FreeLists / birdky / [birdky] (RPT) Mitchell Lake update

["Scott and Glenda Record" <sgrecord@xxxxxxxx>]

Arrived about sunrise this morning and enjoyed watching the waders come in to 
Mitchell.  It appears that most of the egrets are roosting somewhere to the 
south and flying into Mitchell each morning whereas most of the Great blue 
herons are roosting on the lake.  I don't know of anything more graceful than 
Snowy egrets slipping the air coming in for a landing.    There were over 200 
egrets present at one time with over 60 snowy and about 10 little blues with a 
couple piebald individuals that are always enjoyable for me.  Overall shorebird 
numbers are down slightly but still encouraging.  Birds added to Tuesday's list 
are 2 Semi-plovers and a solitary sandpiper.  I was unable to find any 
dowithers, sanderling or the stilt sandpiper.  All other shorebird species 
reported Tuesday are still present.  The semi/western group seemed a little 
less confusing today.  Partly due to the much calmer winds which greatly aided 
viewing and largely due to my realizing that at least half or more of these 
were in fact juvenile westerns.  It quickly became a game of find a semi 
sandpiper in the flock.  Now thats fun!  Least ern numbers are still very high 
and there were at least 5 black terns seen today.  Six northern shovelers also 
made an appearance.  

Scott Record
Ragland KY