Seven
Islands Wildlife Refuge
Seven Islands
Wildlife Refuge is a 360 acre Knox County park about 8.5 miles east of Knoxville.
The refuge, on former farmland, includes the Kelly Bend peninsula along the French
Broad River. Habitats include wooded hills, an intermittent stream, and several
fields being restored to native warm-season grasses. A paved road extends over
a mile into the property creating a prime birding route.
Fields at Seven Islands with
restored warm-season grasses. The French Broad River is at the treeline at the
left and the paved road from the parking lot is on the right.
Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge is an excellent birding location year round. Permanent
residents which can be found here include Wild Turkey, Northern Bobwhite, Eastern
Screech-Owl, Pileated Woodpecker and Eastern Meadowlark. Bald Eagles can sometimes
be seen soaring over at any time of year. While it is certainly worth a visit
during spring and fall migrations, the breeding season and winter must not be
overlooked.
In winter, hundreds of sparrows can be found, especially
Field, Savannah, Song, Swamp, White-throated and White-crowned, with little effort.
It is possibly the most reliable Knox County location to find White-crowned Sparrows.
A Loggerhead Shrike may also be present. A Northern Harrier regularly cruises
the hilly fields, and Short-eared Owls could occur as the grass fields become
established.
| During the breeding season,
nesting birds are quite a highlight here. Easily heard singing well into the summer
are Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat, Summer Tanager, Blue Grosbeak and
Indigo Bunting. Orchard Orioles nest here too, but leave a bit earlier than the
others. Purple Martins nest in a box and gourds erected by the Knoxville Chapter
of TOS and Tree Swallows are also present. So far, close to 150 species have been
identified on the refuge. |  |
DIRECTIONS
Getting there: From I-40,
take Exit 402 – Midway Rd. Turn south onto Midway Rd. This is a right turn if
coming from Knoxville, left if coming from points east. Continue on Midway for
2 miles where you will turn left onto Maples Rd. (note: at the one mile point,
Midway bears left). Watch for the green refuge signs. At the end of Maples (~
1 mile), turn right onto Kodak Rd. After about a quarter mile, turn left onto
Kelly Lane, which takes you right to the parking area (coordinates N W ). Just
before the parking lot is a left turn to a boat launch area. This is also a part
of the refuge, but the area is rarely birded.
BIRDING SEVEN ISLANDS
Plan on spending at least three hours of birding time here to
cover the various habitats. Mornings, as usual, are best, but even during the
middle of the day you can still expect to find most of the birds present. Visits
here during the last few hours of daylight can be quite rewarding as well.
Upon arriving at the parking area, start listening for bird song. During the warmer
months, you'll hear Carolina Wrens, Northern Mockingbird, Common Yellowthroats,
Indigo Buntings, Field and Song Sparrows and maybe a few woodpeckers. There are
almost always some American Goldfinches flying around. The trees around the parking
lot can be good for songbirds during migration, though the refuge is not especially
good for warblers. If you walk back out Kelly Lane, you may find some good open
field birds, like Grasshopper Sparrows and Northern Bobwhite. Scan the farm fields
in April and May for Bobolinks. At dark, you may be able to call up an Eastern
Screech-Owl here.
The most popular, and effective, route for birding
here is simply to walk along the paved road from the parking lot towards the river.
This road is mostly level, with a fairly short, gradual drop in elevation near
the halfway point. (possibly just a bit too steep for people in wheelchairs).
| | As
you begin along the road, a wooded hill is to your left and brushy fields to the
right. A path up the hill is relatively unproductive. Except in winter when the
fields are full of sparrows, this is one of the less 'birdy' areas on the refuge
– but keep looking and listening. Around the barn on your right you should start
hearing Blue Grosbeak. Look into all the barns for Barn Owl, which have been seen
occasionally here. |
Often along this straight
stretch of road birders get frustrated as the birds stay farther away. Don't be
too worried, as all the same species tend to be more easily seen up closer as
you walk farther into the park. Just past the barn there is a dirt road to the
right. It is slowly being reclaimed by the vegetation but while it is still there,
you may want to walk along it to the point where it starts to go uphill. The trees
and shrubs on the right will have a good assortment of sparrows and field birds,
maybe a Northern Mockingbird or Brown Thrasher as well.
