FreeLists / birdky / [birdky] RPT: Additional observations from west KY Aug 13-14

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

Roseanna has already reported on the fact that Robert Dever and I missed
the Lake No. 9 Wood Stork by about an hour and a half on Sunday ...
Birding sighs and frowns ... :o(

We did enjoy the spectacular display of waterbirds there while searching
through late Monday morning, however. The lake is alive with waterfowl
(Mallards, Wood Ducks, Blue-winged Teal, and 2 Gadwall were what we
could find), shorebirds (in excess of 1000 birds, mostly Killdeer and
Pectoral Spipers, but with a decent mix, especially at the southern
end), and waders (we had 550+ egrets/herons). Single juv. White Ibis,
Willet, and Wilson's Phalaropes were highlights as noted by Roseanna.
Swallows are gathering, with all species accounted for. Only a few Least
Terns were seen at Lake No 9 but the sewage treatment plant pond outside
of Hickman (hard to see off the bypass to the south ... not the levee
pond most are familiar with) was alive with several dozen birds feeding.
We ran by Long Point and heard several Sedge Wrens singing away along KY
1282. Other passerine highlights were lacking ... we did encounter a few
Yellow Warblers.

Monday afternoon, Robert and I headed north with the following brief
reports:

Slough just north of Hickman -- 50 more Great Egrets.

Westvaco WMA, Town Creek Moist Soils Unit ... nearly 150 shorebirds,
mostly Killdeer, Least, Pec; 1 Least Tern.

Miss River at Westvaco WMA/Campbell Dikes/above Laketon Boat Ramp/Island
No 1 ... at each of these spots, the shorebirds consisted almost
entirely of ONLY Killdeer, juv. Least Sandpipers, and Spottys. There
were numerous Least Terns, especially in Laketon/Island No 1 area.
Otherwise, only a few Semi Plovers and 5 Black Terns moving downstream
at the new Laketon ramp.  At Westvaco WMA, two Sedge Wrens were singing
in a moist soils unit near the northern entrance.

Mitchell Lake, Ballard WMA ... we spent about an hour here with results
being VERY similar to those of previous visitors; highlights were ad. Am
Golden-Plover, ca 15 Stilt Sandpipers, and our first Greater Yellowlegs
of the two-day trip. We also saw at least 3 Northern Shovelers there and
a Sedge Wren was singing on the south side of the levee road.

Our last stop at Camp #9 in Union County yielded the same shorebird mix
as had been on the Mississippi ... Killdeers and Least Sandpipers.

We did have a nice raptor day on Monday with Mississippi Kite, Osprey
(Lake No. 9), Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier (male southwest of Willow
Pond), Cooper's Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk (juv nr new Laketon Ramp),
Red-shouldered, Red-tailed, and Am Kestrel seen.

Weekend total on shorebirds was 14.

bpb, Frankfort

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