FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Night herons, gulls

[Dthomp2669@xxxxxxx]

While driving to the Vet's office at around 7:30 this morning to leave my 
poodles to be bathed and groomed, I saw two night herons fly over Annex Avenue 
in 
Charlotte Park just north of the traffic light where the street intersects 
with Charlotte Pike.  The birds were flying west over the Hill's Grocery Store 
parking lot.  Since it was still pretty gray outside, I could not get a color 
pattern on the birds.  They were squatter and stockier appearing, and the beaks 
were shorter than green herons or American bitterns.  I have never seen any 
night herons in this part of town except for black crowns.  Several winters 
ago, we had a really good look at one (sleeping) in a tree just above Richland 
Creek behind the Hill Mansion on our Christmas count.  It was a real beauty.

When I returned from the Vet's at about 8:05 AM, I saw gulls beside the 
Hill's Grocery and in the old Walmart parking lot off Annex Avenue.  I drove up 
into the lot and observed 18 gorgeous ring billed gulls all in full adult 
plumage.  While I was sitting there, some idiot came speeding down through the 
lot 
from behind the MacDonalds on Charlotte and was obviously trying to hit the 
birds. They all flew about 30 feet away and lit again.  Every so often, a few 
of 
the birds would fly down to the grassy field which is just north of Hill's 
where they seemed to be feeding on something.

Before coming home, I drove to the parking lot for people to use that launch 
their boats at the old Cleece's Ferry landing to see if anything was there.  
One of the great horned owls was perched in a tree right at the edge of the 
lot.  It looked as if it coughed up a pellet which fell to the ground, but I 
never could find it in all the debris under the tree.  There were several dozen 
robins feeding on the hackberries, a few grackles, and the never diminishing 
throngs of starlings.

By the way, the Cumberland River is REALLY high over here in West Nashville.

Dee Thompson
Nashville, TN  (Charlotte Park--a few blocks east of Cleece's Ferry landing)

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