[birdky] Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinios Birding

Glen Lovelace made a trip to the area and has asked me
to post the results which are copied below.

David L. Roemer
Bowling Green, Ky.

        
        -4/15 at my in-laws' house in Mayfield there
was an Eastern Meadowlark singing a Western type song.
 I have never heard this in Delaware, so it was
interesting to me.  I wonder if the amount that one
sings the other's song is proportional to the where
their ranges overlap.  There were also 2 singing
White-crowned Sparrows still hanging around.  These
continued all week.

        -On 4/17 we birded the Reelfoot area in both
states with 102 species total, 93 in TN and 58 in KY. 
We began the day at Walnut Log and easily found
Yellow-throated, Red-eyed and White-eyed Vireo;
Prothonotary, Yellow-throated, Parula and Redstart. 
We found 1 each of Red-headed Woodpecker, Great
crested Flycatcher, Louisiana Waterthrush, Ovenbird,
Black-throated Green and Summer Tanager.  From the
observation tower, there was BW Teal, Amer. Coot,
Osprey and a Swamp Sparrow.  2 Barred Owls seen were
very nice.  

        Just over the line in KY, there was a puddle
with Greater Yellowlegs, Wilson's Snipe and Pectoral
Sand.  At Long Point, we rode down the road along the
eastern edge of the refuge (opposite Running Slough
Rd).  We had another Barred Owl seen, a Broad-winged
Hawk that perched above us for great views, Wild
Turkey.  In warblers, we added Prothonotary,
Yellow-throated, Parula, Prairie and Redstart.  I was
surprised at how ubiquitous the Parulas were.  

        At the impoundment (the observation tower), we
found both yellowlegs, Solitary Sand, 2 Semipalm
Plover and 1 Dunlin.  While watching these, we heard
something ripping through the air.  A Peregrine in
full dive came in through the trees, quite close over
our shoulder and then about 18" over the water
surface.  All of the shorebirds scattered, but the
Peregrine made only a half-hearted swipe at some
yellowlegs before climbing and thermalling off to the
west.  It was the highlight of the day; I love hearing
Peregrines that way.  We left via the western fork of
the road.  The impoundment on this road had Snowy
Egret and a hen Hooded Merg.

        Back in TN, we had our only Loggerhead Shrike
at Grays Camp.  On Cohoctaw McKutchen Rd (is this
'Black Bayou' or am I mistaken??), we added Little
Blue Heron, Pectoral Sand, Gadwall, Ring-Necked Duck,
and Orchard Oriole.  From there, we missed EC Dove in
Tiptonville and then wandered down to Lake Isom.  In
the shallow impoundment there, we added Least Sand and
snipe and a Cooper's Hawk flew over.  Nearby, we had a
Harrier cruising the fields.

        After stuffing ourselves on catfish at
Boyette's, we checked Keystone Pocket and found
Ring-billed and Bonaparte's Gulls, lingering ducks (3
Ruddy, 1 Bufflehead, 1 Lesser Scaup) and a Kingbird. 
A final stop at the Spillway found a Baltimore Oriole.

        -On 4/19, we made a spur of the moment trip
into Illinois.  At Cave In Rock SP, we had a Tennessee
Warbler.  This a very difficult bird in DE so it was
by second ever and a lifer for my wife.  Also
Yellow-throated Warbler and Cliff Swallow.  We also
visited Mermet Lake where we had Warbling Vireo
(another tough bird, at least in my end of DE), a
lingering Ring-Necked Duck, Shoveler, BW teal,
Solitary Sand.  Since I have birded very little in IL,
18 of the day's 54 species were state birds.

        -On 4/20, we went to Ballard WMA, avoiding a
heavy thunderstorm in Wickcliffe on the way.  We had a
few shorebirds at various spots, mainly the island
opposite Mitchell Lake (forgot the name of this lake).
 Totals were 10 Lesser and 4 Greater Yellowlegs, 15
Solitary Sand, 5 Pectorals, 4 Leasts and 2 Snipe. 
Among warblers we had Prothonotary and Yellow-throated
(very cooperative at Shelby Lake): Palm in the
campground area; Northern Waterthrush seen at the
island and another heard, a Kentucky heard on Humphrey
Creek Rd, Yellow and BTG at the office plus Redstart
and Parula.  Other birds inc. Hermit Thrush singing,
White-crowned Sp., 3 Barred Owls heard in daytime,
White-breasted Nuthatch and Swamp Sparrow.

        We left Ballard the back, continued south on
Sallie Crice Rd and added a Turkey and Red-headed WP. 
A couple stops on Holloway Landing Rd going toward the
river added Wood Thrush, Summer Tanager, singing
Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and Red-shouldered Hawk.  I
turned down the road parallel to the river, but
chickened out after a couple miles when the car
scraped bottom on some ruts.  Good thing it was dry. 
Returning to Wickcliffe via the main road, we had a
single Eurasian Collared Dove at the sharp corner on
US 60 before the intersection with US 51 & 62.  In
all, 89 species for the day.

        For the trip, I added 13 or 14 birds to my KY
list, 18 in TN, 18 in IL and 2-3 in WV on the highway,
all mainly because I had not been to any of these
places at this time of year.  We had some very
enjoyable days in the field, especially that
Peregrine.

Good Birding, 
Glen Lovelace III 
Seaford, DE 




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