12-19-07 Observations

- Cloudy and seasonably cool today....

- As the attached photos seem to convey, there seems to be a tranquil peace on the mountain properties these days. One photo was taken from Little Pond Park at the Stone Creek gate and the deer photo was taken just east of Little Pond Park.

- I did see another Cooper's Hawk yesterday (Accipiter cooperii), a predator that was on the endangered list for a time back in the 90s....The photo was too vague for publication. Ornithology test today? If so, try and distinguish the Cooper's Hawk and the Sharp-Shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus)! Even in the identification books, it is not easy. Both are found in this area.

- I still commonly see the Pileated Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus), Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus) and the Red-Bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) on my feeders. I also see the Common Flicker (Colaptes auratus)...one of my favorites...often, but rarely on the feeders.

- One mainstay all year round at my cabin is the White Breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis). These entertaining birds seem to always have considerable energy and a postive outlook. They are often distinguished by their habit of navigating down a tree trunk head-first.

- Several times lately I have heard Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) overhead. Once, while on a bike trip in a remote area of the mountain, I heard them far overhead. They were so high I could barely see them. These magnificent birds can often be seen en masse (especially in February and November) at the nearby Hiwassee National Refuge on the Tennessee River, about an hour east of us. This staging area for these birds (many species of waterfowl can usually be seen...as well as a few Bald Eagles) is open to the public. Take a good pair of binoculars, be sure and dress warmly, and enjoy the show. Often there are thousands of the cranes in the cornfields there. The refuge is on Highway 60, just east of Dayton, Tennessee.

12-14-07 Observations

- Cloudy and cool this morning.....38 F
- As uncle used to say on the farm..."Weather movin' in"....the forecast is for perhaps substantial rain tomorrow and tomorrow night....ending in a few snow showers...with possible light accumulation on parts of the Cumberland Plateau.
- No deer around this morning...at least within sight.
- The raccoons were back last night....the ears of corn, for the squirrels....placed on feeders off the ground, were gone, and a large bird feeder, filled yesterday with sunflower seeds, was completely empty. The other feeders, more 'coon proof' in a large Chestnut Oak behind the cabin, still had a good supply of seeds. The simple things................
- Attached are recent photos of a flock of Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) beside a new road in Greenfields and two Mourning Doves (Zenaida macroura) that seem to be quite content despite their exposed perch in a cold wind.

12-11-07 Observations

- Attached photo.....Recent rubs by a Whitetail Deer male (Odocoileus virginianus) on a group of Smooth Sumac (Rhus glabra). These rubs were made by a rutting buck (there were several others nearby). The rut, which is influenced by weather, has been off and on this fall.

- Unseasonably warm today.....yesterday was 77 degrees F, breaking the old record of 73. Today has been almost as warm...mid 70s. Even on the mountain developments (2,100'-2,200' above sea level), the temperature today was in the low 70s. The unpredictable and mostly brutal weather of 2007 continues....record cold/record heat/record drought...and now more record heat...and yes, the forecast is for possible snow showers this weekend!

12-6-07 Observations

- Partly cloudy and cold this AM....mid 20s.

- Deer plentiful near dusk, but early AM I do not see as many.

- Birds of various species still interested in sunflower seeds....if the squirrels allow it!

- A bit of rain last week...and a bit the week before...Nov closed above normal, the first such month in a very long time. Still 14-15" below annual average. Water levels still a concern for many area towns.

- A Red-Tailed Hawk ( Buteo jamaicensis) shown in attached photo...perched in a tree near the cabin....Priceless.