FreeLists / birdky / [birdky] Weekend birding

["Ben Yandell" <by@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Best birds were Virginia rail, short-eared owls, dowitchers (likely
long-billed), Lapland longspurs, LeConte's sparrows, and tundra swans.
Total of 92 species observed.

Friday afternoon, Nov. 24

Peabody, Sinclair
* Virginia rail.  Just after left turn at Drakesboro toward Paradise steam
plant, abandoned road angles off to right.  Marshy area just before bridge.
Va. rail called after we closed a car door and again after I (Ben) sneezed.
* Short-eared owls.  At least 5 around dusk along S5 near S2.  Actively
hunting, yelping, performing aerial acrobatics, and chasing each other.
Quite a show.


Saturday, Nov. 25

Land Between the Lakes area
* Am. white pelican.  I estimated 490 resting on bar across from Kuttawa
overlook.  Then 2 more flew in, so I guess I should say I estimated 492.

- Strikeouts west of Paducah:  Checked Bethel Church Rd. for spotted towhee
of previous years and checked 1105/Smokey Road area for Brewer's blackbirds.
No luck in either case.  Also nothing unusual seen in short swing by Ballard
WMA.

Fulton County
- Almost no waterfowl at Reelfoot/Long Point Unit.
* Long-billed dowitcher (I believe.  Have videotape.)  8 seen feeding at
Open Pond area.  
* Dunlin.  6 near the dowitchers.  Also 
* Lapland longspurs.  50-100 along east side of road just south of Open
Pond.
* Am. pipits.  4+ at Open Pond.


Sunday, Nov. 26

Land Between the Lakes area
- No unusual gulls identified.  Checked both dams, Green Turtle Bay and
Kuttawa overlooks, Ky. Dam Village marina.  Hundreds of gulls in the area.
Maybe 300 Bonaparte's gulls below Barkley Dam.
* Wild turkeys.  West end / north side of road across Kentucky Dam.  Large
group with at least 3 males in full display.
* LeConte's sparrow.  East entrance below Barkley Dam.  Field of mixed
grasses between main road and entrance road that parallels it.  I saw one
sparrow briefly.  Orange supercilium and quick impression of LeConte's.  No
look at crown or nape of neck.  Estimate there were 2-3, based on small,
pale, weak-flying birds.  Same area had swamp, song, and Savannah sparrows.
We only walked that one area for about 15 minutes, so who knows what's
there?

Sloughs WMA / Sauerheber  (West of Henderson.  Be sure to read Charlie
Crawford's recent posts, also)
* Tundra swans.  About 4 pm (CST), 9 seen flying into water north across the
road from Wood Tract observation platform and monument.  First 6 adults (one
banded with what must be a gray collar:  H371).  Then 2 adults and an
immature flew in.  
* Lesser yellowlegs.  2 along the main road, same general area as the swans.
7 Wilson's snipes.
* Also:  Many 100s of greater white-fronted geese in the area.  Very few
Canada geese mixed in.  One lone Bonaparte's gull, snow geese, dabbling
ducks, and 1000s of grackles, red-winged and rusty blackbirds.  One of the
male red-winged blackbirds had a large, distinct rectangle/crescent of white
just below his throat.  Two bald eagles in the area, spooking the waterfowl.
One caught what we think was an Am. coot.  At one point the two eagles
landed on the ground near each other, bill-to-bill and conferred about
something.

Ben and Mary Yandell
Louisville