)
- Sender: carolinabirds-owner@acpub.duke.edu
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/