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The Migrant -- Yol C. L. WATERSON. TAIZIDERMIST mwwmr SmoWFOR~IIG 3205 Seifred Street ollEplMRTEmUlm lRhKPARMlWRD@ EMm~ care Naehville Banner IIY-- NASmLLE, TENN. SELF- --Am. mlnfRllWO wn *#WOFmfmmPk of birds a specialty. and Fih also prepared. All work done at reasonable prices. qefinest equipment, the most Vernon Sharp, Jr. bkilled craftamanship, the de- 220 Capitol Blvd. NASHVILLE, TENN. tompmy. Wha- your print- ing needs, see Rich first! m GENEXAL INSURANCE SEBVICE FTRE TORNADO TrnFT Printers, PubWm Cgtabmm, Bhk Books hiForms, Bruin- rn AUTOMOBILE AND COMPLETE 166163 SeFond Avenue, North UASEIMLLE TENNESSEE SUBETY PBOTErnON THE MIGRANT -- YOL. V, DECEMBER, 1934 NO. 4 -- - - . - .- - Published by the Tennessee 0rnitho:o~ical Society, to Record and Encourage the Study of Birds in Tcnneasce. Issued in March, June. Sepikmher and December. -- . -.. -- - --- -., .. .-. - -- - ..---- . .. -. -- ,-. THE NESTING BIRDS OF NORTHEASTERN TENXESSEE By ROBERT B. LYLE and BRUCE P. TYLER FOREFVOXD: Po~.ha!,s:LO i!isf).ibo!ic~~crlj)trl:Lic~~iio~zs 141-1: of wlorr uulus Ihu~r u,~tnotntcdlists of tkc b~.cc,ding 0i)ds uT ~trrius01. st~tnllc~.(ti-eas zuAea fl?c dntcr pr'csrlllud u.rc ncclr~~i~teII r~d ilef itlitc.. S~icltIists ewe of vralrrt, 11ut O,I,?I~css ftrir~irrl sl:ldics, hut crs Irclps ijr ruo.rk- ing 07!? tltc dcfnilrd geu!/~.crplticcl c!istribrtliul~01 art?. bids. rrbo~ttwhirl! conr- ?>arativclg little ,is gol!t,~,rrllyIc7ruzr~. The ?Ilmesrl~,trr.l,ttcle vjt Hte b'~,rlrc of .~lo?.tlb:rf.~le~nTnr.!r..ser is s?fclt o List. altd sl~otildmr~t with n ur,,y cordlrrl ?,rccj)tio;!ui~ ihr ~irf~,:of tF,c sf)~clairta ;rut~?nland riist~ibzttionnltii~~~ithol~,q?/. IVC I!~/I>c olto.yrihei, too few of s~!cl~ jj~blicct tiuns.---I-IAI~RY C. OSERHOLSZR. 111 the Seple~llber. 1933, issue of The Migl~11.tthe authors of this paper presented to its i.eacle1-2 n !ist of the bjrrls (11' ;;or~hea-tzrn (Upper IZast) Tenncb.;cc, ucciln.rng ciuriiig thc i~~o~.th~of !)r!cci>tbc).. <ar;:.niy and Peb1.u- ary, \I-hethey pern~ar~e~il~esidect:;, winter rcsideiiis, visil.an'cs or accirlcntsts- The Illere fact tl~al:these birds appeared here and wcye reco~.dedcluuinfi tllose thwe months was snfficient nt1:kority for listing thc~n. In th~s,the :>ccond pape?, only thuse birds are listed whose 11csts have bren found oi. :rye linown to exiz.t either by the authors, or by Messrs. Fi-ed M. Jnncs, for~?ittlyof Rris- rol, Tennessee, 01. Honra~rl:Long of Kingsport, Tcnncsser, who have very gra- ciously fncnished missil~gdata. This oppo~tunityis talren to thank them for their valuer1 nssist,ance. The te~1.iloryeovp~.etl by this papcr is the sa!nc as thst riccc~iberl in our 1)apcr on the minter li1.d~above ~'efur~,erll:n. It r~uhrzrsllortions of tl~c T,'p;?er Austral, Transition ac:! Caiiudisn XO~ICS. Our obscrv?.tions have bcen ;)lade within a i.ndi11s of thirty n~i!es cf Johnsnn City, which h~i~an e!r.vr.tion of about 1,700 f~rtahovc sea IeveI. This city lies in lile ::nHcy of the IVa- t;l;r:ya River, nc:stling a~ainstBufPnlo Mountain on the so:liileast, and ahout tilrw !;~~ndredfctt abovc and, say, five n~ilcssouthcast of the ri7e1,. It is Iocatr=6thirty 1ci1c.s south of the Vi:.-inia line. Tn the north ::ild vrer L ::tlhetchcs tn;. vsIley, lnountains rising- again at C.linch Muunlain to tlw )-ileal1 eleva- tio!~of 3,000 fect at a dislnnce of app~osimalclytrver~ly-J'ive 1111les fro:,> John- son City as thc crow fl~es. To the nortlleast lies Shady Valley, the tnpogra-- ph:y. of which is described in a recent pfipev "Summer Bi~,rlsoS Shady Vallcy," by A. I?. Ganier and Bruce P. TyLer in Thr ililigr.orzf. 1924, p. 21. The prin- cipal i~lountalnsto the southenst are BoJston, Iron, Roan and Big Bald. The latter two are on the Tennessee-North Cal*olinn state line, approrinlalcly twenty miles southeast of Johnson City, and having a marimurn eIevation of S,3i3 feet on Roan Mountain. More adjacent to Johnson City aye Buffalo, Cherokee and Unalta Mountains. Thc vaIley is traversed by the Watauga allti HoIston Xivers, and approached on the soutl~by the n'o1ic:tucky River. The Watauga and IJolston Rivers are scpat.aki1 by a ridge of minor i!ll- liortance. In this setting the data for this paper have bec.n .n;iecuretl. In the list of nesting birds enumerated thcre are species either known THE MIGRANT December, or believed to breed in this vicinity, particularly in the higher mountains, but on which, f~omlack of actual observation, no nesting data can be given. Nu- tntions to that effect are made under each of these species. This