FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Rankin avocet

["michael sledjeski" <mtnsylva@xxxxxxx>]

Rankin Bottoms, Cocke county, 9/9/06, 5-8:00 PM
Douglas Lake elevation: 983'

We watched an AMERICAN AVOCET foraging and grooming in the "Gate Pond", one 
mile south of the Coal Tipple.  We had traveled by canoe along the submerged 
old RR bed road, then walked another 1/2 mile to the gate.  To reach the 
pond on foot, you'd have to follow the trail from the WMA sign near the 
intersection of Hill & Rankin Hill Roads - it's rough going.

Currently, it's open season on Canada Geese (9/1-9/15) and teal & wood duck 
(9/9-9/13).  Hunters were in the area, and their shooting disturbed the 
gathering of great egrets.  They flew west beyond the tree line to roost 
elsewhere.  We couldn't tell if the wood stork was with them.  Hunters had 
set up decoys and a blind in the hottest spot for shorebirds, and their 
numbers were down yesterday. Most were seen along the riverbank shoal from 
the end of the treeline north to Leadvale.

Heavy rains in the mountains caused the lake to rise during the past week,  
but the water level is coming down again, and viewing from land should 
improve over the next week.

Highlights:

Wood duck (16)
Blue-winged teal (24)
Double-crested cormorant (6)
Great blue heron (10)
Great egret (100 +)
Cattle egret (2)
Green heron (2)
Little blue heron (2)
Black-crowned Night-heron (11)
Osprey
Bald eagle
Sharp-shinned hawk (being mobbed by crows)
Semipalmated plover (5)
Killdeer (45)
AMERICAN AVOCET
Greater yellowlegs (6)
Lesser yellowlegs (3)
Spotted sandpiper (2)
Semipalmated sandpiper (20+)
Western sandpiper
Least sandpiper (40+)
White-rumped sandpiper (3)
Pectoral sandpiper (10+)
Stilt sandpiper
Short-billed dowitcher (8)

Michael Sledjeski & Leslie Gibbens
Cocke county TN


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