FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Reelfoot Lake Region Neotropic Cormorant

["Ken Leggett" <kcleggett@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

This morning at 9:25 Glen Criswell and I had a Neotropic Cormorant in breeding 
plumage and four Double-crested Cormorants perched in a tree beside the 
observation tower at White Lake WMA just off Great River Road in Dyer County.  
This is about 4 miles from the Mississippi River bridge going into Missouri 
from Tennessee.
The birds were no more than 40 yards away and a comparison of field marks 
between the two species made it easy to identify the Neotropic.The birds stayed 
there until about 10:55 when the Neotropic Cormorant flew east and then north.  
Nancy Moore arrived shortly thereafter and we waited for about 30 minutes but 
the bird did not return.  We came back there about 2:30 and met Mike Todd who 
had come over to look for the Neotropic Cormorant.  We all stayed until nearly 
3:40 and the bird did not return.  We will check White Lake again in the 
morning to see if the bird is around. 

This bird could have been here for sometime because only the fact that these 
birds were seen perched in close and in good light enabled us to identify  the 
two species.  There have been 5 and 6 Cormorants seen at White Lake for the 
past few weeks and recorded as Double-crested without close inspection. 

During the day today the Highway 79 West area was checked out.  The River is at 
flood stage and there is flooding in some areas.  Water is over the road on 
Highway 79 about 1.5 miles from the levee.  It is passable but fairly high.  
The fields west of there are flooded on the right side of the road and the 
ponds in the Tumbleweed area have reformed.  There is also flooding along side 
the TennMo Levee.  As this flood water recedes it should provide some good 
shorebirding areas in the next few weeks.

We have recorded 4 Hudsonian Godwits at White Lake since May 28.  On that date 
Glen and I had two in breeding plumage. On June 2 Glen had one Hudsonian in 
non-breeding  plumage and on June 4 Nancy Moore and I had one in breeding 
plumage.  As far as we know none of them stayed longer than a day.

We have had a flock of White Pelicans at White Lake over the past few weeks. 
Jeff Wilson reported 29 there on Monday the 31st.  On June 2 Glen had 123 and 
on June 4 Nancy and I had 79.  On June 6 Betty and I recorded 136 and today 
Glen and I had over 145.

The water level at Black Bayou has been high and we have not had many species 
seen there but it is now beginning to recede  and some mudflats are now 
beginning to appear. The same is also true of the Ibis Hole and Lake #9 in 
Fulton County Kentucky.

Ken Leggett
Dyersburg, TN
Dyer County 


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