FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Re: storm birds

[OLCOOT1@xxxxxxx]

In a message dated 7/13/2005 10:07:03 A.M. Central Standard Time,  
cmmbirds@xxxxxxxxx writes:

Last  year I decided not to go to a lake to look for these  birds
specifically.  Rather, I travelled upstream, starting at  Nickajack,
with the assumption that these birds may follow the water  back
"home."  I know that is a BIG assumption, but one has to  start
somewhere, right?
 
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These birds are "BIG WATER" birds so I think big lakes are a pretty good  
place to look for them as they drop out when they can. When they can't find big 
 
water then a small pond will do. I don't know how you could research this but  
all the birds we saw were pretty healthy and kept flying around all day  
occasionally dipping at the waters surface. I know there have been a few  
reported 
dead birds but remember we only saw a very, very small percentage  of what 
really was driven up here. It has been my experience that usually when  these 
birds get ready to leave they spiral up and right out of sight. 
 
Note that few are seen after a hurricane to the south of our area at  
stopping points. A 400 mile trip is a piece of cake for these long distant  
efficient, point on navigators. Why would they waste time meandering along a  
river 
course when they can make an overnighter or one day flight back to home  
territory as soon as weather permits? 
 
I'm sure some older or weaker birds die in the process. In such large  
numbers of birds the normal daily die off would be pretty good anyway and a few 
 
more with added stress.
 
 We had a few wanderers that seem to be drifting south occasionally  feeding 
opportunistically but I bet when the water turned back east, they went  
straight south if the pickings were slim and the weather favorable. Some of the 
 
petrels and shearwaters might be a different story as to ability to find  
specialized food if pushed far inland by a real hard moving storm but they seem 
 to 
be the first to bail out, none stay as long as the terns. They are use to bad  
ocean weather. 
 
If small birds such as Vermilion FC can return to an exact location up here  
away from any near wintering location and return the next year to the same  
location, then these ocean birds know pretty much exactly where they need to 
be. 
 We probably don't give these birds as much credit as they are due.
 
Just my thoughts, shot at will.  

Good  Birding!!!

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