FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Shorebirds and Tri-colored Heron

[OLCOOT1@xxxxxxx]

April 11, 2005
Crittenden Co. AR
Ensley Bottoms, Shelby Co. TN
 
 
The concentration of shorebirds continues in the rice fields in Crittenden  
Co. Mike Todd and I started the day taking a couple from the UK to  search for 
birds at Wapanocca NWR. Birding was very slow in the woods but  we eeked out 
quite a few on the want list.
 
We went to the rice fields to the west and found even more Golden-Plovers  
than I had on Saturday. Mike and I estimate between 3-4000 in the area after  
seeing numerous flocks of 2-300 birds trading about these huge fields and doing 
 
quick counts of concentrations. Since we were on a mission we did not tarry 
but  all the other species were still present and in greater numbers I believe, 
 Baird's and Dunlin were less concentrated but strewn about and I'd bet you 
could  have upped my Saturday count on both.
 
The surprise of the day was when I swung my scope around to a distant heron  
thinking it was another Little Blue as we had seen our "first of  season" just 
an hour earlier. To my dismay there sat an adult Tri-colored  Heron. I've had 
these birds nesting once in TN and I'd bet a good search might  produce other 
nests here along the MS RV. Photos were taken of the most  unexpected bird of 
the day.
 
We did find more FOS birds like a stunning Scarlet Tanager but the birds  
scattered. At Memphis we got as the Brits would say, "cracking looks at a male  
Painted Bunting", up close and personal until four wheelers ran the bird off.  
They got their life Painted Bunting and have never seen an Indigo Bunting as 
we  never saw or heard one all day! We had Red-shouldered, and Red-tailed Hawk 
young  in nests plus two fuzzy Great Horned Owlets.
 
Even in the wind with Mike's ears and 4 sets of eyes searching, we  ended the 
day with 107 species and a lot of big misses but  many delightful finds.  
Good  Birding!!!

Jeff R. Wilson
OL'COOT / TLBA
Bartlett,  TN



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