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

Henderson County Update



Folks:
        Today, at about 1:00 PM, Ron Selvey called to tell myself, Bob
Olthoff & Marilyn Westphal that a male PROTHONOTARY WARBLER was seen in
Jackson Park at the conclusion of the monthly bird walk.  Apparently, while
doing the days countdown near the park office, someone( unknown female)
noticed the Prothonotary Warbler foraging in an Oak Tree next to the parking
lot of the Jackson Park Office!  Ron got there 30 minutes to an hour after
hearing about it and saw the bird.  He called me via cellphone and we
arrived about an hour after that, and almost immediately found the bird, in
the same tree, with the same group of birds Ron saw it with.
        A few things about this sighting were most unusual.  With all the
wet and bottomland habitat in Jackson Park, why would this very nice bird
show up in an Oak Tree, at close, to the highest point of elevation in the
park?  It is not exactly the typical habitat you would expect to see this
species frequenting.  This bird was feeding with Yellow-rumps, a  BT Green
Warbler, and Gold Finches at a level from 8 feet to 30 feet above the
ground!  It was quite apparent that there was some type of hatchout that was
to their liking.  Also, the fact that this most unusual species for the
mountains, would spend several hours in this small clump of trees, without
moving to more expected habitat that is readily available in Jackson Park!
My guess, is that the food source at this exact location, caused this bird
to stay put.
        Directions:  I don't know  if this bird will hang around, but if
anyone wants to try for this bird, here are the directions.  Go to the
Jackson Park HQ Blding. on the hill, in Jackson Park.  With your back to the
main office, walk through the parking lot, away from the office towards the
road and go as far to the right as you
can go.  Turn 90 degrees to your right, and the bird was in the big Oak Tree
and the two smaller trees in the corner of the lot.  The Oak Tree is 30 feet
from the curb stones along the right corner of the lot just above the road.
Good luck,
Wayne
Wayne K. Forsythe
Hendersonville, N. C. 28791
828-697-6628
wforsythe@earthlink.net