Metcalf Bottoms || Saturday, June 23, 2007

Tonight was our church's trip to Metcalf Bottoms--on of our all-time favorite hangouts. If you're unfamiliar with Metcalf, go to the Townsend Wye and hang a left. It's about halfway to Elkmont and is a picnic area alongside Little River. We usually go with a net and a waterscope (plastic bottle with the bottom cut out and saran wrap rubberbanded around it) to search for crawdads and salamanders. We caught several crawdads, and as usual Myers was a water dog. As I was carrying him across the river, though, I fell while holding him and sprained my thumb right good trying to support all of my weight on, well, one thumb. Not to be outdone, Jodie also took an involuntary dip in Little River. Once again, Myers caught a crawdad with his bare hands.

Wesley Woods Night Hike || Friday, June 22, 2007

Tonight was the Wesley Woods Night Hike night at our church's. We started off with smores, etc., waiting for dark. After it got dark, we trekked down the road at WW, Myers in tow in the backpack and Bailey as "Katie's Shadow," so named because she wouldn't leave out youth minister's side. After about 15 minutes we stopped and Jeff tried to call in a Barred Owl, but with no luck. Every time Jeff would make the call, Myers would respond. He's very territorial. On the way back, we learned how to smell for spiders. Very neat trick. It has to be seen to be believed. If you want to find out how, you'll have to go on a night hike with us!

Fishing Derby

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Tonight was the kickoff for Camp Eagle's Nest, the VBSish summer activities for Sycamore Tree UMC. Our event for the night was a fishing derby in the pond behind the church. After Bailey and I caught exactly zero fish last year, we had high hopes but low spirits. Our spirits sunk even more as Bailey had bites 4 times, but the line snapped each time (thank you, dry rot). Finally, with 5 minutes left, we landed a 17oz catfish with some yummy chicken livers, giving Bailey her first fish. And yes, my hands currently smell like a combination of stink bait and chicken livers. No finger foods for me.

Tomorrow night's activity is a night hike at Wesley Woods. If anyone is interested in coming, we will be meeting at Wesley Woods at 7. After the night hike, we will be roasting marshmallows around a campfire and singing camp songs. If you want directions or more info, let me know! (Saturday's activity is a picnic at Metcalf Bottoms from 4-8pm and Sunday is a trip to the Lost Sea at 2--again... if you are interested in going, let us know... or just show up.)

Chota and Tanasi Memorials

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While Bailey was off tumbling away at gymnastics camp today, Jodie, Myers, and I drove to the Chota and Tanasi memorials in Monroe County on the Toqua Wildlife Management Area. From the parking area, it is 1/4 mile to the Chota memorial on a well-worn gravel pathway that runs close to blackberry bushes, cattails, pine and sycamore trees, and within a stone's throw of Tellico Lake. We also saw lots of butterflies and dragonflies. The Chota memorial is a dedication to the Cherokee Clans of the Little Tennessee River Valley, the area that was flooded to give us Tellico Lake, Ft Loudon Lake, Chilhowee Lake, Calderwood Lake, etc. The Tanasi memorial can be seen from the road that leads to the Chota Memorial parking spot. Thanks to Jeff Wadley for the info on this hike and to Jodie for being our photographer :)

Directions: head down 411 south until you get to the Sloan Center... the big BP with a Bass Pro Bait Shop inside... At the BP, turn left onto TN 360. You'll pass the turn off to Ft Loudon on the left and then the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum on the right. After passing the Sequoyah Museum, travel 5.7 miles to the interestion of TN 360 and County RD 455. Go straight at the intersection onto 455. Travel 5 miles, and then turn left onto Bacon Ferry Rd. Bacon Ferry Rd does NOT have a road sign, but there is a sign for the Wildlife Management Area and a sign for the Chota and Tanasi Memorials. Drive to the end of Bacon Ferry Rd (.8 miles) where it ends in a cul-de-sac. Park here and the trail to the memorial should be visible.

Sexing Birds || Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Today, you guessed it, I learned how to sex a bird (at least during breeding season). The morning started at Tremont at 6am to set out 10 mist nets to capture migratory song birds as part of a MAPS (monitoring avian productivity and survivorship) research project conducted by Tremont. After opening the nets, we had to make rounds every 40 minutes to check for any birds caught in the nets. Each captured bird is then banded with a unique band with a 4 digit site identification number and a 5 digit bird identification number, weight is measured, sex is determined, and age is estimated. If there are no visual distinctions of sex for a bird, gender is determined (during breeding season) in one of two ways. Male birds will have a swollen cloaca (the cloaca is an all-purpose oriface... it's used for both breeding and, um, waste disposal--so you can imagine why it is swollen). Female birds will have what is called a brood patch, a featherless patch on the chest where they will have plucked their breast feathers in anticipation of a nest full of eggs. The bare chest will allow the mother bird to drape the remaining breast feathers around the eggs, drawing the eggs closer to the skin for added warmth, and then holding in the warmth with the surrounding feathers. Pretty neat adaptation. There are, however, two enlightened, feminist birds who don't follow this pattern in East Tennessee--the woodpecker and the veery, in which the male has a brood patch. Age is estimated by skull development and feather molting patterns.

