Northern parula ushers in rush of spring’s colorful tropical migrants
Photo by Hans Toom/Pixabay • A male Northern parula looks splendid in spring plumage. These warblers attract attention with …
Feathered Friends
If robins are back, spring must be close
Photo by Bryan Stevens • An American robin sits tightly on a nest with eggs. Robins have long been …
Bluebird welcome the inevitable approach of spring
Photo by NatureLady/Pixabay • A male Eastern bluebird perches atop a nest box. The region’s bluebirds are already actively …
Man’s enthusiasm for eagles expanding the knowledge of region’s nesting birds
Photo courtesy of Ryan Rice • Nesting bald eagles are no longer a rarity in Northeast Tennessee and surrounding …
The common raven is no bird brain
Photo by Alexas-Fotos/Pixabay • Common ravens, although native to the region, were not so common only a few decades …
Annual Christmas Bird Counts add to knowledge of bird population trends
Photo by USFWS • A total of 15 pileated woodpeckers were counted on the recent Christmas Bird Counts conducted …
Birds make news in 2021, but stories come to an end for some species
At age 70, Wisdom the Laysan albatross became a mother again in 2021.
By Bryan Stevens
Our feathered friends …
Endangered Species Act hits milestone
By Bryan Stevens
Photo by Pixabay • Birds like the whooping crane continue to exist on the planet thanks in …
Tufted titmouse is definitely a bird worth a second look
By Bryan Stevens
Don’t dismiss our feathered friends as “bird brains.” They’re smart. They demonstrate that fact in various ways. …
Sales of local calendar fund bird-worthy aims
The front cover of the 2022 bird calendar produced by the Elizabethton Bird Club features a photo of a …
Turkeys turn the tables in some areas of country as numbers rebound over past decades
Photo by Jean Potter • A wild turkey struts his stuff in a field.
By Bryan Stevens
Celebrated in …
Bird of mystery, black rail famed for eluding birders
Photo by AGAMA/Adobe Stock • The black rail is a secretive, rarely seen bird of wetlands and marshes. Much smaller …
Inspiration for column started with arrival of dark-eyed junco
The dark-eyed junco, affectionately known as “snow bird,” is a winter resident in Unicoi County.
By Bryan Stevens …
American crow’s dark reputation arises more from plumage than behavior
By Bryan Stevens
There’s something rather autumnal about watching a flock of American crows glean the last scattered kernels …
Barn owl adds to ghostly reputation of its kin
Photo by mikezwei from Pixabay • The barn owl is the most widespread of the world’s owls. Almost exclusively …
Regional Fall Bird Count finds 129 species
Photo from Pixabay • A red-headed woodpecker clings to the trunk of a tree. During the recent Fall Bird …
Speedy merlin a feisty member of world’s family of falcons
Photo by Gary Chambers from Pixabay • The merlin is a small but compact falcon, built for speed and …
Ospreys are fall migrant through the region
Photo by Ganossi/Pixabay • An osprey dines on a freshly caught fish.
The day after the yearly Autumnal Equinox …
Use caution when sick birds appear at feeders
Photo by Georgia Lens/Pixabay • House finches, as well as other flocking birds, are vulnerable to communicable disease. Congregating …
Two state-affiliated warblers spend little time in Tennessee
Photo by GeorgeB2/Pixabay • Although discovered by Alexander Wilson near Tennessee’s capital city in 1811, the Nashville warbler spends …