FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Tundra swan at Rankin

["michael sylva" <mtnsylva@xxxxxxx>]

Late today, we watched a lone Tundra Swan dabbling along the edge of the long 
pond about 600 yards from the RR crossing at Rankin WMA in Cocke county.  It 
was a first for us, and the first recorded at Rankin, to our knowledge.  We 
identified it as a swan without optics, than studied it at 60X for nearly an 
hour to be sure it wasn't a trumpeter - it didn't seem to have the 
characteristic yellow spot on the bill, so we relied on the bill profile.  Of 
course, most of the time its head was underwater or turned away from us.   
We could hear ducktalk in the distance, but it was too muddy for 2WD 
exploration, and the day was dimming, so we headed over to Dutch Bottoms, where 
a dozen or so Great Blue Herons were wading in the shallows.  The lake is 
rising and there's a promising warmth in the air.

Michael Sledjeski and Leslie Gibbens
Del Rio TNGet more from the Web.  FREE MSN Explorer download : 
http://explorer.msn.com

=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================

The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with
first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation.
-----------------------------------------------------
To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
----------------------------------------------------- 
To unsubscribe, send email to:
tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
     Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
          web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
    TN-Bird Net Owner: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
        jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx      (423) 764-3958
=========================================================