During the first net run at 7am, we netted a Chipping Sparrow. At the 7:40 run, we netted 2 Acadian Flycatchers (ACFL) (1 was a recapture from a previous banding day) and a Louisiana Waterthrush (LOWA). I got to release the the LOWA :)

The 8:20 run was empty, but at 9 we netted 2 LOWAs (1 recapture). We also netted 2 LOWAs at 9:40. At 9:40, we got to practice bird handling techniques, learning the 2 main holds--the photographer's grip and the bander's grip. No birds were netted between 10:20 and 12:20.

RANDOM TIDBITS:

Many bird species have the defense mechanism that the hatchlings poop in a fecal sack--a wad of poo encased in a membrane that the parent bird flies away with to deposit away from the nest so as not to attract predators.

Good tasting caterpillars are neat eaters. So birds will have trouble detecting yummy caterpillars, the good tasting ones eat in straight lines, eat in patterns, or eat and then chew the stem of the leaf until it falls to the ground. On the contrary, crummy tasting caterpillars eat big honkin' holes in leaves.

The song of the Acadian Flycatcher sounds like "Petes eat, Pete's eat"

The song of the Tufted Titmouse sounds like "Peter peter peter"

The Carolina Wren says "Cheeseburger cheeseburger cheeseburger"

FYI: During breeding season, anyone can volunteer to help on banding days as part of their Citizen Science program. The next banding day is July 4th. If you want to head to Tremont at 6 on the 4th, let me know and I'll fill you in on what you need to do to go.

Calderwood Lake || Monday, June 18, 2007

For Father's Day, Bailey took me canoeing. Uncle David (Jodie's brother and one of the best Uncles this side of the Mississippi) also came along. We made our way over the Dragon to Calderwood. While Calderwood is an interesting lake with no development, it is also extremely cold, even when it's 92 degrees outside. We did see a bald eagle and (probably) a Northern Water Snake swimming across the lake. When planning for the trip, I told Jodie that we'd be gone three hours tops. Sooo.... 5 hours later we came back into cell phone range in time for the impending search parties to be called back (my parents were already on their to Chilhowee lake to scope for our car). When we got back, of course, Bailey kept saying things like "Guess what! We were in another STATE!" and "We were just sitting on the dock basking in the sun." Anyway, I've been on my best behavior today, so I think all is forgiven :)

Snot Otters || June 18, 2007

Today we went about a mile above the Y towards Metcalf Bottoms to search for hellbenders (also known as snot otters) as part of a research project being conducted by Dr. Freake (yes, Dr. Freake. Great name) at Lee University. The goal of the project is to estimate and monitor hellbender populations as the hellbender is a great indicator species for stream health. To find hellbenders, you basically don a snorkle and mask and work your way upriver flipping over large rocks. I found the first one today, but as I grabbed it, it squirmed under a large boulder with a tunnel under it. We surrounded the rock and stuck our hands under it (an insecure feeling, sticking you hand under a dark, slimy boulder) until Isaac Evans, one of the summer research interns, caught it. After catching one, we measure its total length, its snout to vent length (from the tip of the nose to its cloaca), and check for a PIT tag, a passive integrated transponder. A PIT tag is smaller than a grain of rice, and contains identification information about the animal. They are the same things that are implanted in dogs and cats in case they get lost. The second hellbender was found near the end of the day, and may have been the first one being recaptured, as its statistics were basically the same. For pictures... go here.

Father's Day @ Metcalf Bottoms

Cades Cove || Friday, June 15, 2007

We had 10 Salamander sightings today-- 6 Long Tail Salamanders and 2 Northern Slimy Salamanders (descriptive name... the secrete a slimy substance from their skin that turns sticky as it dries... so, if a snake is trying to constrict to eat one of them, the salamander secretes slime to slip away, and then the snake is stuck in a constricting position from the dried slime... very neat) in Gregory's Cave and then 2 Red Spotted Newts in the Methodist Pond off the loop road. Pictures

