Eastern Bluebird
Photo by Debi Campbell
Bristol Bird Club
The Bristol Bird Club – J Wallace Coffey 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
2024/2025
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
Meetings
The next Bristol Bird Club meeting will be on Tuesday, Aug 20 at 7:00 PM. We will meet at The Summit at 1227 Volunteer Pkwy. in Bristol, TN. The presentation will be by David Hollie on his work as a field biologist.
Upcoming Birding Opportunities
More birding opportunities coming soon….
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.
Ann Cowan
108 Stonecroft Circle
Bristol, TN 37620
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
Cedar Waxwing
Photo by Debi Campbell
Field Trip Results
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Least Flycatchers, Blue-headed Vireos, Common Raven,Golden-crowned Kinglets,Red-breasted Nuthatches, Veerys, Hermit Thrush, Ovenbirds, Northern Parulas, Magnolia Warblers, Chestnut-sided Warblers, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Black-throated Green Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Canada Warblers, Scarlet Tanager, and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks.
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
In Memoriam
Richard Phillip Lewis: November 13, 1951 – May 8, 2024
It is with great sadness that the Northeast TN birding community received news from Rack Cross that Master Bird Bander
Richard Phillip Lewis of Bristol, TN passed away on May 8, 2024, following a brain cancer diagnosis several months ago. He was
72 years old. He was a long-time member of the Bristol Bird Club and the Tennessee Ornithological Society. He earned his master’s
degree and worked as a software engineer before retiring. He also taught biology as an adjunct professor at Virginia Highlands
Community College. Richard was a Master Bird Bander for the United States Geological Survey and the State of Tennessee. He was the
Eastern Mountain Editor for the TOS Migrant Journal for several decades and compiler for the Bristol, TN Christmas Bird Count
since its beginning until last year. He operated a MAPS Banding station on his property collecting data for several national studies
and academic programs. He (along with Rack Cross) participated in 27 Bird Banding events at Bristol, TN’s Steele Creek Park’s
Annual Wildlife Weekend much to the delight of birding enthusiasts. He was a patient and readily available mentor and
friend to Rack Cross and many others. Richard will truly be missed by all who knew and loved him.
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.