Norris
Dam Area
Norris
Dam and Tailwater
Songbird Trail
Norris Watershed
Norris Dam State Park
Riverbluff Trail
Norris Dam is a good year-round birding location about
20 miles north of Knoxville. It was built by the Tennessee Valley
Authority in the early 1930s and was the first of the many large and
small dams built by TVA. Over the years since then, TVA, Tennessee
State Parks, and the City of Norris have developed many recreational
facilities near Norris Dam. The area now offers a variety of habitats
including Norris Lake, the river, riparian forests, mature woodlands,
old fields and hedgerows, and a woodland stream.
Norris
Dam from the west overlook. Photos by Charles P. Nicholson.
DIRECTIONS
From I-75 north of Knoxville, take exit 122 (Norris/Clinton). After
exiting, turn east on TN 61 (right turn if exiting from I-75 N, left
if exiting from I-75S). Turn left onto US 441N after 1.4 miles and
after passing the Museum of Appalachia. After driving 6.3 miles on
US 441N you will arrive at the dam (coordinates 36.2244°N, 84.0922°W).
Alternatively, if traveling on I-75 south from Kentucky, take exit
128 (Lake City) and then US 441S for 4.5 miles to the dam.
SONGBIRD TRAIL AND TAILWATER AREA
The Clinch River below Norris Dam will first be visible on the east
wide of US 441 about 2.6 miles from TN 61. After another 0.8 miles
(3.4 miles from TN 61), stop at the parking area at the low weir dam
(across from the entrance to the state park's Lenoir Museum) to scan
the river. Great Blue Herons, Canada Geese, semi-domesticated Mallards,
and Belted Kingfishers are regular here, and Double-crested Cormorants
and Wood Ducks are occasionally present. Ospreys are sometimes present
during spring and fall. A Long-tailed Duck and Surf Scoter were recorded
here during the 1995 Christmas Bird Count.
Continue towards the dam on US 441. After 0.6 miles,
turn left onto the road to the base of the dam. After another 0.6
miles turn left into the parking lot (coordinates 36.2200°N, 84.0886°W).
This is the trailhead for the Songbird Trail, a 2.5 mile loop trail.
A portion of the trail (also called the Edge Path) along the river
bank is paved and wheelchair accessible. The rest of it is flat and
easy walking. During the spring and summer, look for nesting Eastern
Kingbirds, Eastern Peewees, Great-Crested Flycatchers, White-eyed
and Yellow-throated Vireos, Gray Catbirds, Brown Thrashers, Blue-gray
Gnatcatchers, Yellow-throated Warblers, and Orchard Orioles along
the trails. The trail is also a good place to observe spring and fall
migrants. During the winter, watch for Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers,
Winter Wrens, Hermit Thrushes, kinglets, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and
White-throated Sparrows. Woodpeckers, Carolina Wrens, Cedar Waxwings,
Northern Cardinals, and Song Sparrows are present year-round. Eastern
Screech-Owls, Barred Owls, and Great Horned Owls are also permanent
residents in this area.
Above left: Paved
portion of the Songbird Trail. Above right: Field of native grasses
along the Songbird Trail.
The Songbird Trail area and the adjacent fields along
US 441 are also the home of a large population of Eastern Bluebirds.
Former TVA employee Gordon Hall established a bluebird trail here
in the 1960s. Since then, the nest boxes have been maintained by the
late J. B.
Owen and others. The first East Tennessee nest record of the Tree
Swallow was in one of these boxes in 1968.
The fields along the Songbird Trail and US 441 have
an interesting history. About the time the dam was completed, as fish
hatchery was developed in shallow ponds in this area. At that time
in the 1930s, large reservoirs were a new phenomenon and there were
doubts about whether the fluctuating water levels in the reservoirs
would inhibit successful fish spawning. So the hatchery ponds were
built to rear fish for stocking in the reservoir. This eventually
proved unnecessary for most fish and the hatchery ponds were eventually
abandoned. The fields have also been used for many forestry tree improvement
experiments and tree orchards from this effort persist. From the 1970s
through 1990s, many of the fields became choked with invasive trees
and shrubs. In recent years TVA has renovated many of these fields
and planted them in native grasses. They now support a good winter
population of sparrows including Field, Song, White-throated, Swamp,
the occasional Savannah, and during late fall, a few Lincoln's Sparrows.
GRIST MILL AND NORRIS WATERSHED
At 5.0 miles north of TN 61, US 441N crosses over Clear Creek. Immediately
past this turn right onto Lower Clear Creek Road (use caution in the
sharp turn). You will quickly come to a parking area at an historic
grist mill that is part of the state park. The gravel road beyond
this point enters the Norris Watershed, a 2000+ acre forested area
owned and managed by the City of Norris. The gravel road runs along
Clear Creek for almost a mile, and this stretch of the creek is a
reliable area for nesting Acadian Flycatchers, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers,
Northern Parulas, Yellow-throated Warblers, and Louisiana Waterthrushes.
