Archived Outdoors

Sparrowing at Kituwah

out donhendoA quest for sparrow sightings will commence during the morning of Jan. 14 at Kituwah, an area of about 300 acres along the Tuckesegee River in Swain County, between Bryson City and Cherokee. 

Birder Extraordinaire Don Hendershot, also a naturalist and famed columnist for The Smoky Mountain News, will lead a walk through Kituwah, which is listed in the North Carolina Birding Trail Guide for the mountain region. Possible sightings include song, swamp, fox, Savannah and Lincoln’s sparrows, among others, and the occasional killdeer, wood duck or yellow-rumped warbler may show its beak. 

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians acquired the property in 1996 — it is believed to be one of the seven “mother towns” of the Southeast. Nine thousand years of continuous habitation have been documented at the mound at Kituwah.

The outing is organized by the Franklin Bird Club. Carpools will leave from Franklin at 8 a.m. and Dillsboro at 8:30 a.m. RSVP to 828.524.5234. 

Smokey Mountain News Logo
SUPPORT THE SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS AND
INDEPENDENT, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM
Go to top
Payment Information

/

At our inception 20 years ago, we chose to be different. Unlike other news organizations, we made the decision to provide in-depth, regional reporting free to anyone who wanted access to it. We don’t plan to change that model. Support from our readers will help us maintain and strengthen the editorial independence that is crucial to our mission to help make Western North Carolina a better place to call home. If you are able, please support The Smoky Mountain News.

The Smoky Mountain News is a wholly private corporation. Reader contributions support the journalistic mission of SMN to remain independent. Your support of SMN does not constitute a charitable donation. If you have a question about contributing to SMN, please contact us.