The Tennessee River Gorge Trust’s Bird Observatory was established in 2014 to serve as the hub for all TRGT bird monitoring and banding operations in the Tennessee River Gorge. Our objectives are to operate a streamline banding station in accordance with the most current North American Banding Council standards and guidelines. Our team pursues meaningful research projects focusing on our local birds and their relation to the overall health of the forests and streams within the Tennessee River Gorge. We also engage and educate our community about the need for this work and the value of its application. With these actions, we hope to uncover trends that will better inform our forestry management decisions, enabling us to preserve the Gorge for generations to come.

TRGT has been protecting land that serves as critical wildlife habitat in the Gorge for over 40 years. Habitat loss is the leading cause of the massive bird population declines of the 21st century (read this NY Times article to learn more). This is one of the many reasons why TRGT is conserving wildlife habitat through land protection. We are also conducting innovative research to better understand what is happening with our local bird populations in order to better inform our own land management decisions.

Current Bird Research

Wood Thrush Motus Tracking

Season Recaps and Banding Counts

We can’t do any of this work without your help! Please consider donating to TRGT to help us continue conserving wildlife habitat and researching our complex ecosystem.