FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] A Magical Day / 30 warbler species

[Chris Sloan <chris.sloan@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

If you spend enough time in the field, every so often you have one of 
those days where the action seems to be non-stop and something cool 
seems to be around every corner.  Today was one of those days for me; it 
ranks as one of my most enjoyable days ever in the field in Tennessee.  
I covered Radnor Lake (Davidson Co.), Gallatin Steam Plant (Sumner Co.), 
and Old Hickory Lake (Sumner and Davidson) for the Nashville Area Spring 
Count.  After just over 12 hours in the field, I recorded 129 species.  
Considering some of the common species I missed, 140 was easily within 
reach.  I'm not quite tired, but very happy.

Here are some of my highlights, in no particular order:

-  30 species of warbler in one day.  In Tennessee, 30 species always 
seems tantalizingly possible in the peak of migration, but it's tough to 
actually get there.  From my 25 or so years of birding, today was only 
the 3rd time that I can remember finding 30 species of warbler in one 
day.  Counting yesterday at Beaman Park, I had 31 for the weekend.  It's 
also worth nothing that these were, by and large, not ones and twos; 
there were significant numbers of many species.  When I found the 30th 
species (a Pine Warbler at a regular spot at the steam plant), it was a 
special moment for me.

-  I started off the day at 6:30 AM at Sharon Monroe's house near Radnor 
to check and see if her Pine Siskins were still there.  They were (17 of 
them), and the cacophony of siskin song mixed with goldfinch song mixed 
with everything else in her yard was something to behold; it was 
borderline deafening.  Her front yard was chock full of birds; in less 
than 30 minutes I had nearly 40 species of birds including 8 warblers, 
highlighted by a Cape May chasing a Bay-breasted.  If I hadn't had to 
meet the rest of my group at 7:00, I might have spent two hours there.  
That was my first clue that it was going to be a good day.

-  2 singing Orange-crowned Warblers and a singing Cerulean that gave my 
two helpers their lifer looks.

-  all five regular vireos seen well

-  Gallatin Steam Plant actually had decent shorebird habitat for the 
first time in about 15 years.  I am used to going up there and finding 
maybe 8-10 birds of 2-3 species if I'm lucky.  Today I had 200+ birds of 
9 species, including a cracking Dunlin in full breeding regalia.  Also a 
White-rumped Sandpiper and an interesting small peep that I'm still 
contemplating.

-  Finding a Warbling Vireo nest entirely by accident; I was looking for 
the singing vireo (for no particular reason, since we had seen several 
earlier), and I got frustrated and just put the binoculars up to search 
and just landed them right on the nest.  Like I said, magic.

-  Finding a Snowy Egret in the heronry at Drake's Creek on Old Hickory 
Lake.  I found a couple of Snowy's further upriver last summer, but this 
is the first evidence of breeding in the large heronry.

-  A beautiful breeding plumaged Common Loon (along with 4 second summer 
birds).

-  A field near Old Hickory Lake that was absolutely full of Bobolinks; 
there are few songs I find more charming than this one, especially in 
numbers.  It was impossible to count them, but every time I scanned the 
field I saw more or different Bobolink heads sticking up out of the 
weeds.  This field has had Dickcissels the last couple of years (today 
also), but this was the first time I have ever seen Bobolinks in 
Davidson County.

-  An Osprey scavenging - I watched it drop down and pick up a rotten 
fish (ribs were sticking out) and carry it off.  Desperate times, I guess.

-  An unexpected Ruddy Duck at Old Hickory Lake.

I love days like this.  It's not always just about the lifers.

happily yours,

-- 
Chris Sloan
Nashville, TN

My photos:  http://csloan.smugmug.com

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

The TN-Bird Net requires you to SIGN YOUR MESSAGE with
first and last name, CITY (TOWN) and state abbreviation.
You are also required to list the COUNTY in which the birds
you report were seen.  The actual DATE OF OBSERVATION should
appear in the first paragraph.
_____________________________________________________________
      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.
______________________________________________________________
  TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society 
       Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s)
        endorse the views or opinions expressed
        by the members of this discussion group.
 
         Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
                 wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
                ------------------------------
                Assistant Moderator Andy Jones
                         Cleveland, OH
                -------------------------------
               Assistant Moderator Dave Worley
                          Rosedale, VA
__________________________________________________________
         
          Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
              web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

                          ARCHIVES
 TN-Bird Net Archives at http://www.freelists.org/archives/tn-bird/

                       MAP RESOURCES
Tenn.Counties Map at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/states/tennessee3.gif
Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com

_____________________________________________________________