[Mountain View at Coweeta (c) 2005 Michael Parrish]

Coweeta Bird Crew

Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory

Otto, NC - May to August 2005
     From early May through the end of July, 2005, I worked as a biological field technician on the Coweeta Bird Crew for Kirk Stodola (a graduate student of Bob Cooper at UGA's Warnell School of Forest Resources). Coweeta Hydrologic Lab is located in the Nantahala mountains near Otto, NC (just over the GA border along US-441. Our target species was the Black-throated Blue Warbler (Dendroica caerulescens). My duties mainly included nest-searching, nest monitoring, and bi-weekly transects to record foraging behavior in insectivorous birds. In addition to those duties, we monitored insect population sizes and sampled vegetation.

     While my duties kept me quite occupied, I was able to take a little time to pursue two of my favorite hobbies (birding and photography) while at Coweeta. Below, you can view examples of the photos I took at and near the study site. At the bottom of the page is a bird list I compiled during the summer. I missed one or two species known to be present on the study site due to the elevations I usually worked at (I was usually up around 4,500 ft) and the date I arrived at the site (in mid-May, after peak migration). The avifauna at Coweeta is a real treat to be around every day. Ruffed Grouse drumming was a common sound (sightings were regular as well). Southern Appalachian specialties such as Peregrine Falcon, Common Raven, Broad-winged Hawk, and the multitude of warblers were thrilling for me. I took particular delight in seeing species I usually consider 'winter species' back home in the lower piedmont during their summer breeding season.

-Michael Parrish - August, 2005


BTBW Female on Nest
(BTBW Female on Nest.jpg 		BTBW Habitat
BTBW Habitat.jpg 		BTBW Nestlings Day 03
BTBW Nestlings Day 03.jpg 		BTBW Nestlings Day 7
BTBW Nestlings Day 7.jpg
Banding Kit
Banding Kit.jpg 		Black-throated Blue Warbler (BTBW) Nest
Black-throated Blue Warbler (BTBW) Nest.jpg 		Blue-Headed Vireo Nest 02
Blue-Headed Vireo Nest 02.jpg 		Forest
Forest.jpg
Kirk Holding BTBW Male
Kirk Holding BTBW Male.jpg 		Large Fungus (over 1 foot across)
Large Fungus (over 1 foot across).jpg 		Veery Nest 03
Veery Nest 03.jpg 		Wildflower - Indian Pipe (Monotropa uniflora)
Wildflower - Indian Pipe (Monotropa uniflora).jpg
Wildflowers - Rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum)
Wildflowers - Rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum).jpg 		Wildflowers - Smooth Phlox (Phlox glaberrima)
Wildflowers - Smooth Phlox (Phlox glaberrima).jpg 		Wildflowers - Smooth Phlox (Phlox glaberrima) and Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta)
Wildflowers - Smooth Phlox (Phlox glaberrima) and Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta).jpg 		Wildflowers - Turk's Cap
Wildflowers - Turk's Cap.jpg


Birds of Coweeta Hydrologic Lab Property
(and immediately surrounding land)
observed by me 05-13-2006 to present

* indicates species observed off-mountain

  1. Canada Goose *
  2. Ruffed Grouse
  3. Wild Turkey
  4. Northern Bobwhite
  5. Turkey Vulture
  6. Red-shouldered Hawk
  7. Broad-winged Hawk
  8. Peregrine Falcon
  9. Rock Pigeon
  10. Mourning Dove
  11. Yellow-billed Cuckoo
  12. Great-horned Owl *
  13. Barred Owl
  14. Chimney Swift
  15. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
  16. Belted Kingfisher
  17. Red-bellied Woodpecker
  18. Downy Woodpecker
  19. Hairy Woodpecker
  20. Northern Flicker
  1. Pileated Woodpecker
  2. Eastern Wood-Pewee
  3. Acadian Flycatcher
  4. Eastern Phoebe
  5. Blue-headed Vireo
  6. Red-eyed Vireo
  7. Blue Jay
  8. American Crow
  9. Common Raven
  10. Barn Swallow *
  11. Carolina Chickadee
  12. Tufted Titmouse
  13. White-breasted Nuthatch
  14. Carolina Wren
  15. Winter Wren
  16. Golden-crowned Kinglet
  17. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
  18. Veery
  19. Wood Thrush
  20. American Robin
  1. Gray Catbird
  2. Northern Mockingbird
  3. European Starling *
  4. Cedar Waxwing
  5. Northern Parula
  6. Chestnut-sided Warbler
  7. Magnolia Warbler
  8. Black-throated Blue Warbler
  9. Black-throated Green Warbler
  10. Black-and-white Warbler
  11. Ovenbird
  12. Hooded Warbler
  13. Canada Warbler
  14. Scarlet Tanager
  15. Eastern Towhee
  16. Dark-eyed Junco
  17. Northern Cardinal
  18. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
  19. Indigo Bunting
  20. American Goldfinch *
  21. House Sparrow *

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These pages and all material contained in them are the property of Michael C. Parrish.
No unauthorized use of this material is allowed.
Contact me for permission at parrishm@uga.edu.