Rare bird spotted at Chickamauga Reservoir

Birders spotted the ancient murrelet at Chickamauga Reservoir near Chattanooga, Tennessee. / TVA photo.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — In November, bird watchers saw an Ancient Murrelet in Tennessee. TVA reported that the bird was spotted at the Chickamauga Reservoir near Chattanooga.

TVA said this is the first time this bird has been seen in Chattanooga.

It is native to the North Pacific Ocean, about 3,000 miles away.

“For it to be in the Southeast is noteworthy,” said Jason Mitchell, former TVA zoologist and current IT senior program manager. “It’s certainly a record for Tennessee.”

They reported that the bird was seen for a few days floating on the water in Chattanooga until one day it was gone.

TVA also said this sea bird is normally found 30 to 40 miles offshore the west coast, and bird watchers rarely spot them.

The last few times biologists reported spotting an ancient murrelet were in 2021 in Idaho and 2009 at Lake Michigan.