Either walk the gravel road or cross the creek at the grist mill and
walk the trail along the south bank of the creek. This trail is also
great for spring wildflowers. Eastern Phoebes nest on the buildings
near the parking area and under the nearby bridges.
Other birds nesting in the Norris Watershed include
Broad-winged Hawks, Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Pileated and Hairy Woodpeckers,
Red-eyed, Yellow-throated, and occasionally Blue-headed Vireos, Wood
Thrushes, Black-throated Green (occasionally), Pine, Black-and-White,
Worm-eating, Kentucky and Hooded Warblers, Ovenbirds, and Scarlet
Tanagers.
In addition to birding and wildflowers, the Norris Watershed
has many miles of hiking, horse, and mountain bike trail. Trail maps
are available online
or at Norris city offices. The portion of the Norris Watershed north
of Clear Creek is closed to non-hunters during parts of the fall deer
season. Contact Norris city offices for the closure schedule; signs
describing the closure may also be posted in the Watershed. Many of
the roads in the Watershed are rutted and a high-clearance vehicle
is recommended. Four-wheel drive is rarely required.
|
|
| Acadian Flycatcher
and Louisiana Waterthrush habitat along Clear Creek in the Norris
Watershed. |
NORRIS DAM
US 441N crosses Norris Dam 5 miles north of the junction with TN 61.
Scenic overlooks are present on both the east and west sides of the
dam. The east side overlook has restrooms and some interpretive displays.
Rock Pigeons and Cliff Swallows nest on the dam. The lake normally
has few birds on it, although a few Ring-billed and/or Bonaparte's
Gulls are occasionally present during the winter. Bald Eagles may
also be perched in shoreline trees on rare occasions.
NORRIS DAM STATE PARK
The two sections of this park are located on the east and west sides
of Norris Dam. Both portions are good for woodland birding. The older
part of the park, first developed by TVA and the Civilian Conservation
Corps in the 1930s, is on the east side, and the entrance road turns
off of US 441 at the east end of the dam. Drive uphill on the park
entrance road for 0.4 miles to the parking area at the picnic shelters
(coordinates 36.2257°N, 84.0861°W). This area is good for nesting
Summer Tanagers, Great Crested Flycatchers, and Yellow-throated Vireos.
Red-headed Woodpeckers can occur here at any time of year.
The newer part of the state park is west of the dam.
After crossing the dam on US 441N, go 2.1 miles to the park entrance
on the right. Stop at the parking area at the bottom of the hill (coordinates
36.2363°N, 84.1113°W). Trails originating here have a variety of typical
forest birds. To get to the park headquarters, turn right at the intersection
just past the parking area; the headquarters is ahead on the left.
RIVERBLUFF TRAIL
The Riverbluff Trail is a 3.3-mile trail through old
growth forest on the west bank of the Clinch River below Norris Dam.
To get to the trail head, go north on US 441 for 1 mile and turn left
onto Dabney Lane (the second paved road to the left). Immediately
after turning off of US 441, turn left at the fork and follow the
road down the hill to the marked trailhead parking area (coordinates
36.2202°N, 84.0947°W).
The Riverbluff Trail has one of the most spectacular
early spring wildflower displays in East Tennessee. The first part
of the trail follows the riverbank and passes below moist limestone
bluffs before climbing away from the river and returning along the
ridgetop. The trail difficulty is moderate; allow plenty of time to
enjoy the wildflowers and birds. The wildflowers are best from early
March into May. Among the most showy wildflowers are large beds of
trout lilies, bloodroot, celandine poppies, Dutchman's breeches, dwarf
crested iris, columbine, and several species of trilliums.
Breeding birds found along the Riverbluff Trail include
Pileated Woodpeckers, Acadian Flycatchers, Eastern Phoebes, Red-eyed
Vireos, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Wood Thrushes, Yellow-throated, Pine
Black-and-White, Kentucky, and Hooded Warblers, Ovenbirds and Scarlet
Tanagers. Many spring and fall migrants can also be found along the
Riverbluff Trail.
Wildlife viewing in the Norris Dam area includes more
than birds. The road from US 441 to the base of the dam is a favorite
spot for observing a large heard of dder in the evenings. The deer
are quite tame and will come close to cars to eat bread tossed to
them; this feeding, however, is not encouraged. Also watch for river
otters in the tailwater area; they have been seen from the Songbird
Trail and the Riverbluff Trail.
For more information on area:
Norris
Dam State Park web site
TVA Norris Dam web site
DeLorme Tennessee Atlas & Gazetteer page 59, Grid
C-6.
Prepared by Charles P. Nicholson, January 2007.