FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Pace Point Produces at Last!

[OLCOOT1@xxxxxxx]

Nov. 2-3, 2002
Pace Point Area
Henry and Benton Co. TN

Well, after 4 weekends at the Point, it finally produced the desired bird 
plus an abundance of loons and waterfowl. Early Saturday, I was greeted by 
smooth waters and the concentration of birds I've been waiting for. The loons 
were getting aquatinted by hooting, yelping and calling with groups seen at 
all points of the compass.

The mass of divers in the cove before the point, first produced a Surf Scoter 
and another smaller dark bird that I had high suspicions of being my sought 
after Black Scoter but it chose to sleep without raising its head for hours. 
It was probably trying to recoup from an all night travel session. I've had 
scoters, both White-winged and Surf, on all my previous visits this year but 
needed that bird to raise its head to complete the trio. Birders are having a 
great year all across the US with scoters, hard winter coming?

A single Franklin's Gull was found sleeping at the Point among the many 
Ring-billed and Herring Gulls, along with the single immature Lesser 
Black-backed that has been hanging around. I got a shot of the Franklin's but 
a Bald Eagle swooped in and raised everyone. When the circling produced no 
sign of a cripple or exceptionally tired bird the eagle flew off to check 
another group of birds to the south.

At Rocky Point, I found an adult Lesser Black-back Gull, in the same spot we 
located the first immature for the State in 1989. An adult has returned to 
this same location since 1994 and I would like to think it may be the same 
bird. I located another LBB farther south about 10 minutes later and I could 
see both birds at the same time. One is slightly lighter than the other with 
more head streaking and this is probably the same pair I've seen over the 
past few weeks nearer Paris Landing. It would be nice to get some photos to 
see if they are of the two subspecies listed.

Scanning the loons produced the first Pacific Loon for the year and I put in 
a call for Jan Shaw as she had given me an order last weekend for this 
Specific Loon. The bird was a pale napped immature and I later added an all 
dark adult. Over the next 3 hours of scanning, I saw an immature Red-throated 
Loon on two occasions for just minutes each time. They move in mysterious 
ways, ghosts like in their ability to materialize and disappear in the blink 
of an eye.

Back at the cove located south of the Point, I settled down for another sit 
in with the sleeping suspect. A bird appeared scooting just across the waters 
from Eagle Creek and as it twisted and turned on its approach, looking for a 
place to settle, I could see it was all dark and plump. It settled in like 
most scoters, they don't land, they just quit flying and as it shook its head 
I could see the bump on the bill. I had a young male BLACK SCOTER and chalked 
up species number 300 for the year at 10:52 AM on Nov. 2. This new arrival 
immediately went to sleep and appeared the same size and shape as the bird I 
had been watching.

At the loon parade late in the afternoon my high count with one sweep of the 
scope was 273 loons in view at one time, high number in one group was 43 
birds. Allowing for those birds out of view and feeding below the surface my 
prediction of 300 birds this weekend pretty much came through on the money.

The next morning, Jan Shaw, Melinda Welton, and Chris Sloan pulled into Big 
Sandy at dawn for a shot at the goodies. It was a fine, gray, misty morning 
and we were greeted with warbling, hooting and yelping from the huge number 
of loons that surrounded us. Although it spit rain on us most of the morning 
we located Jan's specific Pacific relatively fast and we enjoyed about the 
best looks at the immature that one could want. It had suddenly appeared 
right in front of Chris and then proceeded to preened for an extended period. 
We had seen the bird feeding in a distant flock but no good looks and Jan had 
missed the bird. 

We were able to locate the two adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 4 different 
Surf Scoters and 2 Franklin's Gulls along with a multitude of other birds. 
The rain got worse along with the viewing and we stuck out on the 
Red-throated and Black Scoter but did not spend enough time in one place to 
be rewarded. We did get to see an abundance of Dunlin which are passing 
through in numbers, along with Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs at the Big Sandy 
Flats.

After they left at 1 PM, I added Greater White-fronted Geese along with my 
first of the season Canvasbacks at Britton Ford and finished the weekend with 
20 species of waterfowl. I missed Pintail all weekend, where we have had them 
over the past weeks but found a season first, female Red-breasted Merg at Big 
Sandy to fill its slot.

Good Birding!!!

Jeff R. Wilson
OL' COOT / TLBA
Bartlett Tenn.


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