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Mahogany Rock and vicinity.....



Carolinabirders,

Just returned from a Sunday afternoon of hawkwatching, or actually mostly
eaglewatching on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Mahogany Rock. Saw two adult
Bald Eagles, one at eye-level and the other was sailing past below where I
stood. I added a Cooper's Hawk and Jim Keighton saw an Osprey for a grand
total of 4 birds for the day. Don't worry, numbers should hopefully rise
soon. This is a typical day this early in the season, although more birds
would certainly have been possible. There was a lot of warbler movement,
with Chesnut-sided, Black-throated Green, Blackburnian, Tennessee present in
good numbers.

On an exotic, invasive plant note....a few weeks ago I found a population of
Colt's foot, a European import, growing along a roadside off the Blue Ridge
Parkway. Every agency that I am aware of (state parks and NPS)trys to
eradicate it as best the can. It tends to prefer disturbed areas such as
roadside ditches, doesn't like shade, and at least in northwest NC has not
yet spread to Kudzu-like proportions. The problem is that it can
competitively exclude native plant species. A search on google will provide
a live photo for identification. If you find any, report it or poison it,
whichever is more appropriate.

Eric Harrold
Charlotte, NC