FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Mottled Duck / Anhinga - Ensley Bottoms

[OLCOOT1@xxxxxxx]

Oct. 4, 2003
Ensley Bottoms
Shelby Co. TN

Double treats today at Ensley, first while scanning through the 11 species of 
shorebirds that are still hanging around, I noted 3 Pectoral and a Lesser 
Yellowlegs craning their necks at something on high. Gail King and her mother 
were following me in their truck, so I stopped and finally after I had looked 
and 
looked, I spotted an Anhinga soaring high above. We all got cricks in our 
necks watching this female Anhinga lazily circling. She represents only my 
fourth 
Anhinga sighting at Ensley over the years and all but one have been pointed 
out to me by shorebirds.

After Gail left, I went down into Mississippi to look over the rice fields 
and found a lot of cut fields and a lot of dust being kicked up by the only two 
combines I found working. No wet tires, no rails. 

On the way back, I decided to run back through the pits. It had clouded up 
some and I had little light. While scanning through some feeding ducks, I ran 
across a dark individual and when I put the scope on it, I immediately thought 
Mottled Duck. I was loosing light but managed to get photos of the bird. The 
bird had the black mark at the gape of its bright yellow bill, and unmarked 
cheeks, chin and throat, a restricted dark crown and wide buff edging to the 
rest 
of the body feathers. When the bird preened it showed a white edging to the 
speculum. It was a very dark individual and most likely of the race maculosa 
found in Texas and Mexico. Most field guides show the eastern race that is 
found 
in Florida and the upper Gulf Coast which is considerably lighter than this 
bird. I'll try to get the photos posted somewhere for comments on the ID.

I have heard of Mottled Ducks being reportedly shot by hunters in TN but I 
have never been able to hunt a bird or carcass down to confirm. I believe this 
might be the first photographed in TN. Mottled Ducks have been seen as far 
north as North Dakota and we started finding and IDing them in Arkansas in 1995.

Also seen migrating this morning were 403 White Pelicans and 1072 DC 
Cormorants.

Good Birding!!!

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


=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================

The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with
first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation.
-----------------------------------------------------
To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
----------------------------------------------------- 
To unsubscribe, send email to:
tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
     Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
          web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
    TN-Bird Net Owner: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
        jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx      (423) 764-3958
=========================================================