FreeLists / birdky / [birdky] RPT: Least Tern surveys

["Palmer-Ball, Brainard \(EPPC OOS KNPC\)" <Brainard.Palmer-Ball@xxxxxx>]

Last week, staff with the Missouri Dept. of Conservation (led by Rochelle 
Renken), Ky Dept of Fish and Wildlife Resources (John Brunjes and Gerald 
Burnett), and the Ky. State Nature Preserves Commission (myself) conducted 
surveys of KY's Least Tern nesting colonies.

So far the rivers are low this year, making for nesting to be a bit more spread 
out, especially on the Mississippi. Numbers of nesting terns are down for 
unknown reasons, but four KY sites on the Mississippi hosted something on the 
order of 160, 130, 60, and 10-15 pairs. On the lower Ohio River, birds were 
found nesting only at two sites in Ballard County with 33 and 46 nests counted 
(if memory serves somewhat accurately). The Mississippi is quite low for this 
time of year, with pools at Island No. 1 and Laketon at about mid-August 
levels. 

Other observations of interest from last week include: adult Yellow-crowned 
Night-Heron along Mayfield Creek at US 62, Carlisle County (JB); at least 6 
Black Terns at one of the Least Tern colonies in Ballard Co (JB, GB); a Caspian 
Tern and a Ring-billed Gull at Livingston Point above Paducah (JB, BP, GB); and 
75-80 Ring-billed Gulls and a Forster's Tern at the Ky Dam Village marina roof 
(BP). John and I checked on the Bell's Vireo nest near the Scissor-tailed 
Flycatcher site on KY 453 near Grand Rivers and it was empty but appeared 
successful (unless a snake vacuumed out the young); we only saw one adult 
Scissor-tailed and the nest there looks a bit torn up like maybe that nesting 
has been unsuccessful. The big grass field below Barkley Dam is overrun with 
Dickcissels. This field has been converted to warm season grasses and is not 
being mowed.

bpb, Frankfort