FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Shorebird Surprises at Ensley

[OLCOOT1@xxxxxxx]

Aug 16-17, 2004
Ensley Bottoms
Shelby Co. TN

The shorebirds streamed through on Saturday and Sunday with small contingents 
arriving and leaving through out both days. On Saturday morning and Sunday 
afternoon the decision to travel was made easier for the Wind Birds by a 
Peregrine Falcon, a small male that kept things stirred and an almost continual 
movement of raptors high over head. At least 4 or 5 immature Red-tailed Hawks 
tooling around did not help either. We had Broad-winged (8), Red-shouldered 
(both 
traveling and resident), Red-tailed Hawks, Mississippi Kites plus many Cooper's 
(6) and a single Sharp-shinned pointed out to us by the Wind Birds as they 
passed over head.

High numbers of shorebirds up close and personal were the order of the day 
for 11 birders that visited the pits on Saturday but for a couple of species it 
looks like the gloomy news of nesting failure up north is true. In the 
thousands of Pectoral and Least Sandpipers that were gleaned through over the 
weekend, only 3 immature Pectoral and 5 immature Least Sandpipers were found 
with 
most of those showing up on Sunday. A lot of promising bright Least Sandpipers 
turned out to be molting adults. Least were in every stage of molt with a few 
already in full basic and a few adults still bright but worn.

On the good side was a very large showing of immature Western Sandpipers in 
really smooth, clean, neat and sometimes very bright plumage along with a very 
few molting adults plus a couple that had already gone to basic attire. In the 
numerous Semipalmated camp were some adults but most were really neat 
immatures with a few very bright birds with extensive rufous on their back and 
heads. 
These birds afforded us a great study on the exact placement of this rufous 
coloration that often confuses some to call these colorful birds Western. One 
unusual bird was a Semi that also had gone into basic plumage, unusual because 
they normally wait to complete their molt on the wintering grounds in South 
America, needless to say this called for very close study to make sure it was 
not a short-billed male Western.

On Saturday, we found only 2 immature Lesser Yellowlegs in the many adults 
but Sunday brought a good influx of immatures that seemed to state they had 
fair 
success in breeding this year. There were 2 immature Stilt Sandpipers among 
the 21 adults on Saturday with another group arriving on Sunday of 8 more birds 
with another immature, so they might have done better, or at least much 
better than Pectoral or Least.

Of the 15 species of shorebirds recorded over the weekend the best birds were 
a single molting adult Baird's Sandpiper seen early Saturday and again 
located late Sunday (Hap Chamber's group had an immature on Saturday in KY) and 
an 
unexpected WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER. 

Winston and Kit Walden from Cookeville, spent the weekend touring the area 
with me and he and I spotted a white rump flash in a group of birds we flush 
after coming up over a levee. It was just a glimpse but it set us on a search 
and 
finally, we came across the bird in another pool. White-rumped Sandpipers are 
few and far between in the fall and I've only had a couple this early in the 
season.

Other disappointing breeding indicators were; of the 23 Semipalmated Plovers 
seen none were immatures, of the 16 Solitary Sandpipers none were immatures. 
Evidently it was a very devastating breeding period for Pectoral and Least, 
fair for Lesser Yellowlegs and Stilt, and pretty good for Western and 
Semipalmated. Of course the next couple of weeks will have to be monitored to 
see what 
actually shakes out.

Species counted this weekend: Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Black-necked 
Stilts (still a few less than week old, fuzzy young around), Greater Yellowlegs 
(TVA Lake), Lesser Yellowlegs, Solitary Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, 
Semipalmated Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, WHITE-RUMPED 
SANDPIPER, 
BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, Pectoral Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, and Long-billed 
Dowitcher. 

Five Caspian terns were seen on the Mississippi River from Mud Island and 
early Saturday morning Winston Walden spotted two LEAST BITTERNS playing and 
chasing each other out in the open at TVA Lake.


Good Birding!!!

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


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