FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Tennessee River Run

["Desgrosellier, Jay" <jay.desgrosellier@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Saturday, August 7, 2004
Narrows of the Harpeth and Wiley-Pardue Rd. (Cheatham Co), Duck River
Unit TN NWR (Humphreys Co.) and Cross Creeks NWR (Stewart Co.), TN
6:30 am to 6pm
 
 
Phillip Casteel and I made a loop out to the Tennessee River and back to
Nashville on Saturday. First we birded the woods in Cheatham Co. to see
if the cold front brought any early migrants. Things were really quiet
here, as I guess one would expect in August.
 
Our next stop was the Duck River Unit of the TN NWR. Here, things picked
up considerably. Consistent with country wide reports of white pelicans
spending the summer away from their traditional breeding grounds, 65
AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS were found loafing in the refuge ponds or flying
about the area. Also, my first DICKCISSEL for this area was found
singing away, providing another example of this year's range expansion
for this species that myself and others have noted in middle and east
Tennessee. One of the most improbable finds however, was a LARK SPARROW
that appeared recently fledged, judging by the lack of rusty tones in
its plumage (but otherwise exhibiting the patterning associated with
that species). Oddly enough, after spending all morning looking for
early migrant passerines, it was in the mid-day heat at Duck River that
we found an immature BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER. A count of 13 ORCHARD
ORIOLES may have also represented migrating birds as this species will
quickly exit the area by the end of the month.
 
The post-breeding dispersal of waders obviously has not hit the area
yet. Only 1 SNOWY EGRET and 2 LITTLE BLUE HERONS were found. These birds
were both present in abundance in this area at this time last year. As a
consolation prize however, we were rewarded to watch an AMERICAN BITTERN
flush from the marsh in front of us and actually take flight over the
trees and out of the area. 
 
The biggest mystery of the day were the swallows. At Duck River there
were hundreds of swallows, represented by all of the normally occurring
species, including several BANK SWALLOWS, except martins. My records
show that martins should still be in the area in good numbers, but our
inability to find one all day leads me to believe that they've mostly
departed middle Tennessee, probably moving out to the Mississippi a
little earlier than usual.
 
Most of the shorebirds were found at Duck River since the habitat at
Cross Creeks is once again abysmal. Nothing out of the ordinary, but
some pretty good middle Tennessee counts of some species including
SOLITARY SANDPIPER. A list of shorebird numbers follows:
 
Semipalmated Plover - 2
Least Sandpiper - 12
Pectoral Sandpiper - 32
Semipalmated Sandpiper - 3
Solitary Sandpiper - 40
Spotted Sandpiper - 10
Greater Yellowlegs - 1
Lesser Yellowlegs - 6
 
 
Good Birding!
 
Jay Desgrosellier
Nashville, TN



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