You should
move a bit more quickly over the next stretch of road as more of the same birds
tend to be present up to the point where the road curves left and starts to go
down hill (though you may hear a Summer Tanager singing on the hill to your left
in summer, or a Pileated Woodpecker any time). At the bend in the road there are
some cedars. From this point to the bottom of the hill take your time. Look and
listen in the vegetation on the slope to your right, and scan the fields below.
Red-winged Blackbirds are often present in those fields, and this is your first
chance to scan the river for waterfowl. This is a good area to find migrant songbirds
in season. The fields you see have been planted with native warm season grasses.
These take a few years to become established but they are on their way. It will
be interesting to see how the bird population changes here as those grasses grow.
This whole area where the road levels off again, just before the horse barn on
your left, can be one of the best places to find a diversity of birds. A trail
goes off to your right here, through an area that periodically holds water. Some
birds to look for include Eastern Kingbird, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Summer Tanager
and Orchard Oriole. Scan the wires and tops of the poles along the road ahead
– raptors commonly sit on the poles, especially Red-tailed Hawk and American Kestrel,
and woodpeckers roost in the holes. Most of the birds on the wires may be starlings,
but Mourning Doves and Brown-headed Cowbirds can be abundant at times. There should
be a few Eastern Bluebirds, and if you haven't seen a Red-bellied Woodpecker or
Northern Flicker yet, you should see one soon.
 |
Fields,
fencerows, and woodlands at Seven Islands refuge. Photos
by David Trently. |
The next stretch of road gives you additional chances
to see many of the birds you've already heard, and they are more easily seen here,
plus it can be good for butterflies as well. When you pass the trees on your right
and see open field, start listening for Grasshopper Sparrows in spring and early
summer. In winter, there may be American Pipits and Wilson's Snipe in those fields,
which you may enter. Be sure to look up from time to time as raptors often cruise
past this refuge.
Once you reach the house and barn, look for
the Purple Martin nest structures between the first two buildings. Tree, and lots
of Barn Swallows, may also be present in summer. The fields on the right have
been good for finding quail, but hearing them is more likely than seeing them.
The fence row on the left just past the barn is a great place to find wintering
White-crowned Sparrows, as well as several other species. In season, expect to
find a few Blue Grosbeaks here as well. There is often a pair of House Finches
near here. The hill with lots of broomsedge may have Grasshopper Sparrows and
if you climb the hill you'll have a good chance of seeing a harrier cruising along
in winter. There is a path to the river around here, but few birds are ever seen
on the water. Double-crested Cormorants and Belted Kingfishers may be seen flying
along the river, and in late summer look for hundreds of Chimney Swifts feeding
as they prepare to migrate.
At dusk, near the barn at the end
of the road, you may be rewarded with hearing a Chuck-will's-widow from somewhere
across the river, or an Eastern Screech-Owl using one of the nest boxes placed
along the riverbank. The trees around the last barn are another good area for
songbirds, and the barn has been known to be a home for a Barn Owl.
This
is the end of the paved road. You may return to the parking lot (birding on the
way!) by reversing your route or try out some of the refuge's trails, one of which
runs along the river. You can take this as you head back, cutting across the grass/brushy
fields back to the road at one of a few points where there are paths. Many native
trees have been planted as a buffer along this stretch, and as they grow taller,
more birds can be expected to use this riparian area. For now, you can expect,
at the appropriate time of year, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Blue-gray
Gnatcatcher, occasional Northern Parulas, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Song Sparrow,
Northern Cardinal...and scan the river periodically as a small number of ducks
are seen on the water in winter and spring, including Pied-billed Grebe, Mallard
and Blue-winged Teal.
| The
French Broad River at the end of Steamboat Island Trail at Seven Islands Refuge. |  |
Click here
for a Seven Islands bird checklist.
DeLorme Atlas
& Gazetteer Page 44, Grids A-2.
Prepared
by David Trently, November 2004, updated July 2007..