Andrew's Bald || Friday, June 15, 2007

Today, in the torrential downpour and hail storm, we were sitting around 6300 feet in elevation at Andrew's Bald, one of two grassy balds maintained by the park service. Our goal at the bald was to collect butterfly and dragonfly specimens for research as part of the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory, but due to the weather there were none around (accordingly making us look really silly for carrying big ol' nets up the trail). On the way to the bald we found a neonatal Jordan's Salamander, a salamander found only in the Smokies. We also saw the destruction of the Balsam Woolly Adelgid and its impact on the spruce and fir trees at the higher elevations, a fate soon to come for the Hemlock as well. At the bald, Catawba Rhododendron and Flame Azaleas were in bloom. Eerie feeling on top of the bald as fog, mist, and clouds whirled above and around us. At the end of the day, we made our way up to the fire tower at Clingman's Dome, the highest elevation in Tennessee as well as on the Appalachian Trail. Due to the rain there are fewer pictures today, but here you go. We're looking for snakes in Cades Cove tomorrow, so hopefully there will be some better pictures tomorrow.

Myers's First Hike!

 While Bailey was at camp today, Jodie and I took Myers on his first hiking trip. We left from the Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area (between the Y and Gatlinburg) and hiked the Metcalf Bottoms Trail to the Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse (1.4 miles roundtrip. On the way we saw stone walls and steps, indicative of old homesites, a cherry scented millipede (hint: don't eat cherry scented animals--the cherry smell comes from cyanide), scads of the dreaded hemlock woolly adelgid and several dead hemlock saplings left in their wake, evidence of pine bark beetles, the Middle Prong of Little River, and, of course, the Greenbrier Schoolhouse and cemetery. If you ever want to get an idea of how infant mortality rates have improved over the past 100-150 years, walk through this cemetery. It makes me feel blessed that our children have survived to 14 months and to 6 years.

• Route: Metcalf Bottoms Trail to Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse (.7, .7)
• Total Mileage: 1.4 miles
• Highlights: Myers's first hike (while Bailey was stomping in the river at Camp Wesley Woods); hemlocks decimated by woolly adelgids, cyanide laced millipedes, taking pictures of Myers near a stone wall and stairs leading to an old homesite

Date: 6-13-2007
Hikers: Andy, Jodie, Myers (his 1st hike!)

Bear Hair Snare || Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Pictures
Today I got to do an 8 mile hike with a biologist from UTK doing work on estimating the black bear population in the park. Whereas this used to be done with live traps, this year the study has transitioned to DNA tracking that requires only a sample of a bear's hair to identify individuals. The snare set up to catch the bear hair is amaaaazingly high tech. It involves: barbed wire, a can of sardines, a tampon, and a bottle of raspberry extract. Sound intriguing? Check here for pictures. I got to inspect bear scat with someone who actually knows something about it (while I LOVE scat, I know little about it). I also found out about "ritual trails," the way black bears, like the Sand People from Star Wars, will step in their own and/or other black bear tracks when traveling on a frequently used trail. Why? No clue, but it looks kind of neat. We also saw some pine trees with paw swipes and scent rubbing, a few American Chestnut samplings (that unfortunately will die before making it to adulthood, plenty of squaw-root (a bear favorite), a juvenile timber rattler that, miraculously, didn't bite any of the 4 people who stepped directly over it, tons of hemlock woolly adelgid, and a few bear scat deposits. How's that for a summer job?

Bear Hair Snare

 

• Route: Lumber Ridge (4.1 miles) to unmarked manway leading to upper Spruce Flats Falls (4 miles).
  
• Total Mileage: 8.1 miles
  
• Highlights: Checking bear hair snares, juvenile timber rattler, American Chestnut sapling, "ritual trails," bear scat, coyote scat with feral pig hair, Spruce Flats Falls...

Date: 06-12-2007
Hikers: Andy, Jason Love, Isaac Evans, Jessica, Jared, Justin, 7 campers

Summer Blog Postings || Monday, June 11, 2007

For my summer job this summer, I am working at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont as a teacher intern for the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI), a project sponsored by Discover Life in America, that aims to identify all species in the GSMNP. As part of my internship, I am to make a presentation next fall, and it seems to me that the best way for me to keep up with the information is going to be to post a daily blog. So... here goes.

Pre-Father's Day || Sunday, June 10, 2007

Due to limited stock and a good sale, my father's day present from my loving wifey and young uns came a week early. See photos from its innaugural float here (Chilhowee lake up to the mouth of Abram's Creek). ... ok... the pics are MIA... I'll look later.

Water Mites || June 10, 2007

Yesterday we took the family up to Tremont for a citizen science workshop on water mites. If this sounds like an unknown topic to you, it probably should as there are only 5 biologists in North America doing research on these mites. These lovely critters can be found in basically any body of water, but are about the size of a speck of sand. We had a great time first collecting samples from the Middle Prong of Little River and then sucking water mites out of a dish with pipettes. Jodie, in particular, is quite the budding water mite specialist. Anyway, some of the pictures from the workshop can be found below: