FreeLists / tn-bird / [tn-bird] Ensley Bottoms Story

[OLCOOT1@xxxxxxx]

July 14, 2002
Ensley Bottoms

Most of the morning was spent locating groups of young Black-necked Stilts 
and getting a lot of the family territories organized in my head to count 
later. At first it was difficult as the weather had a lot of the birds just 
laying around but as the morning progressed more and more of the well 
camouflaged youngsters appeared.

I could only find 7 Western Kingbirds but did not put a lot of time in with 
them as I wanted to concentrate on the stilts and shorebirds. These birds 
were still feeding around the willows and on the wires east of the leaf 
processing and mulch area.

In the shorebird line, earlier on the Mississippi River at the boat Landing 
above Shelby Forest a Willet was seen flying south along with 2 Black terns. 
The shorebird numbers at the pits were up slightly with other new species 
added as the morning progressed. Killdeer are there in impressive numbers and 
Pectoral numbers had increased to over 100 birds with Least Sandpipers not 
too far behind. Found in the mix were 3 Lesser Yellowlegs, 4 Western 
Sandpipers, 2 Semipalmated Sandpipers and 2 breeding plumaged Stilt 
Sandpipers. The Stilt Sandpipers were a season first for me and as I checked 
TVA Lake before leaving another firsty fell in. A Solitary Sandpiper spiraled 
in and immediately started to bath and preen. The time was 11:50 and I knew 
the bird would keep traveling so I waited to see him off. The bird splashed 
in the water, then proceeded to give every feather a going over. It fluffed 
and straightened each and then went over them again. It went back to the 
water for a drink. Settled down for a few brief seconds never once pecking 
for food. The bird made a few short, nervous stop and go jaunts and at 12:07 
took off on the proverbial south-southeast heading of all Ensley migrators. 
Twelve shorebird species seen this weekend.

The Black-necked Stilts become harder and harder to count as territories 
increase in size as the young bird grow. Some are scattered to the far 
reaches of the pits and other groups with flying young are even using the TVA 
Lake part of the time. Sundays count came up 2 short of Saturdays 307 but I'm 
sure I missed many. The 305 birds counted were, 171 adults and 134 young. 
There are still 35 nests with setting birds so the numbers still grow. As 
most of these I'm sure are second nesters from here and others from other 
locations they will probably not produce full clutches of 4 eggs. I saw one 
nest with eggs strewn about, 1 larger young dead stilt that had been 
partially eaten and one family that had successfully hatched 5 young. 

It's like a day time soap opera down there, sex, babies, home wreaking, 
murder and more characters than you can keep up with from day to day, from 
dawn to dark. 

Good Birding!!!

Jeff R. Wilson
OL' COOT / TLBA
Bartlett Tenn.


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