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Loudon County, Tennessee, USA
35.80o N, 84.27o W
Co-Cordinators:
Meredith Bradford Clebsch
Wes James
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The Tennessee golondrinas site is located along Tennessee Valley Authority watercourses in East Tennessee. The boxes are split among three locations: Ft. Loudon Reservoir (Tennessee River), Tellico Reservoir (Little Tennessee River), and Melton Hill Reservoir (Clinch River). Tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) have been breeding at the site for the last 10 years. Currently there are 106 boxes available for tree swallows, bluebirds, chickadees and other cavity-nesting birds. |
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| Meredith Bradford Clebsch, owner/manager of Native Gardens native plant nursery in Greenback, TN since 1983. My BS from Clemson University is in animal science with minors in wildlife and horticulture, plus additional course work at the University of TN in botany and ecology. Conservation is the primary concern of the nursery and we focus on encouraging more ecologically friendly landscapes through the sensible use of native plants and design. Much of our energy is spent advising for and developing more diverse habitats for native plants and animals.
The nursery is in a rural area of Loudon County, TN, near Tellico Lake, and much of my "spare" time is spent with my loyal hound knocking around the rich countryside botanizing and birding. The tree swallows at the Loudoun Dam have fascinated me for some time and I'm thrilled to get to know them better and to be able to continue to monitor their progress.
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Not that short, just not tall, and really not that old, but just getting that distinguished I've-been-around-and-know-more-than-you look. A damn good and intensely observant wildlife biologist with TVA. Not the easiest place to work these days, it should be noted. Friendly as a pup and great with people. Always encouraging them to care about wildlife and habitat and showing them cool things about critters and plants.
He received his wildlife biology degree from the University of TN, with specialties in wetlands and aquatic biology, which may have something to do with why he spends his "spare" time dragging bugs across the crystal clear waters of little known mountain streams. Another specialty is planting for wildlife including using native warm season grasses and forbs to increase diversity of flora and fauna of marginal habitats and to encourage others to do the same. He's a dang good birder and his habitat improvements around TVA's waterways for bluebirds inadvertently encouraged tree swallows, which he's now very excited to be able to observe. You can bet that he will be out of his cubicle every chance in the future to check the status of all the tree swallows in his region.
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