FreeLists / tn-bird / [tn-bird] Pickwick Pickin's / Slim but good!

[OLCOOT1@xxxxxxx]

Feb. 8-9-10, 2002
Pickwick Dam Area and
Savannah Bottoms TN

Slim pickings on gulls but a few real good birds were present. Below the dam 
on Friday afternoon I arrived to find Mike Todd looking through the 20 to 30 
gulls feeding in the fast water. One bird caught my attention as it had a 
different cadence to its wing beat. After watching the distant bird for a few 
minutes I realized it was an immature Laughing Gull in immature plumage. We 
were able to see the features that put the bird in a much delayed molt to 
first winter plumage. Jeff Garner thought he briefly saw the bird Saturday 
morning. At last light, hundreds of gulls streamed in from the north up the 
river and over the dam to a roost site somewhere in the Yellow Creek Area.  

I reasoned that the birds were feeding in the bottoms where the fields had 
recently been flooded by high water. The high water mark during this recent 
time was only exceeded by the big flood of '73. The following morning, Mark 
Greene and I went north from the dam and found the gulls scattered in the 
fields and proceeded to scan through them. On our third stop, I came upon a 
bird that was the wrong size and color to be either a Ring-billed or Herring 
Gull. I decided it was a first winter Lesser Black-backed but we needed 
closer looks for confirmation. Sure enough we had a Lesser Black-backed 
nailed and many others were able to later relocate the bird and it gave some 
of them lifer looks and studies at this easily overlooked plumage of LBB Gull.

Late Saturday we were treated to a great show of Northern Harriers with 12 in 
view at one time and then at least 3 Short-eared Owls, one of which flew in 
review right past the group and if that was not enough we then enjoyed an 
acrobatic and auditory climaxing show of displaying Woodcocks. All credit for 
this grand finale going to Siembeck and company.

On Sunday, I traveled to the southeast shoreline and found a few of the 
missing duck species I had missed the day before, adding Lesser and Greater 
Scaup, Common Goldeneye and Ringed-neck to the Mallard, Gadwall, Ruddy, Wood 
Duck, Bufflehead and Canada Goose of the previous day. We had about 15 Common 
Loons with an interesting look at one too far away for an ID, plus a 
sprinkling of Horned Grebes and Pied-billed Grebes. A few Bonaparte's Gulls 
were above and below the dam both days, 2 Forster's Terns were a nice find, 
sitting on buoys up river on Sunday. Two adult and a second year Bald Eagle 
were seen off and on during the period. Other species of note were Hairy 
Woodpecker, Brown-headed Nuthatch, lots of American Pipits and Horned Larks, 
a couple of Lapland Longspurs, Rusty and Brewer's Blackbirds, Common Snipe 
and a few Cedar Waxwings. 

Last but not least, I watched a distant, very pale gull flying north toward 
the dam and I returned to locate a second year Thayer's Gull in among the 
Ringed-bill and Herring Gulls below the dam. The bird then flew back over the 
dam and rested on the sides of the western most lock before it left again 
flying back to the South. This is the first, second year Thayer's I've seen 
in TN. Pickwick Dam is the most consistent location for this species for me 
in TN.

Good Birding!!!

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


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