Public Access Birding Sites in Bledsoe County, Tennessee
If you have information about other public access birding sites in this county, please send details to me at this e-mail address:
Bledsoe County covers an area of 1053 km2 (406.7 mi2). A map of the county—with the some sites noted below coded on it—is available via the following link:
By far the most important birding site in Bledsoe County (and Van Buren County) is Fall Creek Falls State Resort Park and Natural Area (FCF) Covering more than 10,000 acres, this park offers many birding opportunities. There are approaches to the park from the north via Putnam and White counties. For either approach, begin by driving south on Rt. 111 from I-40 about 46.7 km (29 mi) to Spencer, TN. From the intersection of Rts. 111 and 30, you may approach the park from either the north or the southwest. To approach from the north, take Rt. 30 about 17.7 km (11 mi) to Rt. 284, and take Rt. 284 south to the park entrance. Note: Rt. 30 takes you through the Cane Creek Gulf Addition to Fall Creek Falls State Resort Park; it is a wild area, and the winding road through it may cause you to toss your cookies if you are at all prone to motion sickness, which makes the approach to the park from the southwest (described in the next paragraph) a better one for many vehicle occupants.
To approach the park from the southwest, continue south on Rt. 111 from Rt. 30 about 13.2 more km (8.2 mi) and turn left onto Rt. 284 at the sign for the park. Follow the signs about 11.3 km (7 mi) to the park. Rt. 284 to the park is longer than the northern entry route (if you are coming from the north), and it is a bit complicated, so pay attention to the signs for the park as you make your approach. If you are approaching from the south on Rt. 111, go about 32 km (20 mi) north from Dunlap—or 11.3 km [7 mi] north from the intersection of Rts 111 and Rt. 8—and look for the park road (Rt. 284) on the right.
The lake in the park has attracted many species of waterbirds, including Red Phalarope, in the past, but the main attraction of the park is its many miles of woodland trails and woodland birding. Several very short (0.4–1.6 km [0.25–1 mi]) trails are clustered around the Nature Center, offering views of the various falls in the park and access to some of the commoner woodland birds. The Pawpaw Trail is a fairly easy, shortish (6.4 km [4 mi]) loop trail that runs through woodland habitats typical of those found in the park. Two long trails are also available for the hiking birder: the Upper Cane Creek Loop (20.9 km [13 mi]) is fairly flat and offers extensive access to deciduous and mixed forests; and the Lower Cane Creek Loop (19.3 km [12 mi]) provides access to much the same habitat as the Upper Loop provides, but it also accesses a riparian area in the bottom of the Cane Creek Gorge, where Swainson's Warblers might be found some day. The trail down into Cane Creek Gorge along the Lower Cane Creek Loop is steep and treacherous in places; venture into this gorge only if you are a fit hiker and have lots of time to complete this loop.
A checklist of the park's birds is available at the nature center in the park; a somewhat expanded version of this checklist is available by clicking on the red word in this sentence.
The Sequatchie Valley (SEV) is almost entirely held in private hands, but a drive along the roads northeast of Pikeville can offer some rewarding birds, especially raptors. From Pikeville, take East Valley Rd. (known as Cumberland Avenue in town) or Rt. 127 northeast. To make a loop from Pikeville, take one of these roads northeast and then come back to Pikeville on the other. Not too far northeast of Pikeville on East Valley Rd., Swafford Pond borders the road on the east. This medium-sized pond has attracted many waterbirds in the past and is always worth a check.
A particularly productive road in the northern end of the Sequatchie Valley is Ninemile Crossroad. During summer this road has hosted breeding pairs of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers in a least four recent years. During winter it has hosted Rough-legged Hawks in several recent years and several Short-eared Owls during January–March 2006. Ninemile Crossroad runs roughly east and west, crossing Rt. 127 about 10–12 km south of the county line with Cumberland County; the section of the road that lies just west of East Valley Rd. tends to be the most productive section.
If you have information about other public access birding sites in this county, please send details to me at this e-mail address:
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