Off a boardwalk in the woods at Radnor Lake, crews have spent the summer rebuilding a flighted enclosure for a bald eagle named Phoenix. Once she arrives she will go by Eagle Number 3. A few miles west, in Edwin Warner Park, researchers keep up a routine that started in 1982. They catch songbirds, put a numbered aluminum band on one leg and let them go. Forest Hills is the city between those two places.
One side looks after birds that will never fly free again. The other measures birds that are only passing through. Late fall is when both get busy, and this year there's a reason to keep an eye on both calendars.
Phoenix Is Headed West From Knoxville
NewsChannel 5 reported on September 25 that the eagle was outside Knoxville and expected at Radnor Lake State Park by the end of the year, pending permitting approval. Before this fall, she had been kept at Owl Ridge Raptor Center with a fractured radius and ulna in her left wing, according to Fox Chattanooga. The Chattanooga Times Free Press puts that center in Washburn, Tennessee, and reported in August that federal wildlife officials had dropped an earlier order to euthanize her.
The job at Radnor was getting a damaged enclosure back into shape. "The flighted aviary was damaged from the ice storm," Park Manager Steve Ward told NewsChannel 5. "We have to make sure the facility is safe and we can care for this bird at a very high standard." The station said volunteers spent months zip-tying, digging and building enrichment perches. It also reported that Phoenix will share an enclosure with one of Radnor's current eagles.
Some of that labor came from Nissan. In a September 28 update, Friends of Radnor Lake thanked Nissan volunteers and the Nissan Neighbors Grant from the Nissan Foundation. The same post said the renovation was nearing completion, and that once the enclosure permit is approved, there's still some paperwork to finish before she can come. As of mid-October, the latest word from Radnor still says she is expected by year's end. She has not been announced as arrived.
When she does get there, she gives up her name. In the NewsChannel 5 piece, Ward said Radnor's raptors go by numbers and that Phoenix will become a park ambassador. "We want people to come and see them, engage with people on why bald eagles are so important to our ecosystem, their national symbol," he said.
Who Already Lives on the Boardwalk
The Barbara J. Mapp Aviary Education Center opened in 2015. It's a 550-foot, wheelchair-accessible boardwalk where you can see non-releasable birds of prey up close. According to Friends of Radnor Lake, each bird stays there because of a permanent injury. Radnor staff train with Wings to Soar four times a year, and Friends pays for the birds' vet care, food and enrichment. The posted roster lists a Great Horned Owl, a Red-tailed Hawk, a vulture, a Golden Eagle and three Bald Eagles. That roster was online before Phoenix's transfer was announced, so check the numbers on your next visit.
Phoenix is part of a larger round of upgrades. Friends of Radnor Lake lists kitchen improvements, a flighted exercise enclosure and accessibility work for the center as it passes 11 years.
Here's what to know before you walk out there:
- Hours. Wednesdays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. All programs are free.
- Distance. About three-quarters of a mile from the East Parking Area, or a mile and a quarter from the West Parking Area at the Walter Criley Visitor Center.
- Glove programs. Rangers bring birds out on the glove when visitation allows. These aren't on a schedule.
- Dogs. No pets on the aviary boardwalk.
The rest of the natural area changes with the season. Tennessee State Parks counts 236 reported bird species at Radnor. It says fall migration brings warblers, vireos and flycatchers, and winter brings chances to see 24 reported waterfowl species as migrating ducks stop on the lake. For winter water birds, the park recommends the observation platforms along Otter Creek Road for waterfowl, kingfishers, cormorants and grebes.
The Counting Side of Town
At Radnor the birds stay put and visitors come to them. At Warner Park Nature Center, the researchers go out to the birds. Friends of Warner Parks describes a long-term banding station in operation since 1982, run by trained, federally licensed researchers and volunteers. They catch wild birds, identify and measure them, band them and release them. The data shows how birds use Warner Parks during migration.
Anyone can watch. On the Metro Parks bird program page, families and individuals can show up without registering. Organized groups have to arrange a visit ahead of time, and weather can cancel or move a session. The October 20 session has passed, which leaves three on the fall schedule:
| Date | Time |
|---|---|
| Tuesday, October 27 | 8 a.m. to noon |
| Wednesday, November 4 | Noon to 4 p.m. |
| Tuesday, November 10 | 8 a.m. to noon |
The Nature Center's 2026 fall schedule asks visitors to call ahead if the weather looks doubtful. It also notes the center is closed November 11 for Veterans Day and November 26 through 28 for Thanksgiving.
Owls After Dark, Winter Birds at Dawn
The Warner Parks BIRD Program runs two guided outings this fall, both led by Graham Gerdeman and both for ages 13 and up.
"Searching for Owls of Warner Parks" is on Saturday, November 7, starting late in the afternoon and running until 7 p.m. The group searches near the Little Harpeth River and up to the forest edges of Ridgefield in Edwin Warner Park. Friends of Warner Parks lists Great Horned, Barred and Screech Owls, plus Northern Saw-whet Owls during migration and winter. The posted start time is 4:30 p.m. on the Friends page and 4:45 p.m. in Metro's fall schedule, so confirm it when you register. Registration opens Saturday, October 24, by email at [email protected] or by phone at 615-862-8555.
"Early Winter Birds of Edwin Warner Park" is the following Saturday, November 14, from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. The walk covers meadows, trails and forest, looking for migrants that will spend the winter here. Registration opens October 31.
The two walks track the same seasonal change the banding station records. One looks for owls in the dark and the other looks for winter birds just after sunrise.
November 7 Covers Both Sides
Saturday, November 7, is the one day this fall when both kinds of bird work are open to the public. Tennessee State Parks lists an aviary open house at Radnor from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. that day, and the owl search in Edwin Warner starts late that afternoon.
- Morning at Radnor. Walk out to the Barbara J. Mapp Aviary for the open house. Self-guided tours are free, and you might catch a glove program if the crowd allows.
- Midday on the lake. On the way back, stop at the Otter Creek Road platforms and look for early waterfowl.
- Late afternoon in Edwin Warner. Join the owl search along the Little Harpeth, if you got a spot when registration opened on October 24.
If that Saturday doesn't work, the aviary also holds open houses on October 24 and October 31, and it's open every Wednesday morning.
Bringing It Home to the Feeder
For seed, feeders or a birdbath before the cold sets in, two local shops are close by. Wild Birds Unlimited's Nashville store, owned by franchisees Amy Legg and Kellie Watts, is at 86 White Bridge Pike. Its posted hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The Wood Thrush Shop at 6029 Highway 100 sells bird seed, feeders and baths. It's open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Mike Drongoski has volunteered at Radnor for decades. Talking with NewsChannel 5 about the eagles and the aviary's mission, he said, "It's real. It's where we live."
If you get out to the boardwalk or the owl walk this fall, I'd love to hear what you saw. Phoenix's arrival is one of the best stories this side of town has had in a while, and I'm glad to be part of this community while it happens. If you'd like to talk about life between Radnor and the Warners, Davey Hackett is always happy to connect.
