FreeLists / birdky / [birdky] Re: Northern Shrike Missed

[Brainard.Palmer-Ball@xxxxxx]

Just to add a bit more from Mark's post . . . 

who would have thunk that the most solid sounding rarity to hang around in
quite a long time would be a no-show the day after it's discovery??? I think
all of us visiting the Sinclair Unit arrived thinking this guy was going to
be a "lock." Such is the price one pays for being overconfident!

Regarding directions . . . I wanted to dispell any confusion I entered into
the mix from my post yesterday; the Northern Shrike was NOT seen down near
the end of S5 where last year's Swallow-tailed Kite spent most of it's time.
The hill that David mentioned is far closer to S5's origin at S2. And the
pond that is up over the hill is the same lake that is on the south side of
S2 just west of it's junction with S5.

The areas that were looked over this afternoon in addition to the vigil on
top of the ridge where the bird was watched yesterday included most
everything within sight and about 1/2 mile of there, as well as the S3 loop
and S1 including the spur road where Mark described the Snow Bunting that
runs along the north side of the upper slurry basins (those north of S2).

It will be amazing if this bird goes down in history as a "one day wonder"
but anything is possible. There is an abundance of great habitat that takes
a long time to cover, so hopefully more sightings somewhere on the Sinclair
Unit are in our future. As a side note, I was quite surprised at the
relative dearth of small mammals in this area, and I'm wondering if raptors
will not be numerous there this winter????

bpb, Louisville




-----Original Message-----
From: Mark 
To: BIRDKY
Sent: 11/14/2004 7:37 PM
Subject: [birdky] Northern Shrike Missed

14 November 2004:

I came out of my non-birding shell to chase a potential life bird only
40 miles from my house today, the Northern Shrike observed yesterday by
Hap C, Roseanna D, David R. and perhaps others.  This was apparently
enough to cause the bird to hide or move as it had NOT been observed by
several birders as of 4:00 CST.  This was despite a constant vigil by
some at the point of last sighting and a fairly thorough search of the
Sinclair Unit of Peabody by others.  Hopefully, someone saw it after the
group broke apart, but I am doubtful.

The day was not a total loss for me, however.
 
For me, highlights were as follows:

1.  A single female Snow Bunting while on my way to the Shrike site at
the junction of S-1 and the unnamed road that connects S-1 to River Road
just north of S-2.
2.  A flyover Lapland Longspur that Brainard Palmer-Ball had the
alertness to call out (while I was thinking what was that strange
rattling call?).
3.  6 Least Sandpipers at the TVA Lake adjacent to the former Ash Basin.
4.  2 Dunlin at the same location as above.
5.  2 Great Egrets flying in from the east as observed while between the
former Ash Basin and the TVA Lake(s).
6.  App. 150 Vultures (based on partial count and extrapolation) on 2
power line towers near the Green River south of the Steam Plant.
7.  2 or more Palm Warblers in the "Shrike" area.

Also observed were a few Red-tailed Hawks, Northern Harriers, and
American Kestrels.  There were also some exciting moments that turned
out to be Northern Mockingbirds (not even a Loggerhead Shrike).

I look forward to reading posts from others to see what they say.
Overall, the day was a nice one, despite the disappointment.

I was also disappointed to observe that the Ash Basin is rapidly
becoming a Fragmentes field.  This appears to be the results of dropping
water levels.  While some "mud" and water remains, much of the
impoundment is overgrown with weeds or the invasive grass previously
mentioned.

That concludes this report.

Mark Bennett
Russellville, KY  (Logan County)

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