The first event of the Tennessee Valley Nature Club was a remarkable success! This was held on October 26, 2003. Not only did the weather actually cooperate (even though weather forecasts suggested it would not be as nice as it was), but also the salamanders put on a very nice show.
The event was attended by David Trently, Charlie Muise, Tracey Muise, Deedee Blane and Audrey Hoff.
We began around 8:30 a.m. from Townsend, heading into Cades Cove. Being a Sunday morning with the threat of rain, perhaps that held down the number of cars entering the Cove, but we still managed to find a "bear jam", giving DeeDee her first wild Black Bear sighting! Great way to start! It was raining a bit as we drove to our first stop.
We made a stop at Gregory Cave where Charlie played the very-capable tour guide, introducing us to some of the lore of the Cove, as well as our first salamander: Long-tailed Salamander. Also in the cave was a Little Brown Bat and a few Camel Crickets. A White Cedar tree marked the location of one of the Gregory's old homes. We checked several 'snake tins' but found no snakes - none were found all day. Snake tins are flat pieces of metal laid on the ground so that snakes (and other animals, like the mole we briefly saw) might hide under them - allowing them to be surveyed.
We next moved to the Gum Swamp...and soon the light rain stopped. It got nicely warm too! Here we found four more salamanders: an adult Red-spotted Newt; at least 7 Marbled, several females on eggs; Four-toed; Southern Red-backed.
We next made the long drive (timewise, not so much distance - the Sunday crowd had arrived!) to Walker Valley and the Tremont area, where we found, along Dorsey's Prong (I hope I got the name right, Charlie) 5 more target animals!
Blue Ridge Spring (which Audrey identified because she had seen some of these for sale in gift shops...not alive, but models :-); Spotted Dusky; Seal; Black-bellied and Blue-ridge Two-lined.
We made the drive up to the Chimneys Picnic area next. The rain started a little heavier, but we wandered the hillsides searching for our next two targets...and we found them! Imitator and Jordan's (Red-cheeked) Salamanders.
On the return drive past Sugarlands Visitor Center, we added 6 Wild Turkeys to our day list.
It was a most successful day - Charlie had thought we might be lucky to find 12 species, and we did, though we missed two potential ones and added two others. So we know there are at least 14 to be had on a future trip to the same locations.
Here's our list:
SALAMANDERS
Marbled - Ambystoma opacum
Red-spotted Newt - Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens
Spotted Dusky - Desmognathus conanti
Seal - D. monticola
Black-bellied - D. quadramaculatus
Imitator - D. imitator
Southern Red-backed - Plethodon serratus
Jordan's - P. jordani
Four-toed - Hemidactylium scutatum
Blue Ridge Spring - Gyrinophilus porphyriticus danielsi
Long-tailed - Eurycea longicauda longicauda
Blue Ridge Two-lined - E. wilderae
other Amphibians:
Spring Peeper, heard only
MAMMALS
Black Bear
White-tailed Deer
Gray Squirrel
Red Squirrel (heard)
Little Brown Bat
mole sp.
BIRDS
Turkey Vulture
Wild Turkey (6)
Belted Kingfisher
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
Am Crow
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Chipping Sparrow
other Animals
crayfish sp
Camel Cricket
PLANTS of note
White Cedar
Japanese Stiltgrass - Microstegium vimineum, an exotic grass taking over wet areas.
We'll keep an ongoing list of all that we identify on future trips. Speaking of which, in November we may do an evening sky watch and/or a tree id trip, possibly to the Tri-cities area, to be led by Allan Trently.
I hope we get more people to turn out for our next outing. Let's keep making this group a success!!!
David Trently,
for Tennessee Valley Nature Club
sponsored by
Avian Pursuits Nature Tours
http://web.utk.edu/~dtrently/AvianPursuits.html