FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Looking for Wood Storks in West TN

[OLCOOT1@xxxxxxx]

Sept. 7, 2003
Lauderdale, Dyer 
and Lake Co. TN
I searched Champion Lake at Lower Hatchie NWR on Sunday morning and found no 
sign of the 45-50 that had used the lake on Saturday. I did find a small group 
of 6 species of warblers in the woods using my new birding ears. After 
searching the actual refuge area, I found and photographed 3 Wood Storks in an 
almost dry pool on the refuge proper. From there I went to every backwater hole 
in 
Lauderdale Co, finally able to get to some that were inaccessible all summer 
because of continued high water.

I toured the Crutcher Lake area and the overlook at Keys Point. The river 
rise had taken out a lot of the near river places and other interior spots like 
Jones Slough were dry. At Sunk Lake I had a nice group of migrant warblers but 
no storks. The back side of Open Lake was not productive but I did get a 
chance to cull through a large concentration of DC Cormorants but no luck on an 
odd 
bird in the group. 

Chickasaw NWR, Chisholm Lake and Wardlow's Pocket had no more to offer than 
Red-shouldered Hawks and a few turkeys. I did make a discovery, I found the 
rookery that had eluded me all spring and judging from the size of the willows 
it 
will be active again next year. With adult White Ibis and adult Tri-colored 
Herons using the area this spring there might be a chance of finding both at 
nests next year. White Ibis are nesting in central Arkansas and Tri-colored 
have 
nested in TN at least once before.

The river stymied having much luck on terns and gulls but I did see a few 
Caspian, Least, Forster's and Black Terns plus 2 adult Ring-billed Gulls in 
Dyer 
and Lake Co. A wet hole off the Great River Road held 165 Least Sandpipers, I 
- Western, 2 - Semipalmated Plovers, 2 - Stilt Sandpipers, 4 - Lesser 
Yellowlegs and a single Greater. Killdeer were ever present and Black-necked 
Stilts 
were sprinkled about. White Lake, Bogota and Black Bayou offered little but a 
few waders with 2 BN Stilt, a Solitary, 8 Least Sandpipers and 2 Lesser 
Yellowlegs the high count at White Lake.

A late afternoon look across the river at Fulton revealed a small number of 
herons and egrets are still using a roost area on Sun Rise Bar but no storks. 
This is another area that needs to be checked next spring.

Good Birding!!!

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


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