FreeLists / tn-bird / [tn-bird] Pacific Loons and Red-throated Loon at Port Road!

[OLCOOT1@xxxxxxx]

Feb. 2-3, 2002
Reelfoot and Pace Point Areas

After checking out Lauderdale Waterfowl Refuge, where the duck numbers were 
way down and scanning the mixed flocks of Horned larks, Lapland and American 
Pipits at the airfield, I headed up the road along the river.

Bright sun had Red-tailed Hawks posted all along the Great River Road like 
sentinels with a dark morph and immature Krider's, I guess the low light and 
the highlight. I ran into Mike Todd and eventually got caught poaching in 
Kentucky by Hap Chambers and Roseanna Denton. We made a few attempts not to 
intentionally look for the ghost falcon in the area but it was on everyone's 
mind. We went to Black Bayou to locate the Tree Sparrows and had 3 or 4 teed 
up in the bright sun. A circle of the lower lake yielded nothing but the 
regulars with more DC Cormorants than had been see in previous weeks and the 
two American White Pelicans covering a stump at Keystone.

The evening found us at Long Point, where geese traded in and out with 
Canada, Snows and Ross's, all out numbered by Greater White-fronted. A huge 
kettle of 100 plus Turkey vultures erupted into the sky at one point and 
Roseanna picked out two Black Vultures on top of the stack. A large 
White-tail Buck with a 10 or 12 point rack with heavy tines got all the 
hunters excited as it fed across the way. I photographed a probable hybrid 
Snow (blue morph)/ Greater White-fronted Goose cross, that was a hodgepodge 
of color.

The next morning I birdied Paris Landing where I found 127 Horned Grebes 
feeding in one area and added more through out the day. I saw 9 Common Loons 
at Eagle Creek and the immature Lesser Black-backed Gull feeding with 
Ring-billed, Herring and Bonaparte's Gulls. Golden-crowned Kinglets filled 
the Pines at the campground and the tinny toots of the Red-breasted 
Nuthatches added a warm touch to the cold gray morning. A group of 64 
Pied-billed Grebes were seen where the White-winged Scoter was reported 
earlier in the week.

I met Hap and Roseanna at the Port Road overlook. They had just arrived and I 
saw Hap returning to the scopes with book in hand, I knew something was 
afoot. They said they had an odd loon and a quick scan revealed an odd bird 
indeed. Of all the Pacific loons I've seen, this one took the prize. It was 
large, dark had an angular head shape and a huge bill. After a few minutes I 
discovered a more typical Pacific Loon with which to compare and Hap said she 
had another odd loon farther away which turned out to be a Red-throated. In 
front of us we had 40 plus Common loons, 2 Pacific and a ghostly 
Red-throated. As usual the Red-throated would disappear for long periods even 
though it was in the cove and plain view and with no place to hide. We only 
saw this bird twice in over an hour of observing.

We took photos of the odd Pacific and the typical bird and kept a running 
conversation going on about it's size and shape. The angular head, big bill, 
darker body and size made me want to make it into an Arctic but the smudged 
chin and lack of white sides kept that tuck away in the back of our minds. I 
have since checked with some loon experts and all agree the bird falls in the 
Pacific camp but at the extreme end of the spectrum.

We went to Trailer Road but no loons. I did not stay for the evening line up 
but counted nearly 80 loons in different parts of the Big Sandy-Pace Area. We 
visited Britton Ford and shuffled through the ducks and were very impressed 
with the numbers of Canvasback and Black Ducks. I split and went to Pace 
Point for my year Common Merganser and just as Mike had said there was only 
one male left. Hap and Roseanna birdied the area on the west side and came up 
with 28 Sandhill Cranes feeding in a winter wheat field a couple of miles 
west of Britton Ford. I returned and relocated 29 birds with some of them 
dancing on the bright green carpet.

A great weekend of birding with new birds for the TN year list for all and 
new state birds for others.

Good Birding!!!

Jeff R. Wilson
OL' COOT / TLBA
Bartlett Tenn.


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