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NC: Jackson, Transylvania, Henderson and Buncombe counties



Here's a belated report from the NC Mountains last
weekend (April 4-7) in Jackson, Transylvania,
Henderson? and Buncombe counties.  Burton Moore and I
managed to work in some birding between fly fishing
and rainy downpours.  Time didn't allow for birding
the Rich Gap Road, Horse Cove Road, etc. areas near
Highlands, but it is a bit early for things to heat up
there...

First the sad news:  Monday morning (very foggy), we
found a freshly run-over Ruffed Grouse (hen) a bit
below the summit on Tower Road (between Sapphire and
Cashiers).  Does anyone know a contact in the NC DNR
that I can ask about getting a "Slow - Grouse
Crossing" sign erected?  If not, does anyone know a
sign company that would make me a painted metal sign
for not too much money for a do-it-yourself job? 
Finding that poor road killed hen was almost as bad as
a death in the family and I don't want it to keep
happening there.

Now the bad news:  Sunday evening/night we dipped out
on the Saw-Whet Owls that Jeff Catlin and company had
near the Pisgah Inn on the Blue Ridge Pkwy.  Chalk it
up to the howling winds, rain and cold temperatures.

Saturday we started by birding the upper Tower Road
area between Cashiers and Sapphire (around 4000'
elevation).  YB Sapsuckers were common, as were other
"expected" woodpeckers.  A Red-breasted Nuthatch also
put in an appearance.  Many Black-throated Green
Warblers were on territory, as were Black-and-white
Warblers, Blue-headed Vireos, Juncos and Eastern
Towhees. 

We proceeded to the far upper Chattooga River near
Cashiers.  At the Bull Pen Bridge, we got insanely
great looks at a Henslow's Sparrow.  I know, it seems
very out of place on a bluff above a high mountain
stream, but it did appear in a brushy area next to an
acre-sized short grass/weedy pull-off beside the road.
  At first the bird was directly facing me through a
bit of cover and I said "Burt I got a Le Conte's
Sparrow".  Then we pished gently and it turned
sideways and hopped up and out towards us and it was
obviously a Henslow's.  The white eye-ring,
olive/green area extending from the supercilium back,
red/brown (not white) tertials and buffy (not white)
lores were plain as day.  Unfortunately the bird split
before I got the video camera out and ready. 
A kettle of raptors overhead contained a
Red-shouldered Hawk, Turkey Vulture and  a pair of
Broad-winged Hawks calling and flirting with each
other.
South of the bridge, two Black-throated Green Warblers
were having a territorial dispute that ended in a
fighting midair tumble.  20 yards north of the bridge,
a Louisiana Waterthrush was on territory.  Along the
trail north of the bridge we found 5 Swainson's
Warblers, including a pair that was carrying nesting
material and with the male feeding the female.  We had
5 or 6 singing male BT-Green Warblers on the same
trail as well as another couple of Louisiana
Waterthrushes.  At one point in the late afternoon we
were a bit off-trail and I thought I heard a Ruffed
Grouse drumming but then a noisy youth group came down
the trail nearby and ruined things.  

Sunday we did Tower road again (same general results)
and then birded the Panthertown Valley/Schoolhouse
falls area.  We saw a couple of good-sized Hawk
kettles (TVs, Red-tailed+Red-shouldered Hawks plus a
Broad-winged Hawk).  Alas, no Ravens put in an
appearance.   Same warblers as the previous day and
other usual suspects as well.  Still decent numbers of
Yellow-rumped Warblers in the mountains, unlike the SC
 coast where they're all gone.

Nathan Dias - San Francisco, CA


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