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western NC weekend



This past weekend, I did some birding in the mountains of western North
Carolina, adding four more birds to my NC state list. I visited New River &
Mt Jefferson State Parks in Ashe County on Saturday, and finally made it to
Lake Junaluska on Sunday. Those were the only places I found for birding,
though I drove around a lot looking for places.
Highlights:

New River SP
American Woodcock running through the brush just past the parking area.
Several Eastern Phoebes
2 Common Ravens, including one that flew through some trees on a steep
hillside...perhaps to a nest??
10+ Fox Sparrows!

Mt Jefferson SP
only juncos and Turkey Vulture

Lake Junaluska
4 grebes - at least 3 were Horned Grebes going into breeding plumage. The
fourth didn't stay with the other three very much, and kept disappearing! I
lost sight of it before I could be sure it was also a Horned Grebe. There
were also a few Pied-billed Grebes.
Blue-winged Teal (about 8)
Bufflehead
lots of Mallards
Mute and Black Swans - they're wild, right? ;-)
28 Pectoral Sandpipers (at least, that's what I think they were, as they
wouldn't come close enough for me to be sure)
1 Ring-billed Gull (no Bonaparte's :-(

David Trently,
Knoxville, TN