abbreviated record must not be intcrpreted to mean that the birds are not here, for they have been recorded ss present during the breedjng season when every action indicated that they kvem nesting, bnt the nests could not be found. We feel that their inclusion strengthens the value of our observations. Wherever pos- sible with each of the 105 species here listed, will be found the specific dates upon which nests have beell found in this locality. In the case of the tom- rnoner species, only three or four selected records are given. Thc information presented herewith is a suml-~aryof data collected over a period of many years of field work, representing hundreds of miles of rough walking, hard climbs, sore and bruised muscles, to say nothing of tat- tered clothing, fruitless trips or poison ivy. EASTERN GREEN HERON. B?<torides virescens vil-escens. Fail-Iy common on streams or ponds, where most nests are found. First nestina May 16th, five fresh egp;s. Second nesting, June 4th, five fresh eggs; June lath, five young just hatched; dune 20th, five eggs incubated four days. TURKEY VULTURE. Calhal-bes aarrn scptentrio?zalis. Fairly commnon. They nest as high as forty feet in tree cavities, brit mostly on pound in hollow trees and oId stumps, or in "pot holes" or small caves in the river bluffs. April loth, 22nd, 27th and 29th, May 13th and 16th. BLACK VU1,TURE. Corag?lp~atrahts rr.tra tzrs. Very abundant in a restricted area oil South Fork of Bolston River, but not to be found nesting elsewhere. All nests found have been in "pot holes" of the cliffs above the river. They nest about a nlonlh earlier than the Turkey Vu1tu1.e. Will frequently lay a second set in about twenty-one days in same nest if first eggs are taken. March 12th, 20th and 29th, April 2nd, 7th and 15th, and May 2nd. COOPER'S HAWK. Accipdtrr coop~ri. Fairly comman. The farmers are unfriendly to them hccause of their lik- ing for poultry, and have reduced their numbers. Nests found usually above forty feet, one being collected at the heiaht of one hundred and twelve feet. April 16th, four fresh eggs; April 21, two fresh eggs (spotted) ; May lst, five eggs incubated five days; May 19th, four fresh eggs; May 20th, four fresh eggs. EASTERN RED-TAILED HAWK. Bltleo borealis borealis. Fairly common in the heavy timber. Nests pIaced at very greatest heights in largest trees. The majority lay about March 25th, but nests have been found to contain eggs until June. March 26th, two eggs incubated twenty days; May 25th, two fresh eggs; April Ist, one egg incubated twenty days; April 4th, hatching; April Ist, two fresh eggs. BROAD-WINGED HAWK. Bj~teoplatypte?xs platypte~us. Bather rare. April 29th, three fresh eggs; May 2nd, three eggs incubated five days; May 3rd, three eggs incubated five days; May Gth, two fresh eggs; May 9th, t\vo eggs incubated three days; May 16th, four eggs incubated ten days. I)U CK HAWK. Ftr Leo ?)cr~grinuso?zudnr?n. Three pairs nesting r,ear Soknsorr City-all in cliffs above rivers. May Lst, 1929, three youny almost grown, in brown and white plumage; April 14th, 1933, one egg; May 13th, 1933, three eggs-second nesting. (Sce The Migrant, 1033, p. 43); March 29th, 1934, three young and two eggs. EASTERN SPARROW HAWK. Falco apavvevizrs sparvsfi,rcs. Fairly common. Of late years oceasiona1 nesting sites have been chosen in suitable holes in brick buiIdings in the heart of business sections. Usually THE MIGRANT they nest high in holes of dead trees. April 22nd, four fresh eggs; April 24th, six eggs incubated four days; April 26t11, five eggs about to hatch; April 27111,five eg~sincubated ten days; May IOth, five eggs incubated four days; May 31st, three frcsh eggs. EASTERN RUFFED GROUSE, Bonascr zintbellns it?~rbcllits. Fairly common in the mou~~tains.Nest in April and again if broken up. May 22nd (second nesting), four fresh eggs; May 29tl1, brood of ten just able to fly. EASTERN BOB WHITE. Coli?~z~svii4ginia?t?,~s v?rgi~iiomus. Fairly comnlon. Rnisc two broods each year. May 12th, four fresh eggs; June 71h, two ncsts, just bcginning to lay (Shady Valley); July 5th, two fresh eggs. KILLDE~R. 0xyrclur.s vocifc~tts?~oriJcr?ts. Nests found i.n both gyassy and cultivaled fields, and often at a great distance froin watcr. Nest.s through April, May and June. March 21st) fnu~newly hatched yourig-weather. cold; April 28th; May 10th; May 241h, four exgs incubated four [lays; June 10th; June 18th. AMERICAN WOODCOCK. Philol~clan~iizoi~. Regular sumlner resident in suitable locations, but very scarce.
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