This long-legged resident of marshes and wet fields has been increasing in the area during migration since the days of Park Naturalist, Arthur Stupka. He noted a specimen shot in 1942 that was one of the first records for this species in Tennessee. They now assemble by the hundreds along the Hiwassee River to the southwest of Knoxville during early spring and late fall. Small groups and individuals are sighted every few years just outside the Park on both the Tennessee and North Carolina sides.

All three park records on file are from November in Cades Cove: 1969, 1986 and 2000.

References:

Gough, G. A., Sauer, J. R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD.