TOS SPRING MEETING INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION FORM
Tennessee Ornithological Society Spring Meeting, 2025 The Chattanooga Chapter will host the 2025 TOS Spring Meeting, May 2-4. We at CTOS are eager to share our scenic city and birding hotspots with you! The meeting sites are a short walk apart, and steps from Aquarium Plaza in downtown Chattanooga. Friday evening’s reception will be held at the Courtyard by Marriott Chattanooga Downtown, from 5-8 PM. Registration packets, name badges, and field trip sign-ups will be available during the reception, and also in the morning prior to field trips. Saturday afternoon’s Board of Directors meeting will also take place at the Courtyard Marriott. Saturday night’s banquet and program, beginning at 6PM, will be at nearby Puckett’s Restaurant. Dinner will be a buffet with conventional and vegetarian choices. There are numerous other restaurants in downtown Chattanooga and the vicinity. We will be able to accommodate only 70 people for the dinner and speaker
Important information from our birder friends at Warner Parks….
Dear NTOS member... I am reaching out to you regarding a significant development that could profoundly and negatively impact the ecosystems, and native plants and animals of Warner Parks. A proposal in the Belle Meade Highlands Design and Mobility Implementation Plan currently under consideration, would ultimately result in the construction of a road corridor extending from Highway 100 to the Cheekwood entrance and the Percy Warner Golf Course parking lot. This plan was initially and primarily created to address parking and access solutions for Cheekwood. While several options were proposed for an access road from Highway 100 to Cheekwood, the Planning Commission amended the proposal in January to focus their attention on one solution: creating a new paved road. I strongly believe this new road would negatively impact Percy Warner Park. The proposed road is being framed as a "shared access" road for Park users and Cheekwood
Immediate request for volunteer….Area Leader for January 1st Christmas Bird Count
We need your help!! Are you interested in being the Area Leader for the Donelson/ Pennington Bend and the Metro Center Route for the January 1st, 2025 NTOS Christmas Bird Count?? We could sure use your help!! For more information or to volunteer, please call Tarcila Fox - 615-405-8625!
IMMEDIATE ACTION ALERT
On Thursday, October 3, 2024 the Tennessee State Legislature will meet to consider changes in how the State protects our wetlands - reviving an issue that sparked intensive debate earlier this year when the Bill was first introduced to roll back environmental oversight over nearly half a million acres of the State’s fragile ecosystems. West TN Representative Kevin Vaughn (R-95) is the lead sponsor for proposed legislation. Tennessee has about 780,000 acres of wetlands. Vaughn’s legislations focuses mainly on ‘isolated wetland’ with NO surface connection to a river or lake. Nearly half of TN’s wetlands fall into the category. But as we know EVERYTHING is CONNECTED no matter what a map reveals. Draining these wetlands and building on them is a slippery slope. The Tennessee Department of Conservation released a 183-page reporting outlining 18 recommendations…they are a ‘slight’ improvement from the original January proposal but still fall short
September 21st Field Trip results…
Eighteen participants took part in the NTOS field trip to Shelby Bottoms in Nashville last Saturday: starting in Phase 3 of the bottoms, we enjoyed a leisurely stroll along the paved path, abiding the ebbs and flows of bird activity that is so often the case during fall migration. We encountered three widely spaced mixed songbird flocks that demanded most of our attention, but which were strung together by a smattering of birds along the entire length of our walk. Highlights included brief views of a flyover Merlin, a Barred Owl perched directly over the trail (oblivious to the joggers and cyclists passing directly beneath it), and 9 species of warbler. We encountered 51 species in all during this part of the trip. We then made the short drive to Cornelia Fort to check out the now sizeable wetland at the former airport property. The cacophony of Killdeer was continuous, as
Field Trip on Saturday, September 14th…
Saturday, September 14th – Shelby Bottoms (Phase 3 and Cornelia Fort)* As fall migration heats up, we plan to check out one of the best spots in Nashville for weary migrants to rest and refuel. We’ll meet at the Forrest Green Trailhead, otherwise known as the entrance to Phase 3. We will bird the paved path through the successional woodlands that run along the Cumberland River down to the Pedestrian bridge and back (about 2 miles). Once back at the parking lot, we’ll make the short drive over to Cornelia Fort Airpark and bird the grassy meadows and ponds of the area. Depending on the mowing schedule, the grass at Cornelia Fort can be tall, so bug spray and boots are recommended for that portion of the walk (I usually change shoes when arriving at Cornelia Fort). We’ll get started at 6:30am to take advantage of the cooler morning temps and