Eastern Bluebird
Photo by Debi Campbell
Bristol Bird Club
The Bristol Bird Club – J Wallace Chapter TOS / VSO
The Bristol Bird Club was founded in Bristol, Tennessee, Bristol, Virginia (USA) in March 1950 to promote the enjoyment, scientific study and conservation of wild birds.
We generally meet on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. We have both in-person meetings and a Zoom Video option. Our meeting place is in the Ascent Room of The Summit at 1227 Volunteer Parkway in Bristol, TN. The Zoom invitations are emailed to members or guests who request a link.
Our members are from a large area in Virginia and Tennessee. Everyone is welcome to join.
Regular activities include monthly field trips, an annual picnic, banquet and Christmas Party. Additionally, we sponsor three Christmas Bird Counts annually (Bristol, TN/VA; Glade Spring, VA; and Shady Valley/Mountain City, TN). We also sponsor an email listserv called Bristol-Birds that you may join to receive info on recent sightings. To join free listserv, visit https://www.freelists.org/list/bristol-birds and enter your email address next to “User Options: Your email address:”. To finish the process, make sure the action is set to Subscribe and click Go.
If you have questions or would like to participate in one of the aforementioned Christmas Bird Counts, send us an email at: BristolBirdClub2022@gmail.com
Our Team
Jacob's Nature Park - Johnson City, TN
Photo by Michele Sparks
About
The Bristol Bird Club is part of the Tennessee Ornithological Society and an affiliate member of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. The club is a nonprofit organization under the auspices of the Tennessee Ornithological Society. The purpose of the Bristol Bird Club is to foster and support scientific study, enjoyment, and conservation of wild birds, including educational activities and to promote fellowship among the membership. The chapter name of the Bristol Bird Club is the J Wallace Coffey Chapter. J Wallace Coffey was a vital member of the club for most of his life. He dedicated his life to the conservation and record keeping of wild birds in the East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia and was the heartbeat of the club for many decades.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Photo by Ryan Rice
Upcoming Birding Opportunities
Membership
The period for 2023 membership dues for the Bristol Bird Club is from late fall through the end of February. Dues owed to the TOS are sent by March 31 of each year (TOS membership is $18 per year for single memberships and $22 for family memberships). Ten dollars per year goes to our local (BBC) chapter. The membership fees are for one year, January 1 through December 31.
BBC membership rates including TOS membership:
- Family $32
- Individual: $28
- Sustaining: $40
- Associate: $10
- Student (K-12): $15
- Individual Life: $450 (TOS only)
Please make checks payable to the Bristol Bird Club and send to the BBC Treasurer. You can pay at meetings January – February, but no later than March 15.
Brenda Richards
160 Milden Hall Road
Blountville, TN. 37617
Please include your name, mailing address, phone, and email and make checks payable to the Bristol Bird Club and send your fees to the BBC Treasurer. You may pay at meetings or mail them to the address given above.
Orchard Bog - Shady Valley, TN
Photo by Michele Sparks
Orchard Bog - Shady Valley, TN
Photo by Michele Sparks
Contact Us
Debi Campbell, Club President
If you have membership questions, email us at: BristolBirdClub2022@gmail.com
If you have specific bird questions you may contact Richard Lewis at mountainbirds@gmail.com.
Cedar Waxwing
Photo by Debi Campbell
Field Trip Results
Five birders (Rick Knight, Larry McDaniel, David Kirschke, Tom Blevins, Linda Moulton) joined me to venture up Panhandle Road on Saturday, May 11. It was a slow start with not many birds singing at Blue Hole. The next couple of stops were slow as well because of the extra water in the creek coming down the mountain. Once we got above the creek noise, we started hearing and seeing many good birds.
Acadian Flycatcher 1
Eastern Kingbird 2
Red-eyed Vireo 1
American Crow 2
Tufted Titmouse 1
Barn Swallow 3
House Wren 1
Carolina Wren 1
European Starling 3
Northern Mockingbird 1
House Sparrow 1
House Finch 2
Chipping Sparrow 3
Song Sparrow 2
Eastern Meadowlark 1
Worm-eating Warbler 1
Hooded Warbler 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler 1
Northern Cardinal 1
Turkey Vulture 1
Broad-winged Hawk 1
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee 6
Acadian Flycatcher 3
Least Flycatcher 2
Blue-headed Vireo 4
Red-eyed Vireo 5
Blue Jay 3
Carolina Chickadee 2
Tufted Titmouse 3
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Gray Catbird 1
Veery 2
Wood Thrush 2
American Robin 2
Cedar Waxwing 4
American Goldfinch 3
Dark-eyed Junco 3
Eastern Towhee 5
Ovenbird 5
Worm-eating Warbler 2
Louisiana Waterthrush 3
Black-and-white Warbler 7
Tennessee Warbler 2
Hooded Warbler 3
American Redstart 4
Northern Parula 2
Chestnut-sided Warbler 6
Black-throated Blue Warbler 7
Black-throated Green Warbler 6
Canada Warbler 6
Scarlet Tanager 4
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 3
Indigo Bunting 5
Mourning Dove 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee 3
Least Flycatcher 3 Nesting along the high elevation ridge
Blue-headed Vireo 3
Red-eyed Vireo 3
Common Raven 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Gray Catbird 4
Veery 4
American Robin 9
Cedar Waxwing 2
Pine Siskin 6
Dark-eyed Junco 3 Nesting at 3500 feet and above – singing
Eastern Towhee 5
Brown-headed Cowbird 2
Ovenbird 7
Black-and-white Warbler 4
Hooded Warbler 4
American Redstart 3
Northern Parula 3
Blackburnian Warbler 4
Chestnut-sided Warbler 4
Black-throated Blue Warbler 4
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Black-throated Green Warbler 2
Scarlet Tanager 2
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 4
Indigo Bunting 4
Eleven great birders turned out for our birding trip up Buffalo Mountain (Dry Creek Road) on Saturday, April 20. The weather was supposed to be mild and mostly sunny, but as it turns out we were in a light drizzle all morning, temps between 50-58 degrees or so.
