[TN-Bird] Percy Priest Lake report - Bald Eagles, tagged gull

[Rconnorsphoto@xxxxxxx]

Jan. 25, 2008
J. Percy Priest Lake, Rutherford County and Davidson Co. TN
Upper sections of Percy Priest Lake including Fall Creek and Lamar Hill  
Public Use Areas, and Bryant Grove/Long Hunter State Park in Rutherford County. 
 
Long Hunter State Park / Couchville Lake section in Davidson county.
.
At Bryant Grove looking east from the boat ramp 2 adult Bald  Eagles were 
seen perched in trees on the far bluff. Long Hunter SP ranger says  fishermen 
have reported them in the area but no nesting evidence has been seen.  Osprey 
and 
Bald Eagles have been hacked or reared/released on Priest Lake  in the past 
but to my knowledge no BAEA nest has been verified yet.
 
Fall Creek:
Bonaparte's Gull 200++
Ring-billed Gull  200+
Great Blue Heron 18
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Unusual on Priest Lake for the Bonies to out number the ring-billed gulls.  
At normal winter pool this end of the lake is pretty shallow with lots of rock  
and gravel bars exposed. The island between Fall Creek and Lamar Hill has a  
small heronry, no more nest visible this year than last year (5). On this cold 
 day groups of Great Blue Herons were huddled on the shore like gray-clad  
business men waiting for the train.
 
Lamar Hill 1/18/08
Ring-billed Gull  500+
Bonaparte's Gull  ~25
Herring Gull  4
Winter Wren 1
Killdeer 1
Lake level had dropped since Christmas and gulls moved to now exposed  
smaller island. Large number of gulls came in after 3pm
 
Couchville Lake 1/18/08
Black Vultures  450+
Ring-billed Gull  150
Hooded Mergansers  80
On the 18th one yellow-tagged Ring-billed Gull was spotted.  Documentary 
photo and note sent to Tom Seaman as discussed in earlier  TNBird posts.
On the 25th the tagged gull was not re-found, the lake was about 2/3  frozen, 
fewer gulls and fewer vultures but hooded mergansers were in a tight  group.
 
Richard Connors
Nashville TN
 
 
 
 


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[TN-Bird] Percy Priest Lake report - Bald Eagles, tagged gull