FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Chilly Birding-Great Wind Birds

[OLCOOT1@xxxxxxx]

April 6, 2007
Shelby Forest
Ensley Bottoms
Shelby Co. TN
Is-40 Chute
Crittenden Co. AR
 
Mike Todd and I took Jamie Simmons, an Oregon birder in town for business  
but had a little time, to look for a few eastern species for his list. The  20+ 
degree drop in temps over the last few days accompanied by a brisk breeze  did 
nor dampen our will. We had a good day in the field with jaw breaking looks  
at some of our target species. Multiple Hooded Warblers in the sun out in the  
open at 10-15 feet are always show stoppers but 4 Prothonotary Warblers, 3  
males chasing each other around in a sun lit tree, perching just 4 and 5  feet 
above our heads posing for photos, while a female urged on the contest was  a 
spring FOS winner for sure.
 
We had more Yellow-throated Warblers and Parula than you could count with  
many singing all around us a times. Yellow-throated Vireos were well 
represented 
 and we lucked up on a FOS, single Broad-winged Hawk that gave us great  
looks as it circled over our heads at tree top level. Other raptor species  
enjoyed on the day were Red-shouldered in display flights and at a nest, 3 Bald 
 
Eagles over the bottoms (an adult and 2 immature birds), Kestrels, a single  
Osprey at Ensley, a Cooper's Hawk, and a bunch of Red-tails kiting in the 
breeze  
over the MS RV.
 
Both Turkey and Deer played hide and seek with us, as Fish Crows and  Common 
Crows were cooperative over the day with Barn, Rough-winged and  Tree 
Swallows, all perched together out in Poplar Tree Lake. A pair of Phoebes  were 
building a nest at a water gate structure but the best bird of the day  and 
very 
unexpected, was an adult Little Blue Heron!!
 
After delivering Jamie to the Airport, Mike and I had to run by the pits  and 
really had a pleasant surprise in finding more Wind Birds than we had  time 
to search through. A quick run through yielded, Killdeer, 11  Black-necked 
Stilt, 12 Greater Yellowlegs, 144 Lesser Yellowlegs, 69  Solitary Sandpipers, 
472 
Least Sandpipers, 281 Pectoral Sandpipers, 1 Dunlin in  basic plumage, 1 
Long-billed Dowitcher and 7 Wilson's Snipe.
 
Over all a great day of CHILLY BIRDING yielding  92 species and  migration 
has just started..........   
Good Birding  !!!

Jeff R. Wilson / TLBA
6298 Memphis-Arlington Road
Bartlett, TN  38135
What is this feathered thing that lifts my heart to the  heavens.




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