Five BBC members (Larry McDaniel, Harry Norman, Debi Campbell, Roy Knispel, and Rob Biller) + 2 guests ( Marion Bond and her almost 9 year old, Joshua Bond) met at the Weir Dam, next to South Holston River to bird the Holston Valley Area. Immediately, young Joshua was calling out every bird (correctly, I might add) and rushing toward the songs he was hearing to try and see the bird. We walked up the trail next to the river (in the direction of the dam) and turned onto the road at the small boat ramp into the river. We were hearing common birds, plus returning migrants such as Yellow-throated Warbler, Northern Parula, and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.
As we approached the road, Joshua yells out, “I’ve got an Osprey sitting on a nest!” Being well downriver from the known nest, we started following his direction to where he was looking. Sure enough, he had found a second Osprey nest in the Weir Dam area! We walked down TVA Road South (A) to get a better look at the nest and observed 2 Ospreys still building the new nest. Also down this road we got to look at a Northern Parula and listen to a Pine Warbler farther out at a distance. Later in the day we found out first for the season, Broad-winged Hawk on a side road just upriver from the Weir Dam. At daybreak I heard a Common Yellowthroat at the Weir Dam area, and listened to a singing Brown Creeper. Roy Knispel also heard a singing House Wren here.
12 Canada Goose, 2 Mallard, 21 Bufflehead, 4 Great Blue Heron, 3 Turkey Vulture,
4 Osprey — 2 on reoccupied nest from last year – another 2 observed building a new nest found by 8-year old birder Joshua Bond!
1 Broad-winged Hawk, 2 Belted Kingfisher, 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker, 1 Pileated Woodpecker
2 Eastern Phoebe, 3 Blue Jay, 2 American Crow, 6 Carolina Chickadee, 4 Tufted Titmouse, 20 Tree Swallow
8 Northern Rough-winged Swallow, 1 Brown Creeper, 2 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, 1 House Wren, 3 Carolina Wren
1 Eastern Bluebird, 10 American Robin, 2 House Finch, 4 American Goldfinch, 2 Chipping Sparrow
4 Eastern Towhee, 3 Brown-headed Cowbird, 1 Common Yellowthroat, 3 Northern Parula, 1 Pine Warbler
4 Yellow-throated Warbler, 5 Northern CardinalNumber of Taxa: 33
Apr 13, 2024
1 Mallard, 1 Downy Woodpecker, 1 Pileated Woodpecker, 1 Northern Flicker, 1 Eastern Wood-Pewee, 7 Blue-headed Vireo
1 Tufted Titmouse, 3 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, 3 American Goldfinch, 1 Brown-headed Cowbird, 1 Louisiana Waterthrush
3 Black-and-white Warbler, 5 Hooded Warbler, 1 Yellow-throated Warbler
Apr 13, 2024
Downy Woodpecker 1, Blue Jay 3, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1, White-throated Sparrow 1, Louisiana Waterthrush 1
Hooded Warbler 1, Yellow-throated Warbler 1
Apr 13, 2024
Great Blue Heron 1, Turkey Vulture 3, Osprey 1, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1, American Goldfinch 3
Louisiana Waterthrush 1, Northern Parula 3
Apr 13, 2024
Canada Goose 2, Red-breasted Merganser 25, Horned Grebe 3 (breeding plumage), Killdeer 1
Bonaparte’s Gull 45, Ring-billed Gull 6, Common Loon 1, Double-crested Cormorant 75
Black Vulture 2, Turkey Vulture 1, Osprey 1, Bald Eagle 2, Tree Swallow 6
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 2, House Finch 1, White-crowned Sparrow 3
History
The Bristol Bird Club was founded in Bristol,Tennessee, Bristol, Virginia (USA) in March of 1950. We are the J. Wallace Coffey Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society and an associate member club of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. We are located at Bristol TN-VA, USA.
Birds in Our Area! Test Your Skills
(scroll over the photo for bird species)
Photo by Debi Campbell
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Photo by Michele Sparks
Winter Wren
Photo by Debi Campbell
Wilsons Snipe
Photo by Debi Campbell
Scarlet Tanager
Photo by Ryan Rice
Spotted Sandpiper
Photo by Ryan Rice
Red-shouldered Hawk
Photo by Debi Campbell
Redhead
Photo by Ryan Rice
Osprey
Photo by Debi Campbell
Gray Catbird
Photo by Debi Campbell
Dark-eyed Junko
Photo by Deb Campbell
Common Loon
No photo credit
Blue Gray Gnatcatcher
What's Important to Us
Building Membership
What is important to our chapter is building our membership in order to continue a leadership role for all things nature. We encourage young birders so that our club will continue to be healthy and active for future generations of birders. We want our club to be active in conservation efforts and a strong membership makes that effort even more reachable. Our club strives to be active and to partner with other local clubs in all types of activities. We have a special interest for programs in our local parks such as Jacob’s Nature Park in Johnson City, TN, and Steele Creek Park in Bristol, TN.