[birdky] Observations May 10-13

173 bird species May 10-13.  

Highlights:

 * The highlights do not include the potential California gull at Green
Turtle Bay, Lake Barkley, May 11.  The visual observations and distant
pictures are not sufficient to rule out just another ring-billed gull.  


May 10

Fulton County
 * female Am. golden-plover at drainage area n. of Open Pond
 * 15 short-billed and 1 long-billed dowitcher (nice chestnut color; white
feather edgings on back; then it flew over us and called.  Cooperative
sucker.) at Open Pond
 * 1 male and 1 female black-necked stilt at Open Pond
 * 2 black-bellied plovers at Elbow Slough
 * did not find any bobolinks, which was a surprise.

Ballard County
 * 1 black-bellied plover at Boatwright Unit of Swan Pond WMA
 * 1 dunlin at Beaverdam Slough

LBL area
 * 38 willets videotaped on the beach on the west side of Ky. Dam (above the
dam).  Observed at 4:45 pm but not at 8 pm.


May 11

LBL area
 * 17 common loons on Kentucky Lake and another 1 on Lake Barkley; mix of
alternate and basic plumages
 * olive-sided flycatcher along Twin Lakes Access Road and another along
Kentucky Lake Scenic Drive
 * warblers noticeably less common than previous weekend.  Found 20 species
in LBL.  One of the more interesting spots was the overlook at Green Turtle
Bay, which had a dozen or more blackpolls and a male Cape May, among others
on the tiny hilltop.

Sinclair WMA, Paradise
 * willow flycatcher on pond at intersection of S-2/S-5
 * female gadwall at lake below the lower ash basin
 * common loon on lower ash basin
 * 2 Baird's sandpipers at lower ash basin
 * 4-5 whip-poor-wills along S-2 and S-5
 * least bittern calling in marshy area along bridge on side road just
before get back on the main road for Central City
 * chuck-will's-widow heard in same general area


May 12 - Louisville
 * 2 alder flycatchers at Caperton Swamp.  One near the parking lot and
another by the pond.  Both called repeatedly.  Also olive-sided flycatcher,
ruby-crowned kinglet, Philadelphia vireo, and hooded merganser female and 11
young.
 * Caspian tern at the Falls
 * willet, 50+ semipalmated plovers, 7 semipalmated sandpipers, male blue
grosbeak, and willow flycatcher at Melco

May 13 - Black Mountain
Magical as always, even though windier and therefore noisier than usual.
Here are our counts for selected species, many of which showed signs of
breeding, such as carrying nesting material:
 * 74 chestnut-sided warblers.  (We covered only part of the area.  There
must be a few hundred total.)
 * 32 veery (veeries?)
 * 29 blue-headed vireos
 * 29 least flycatchers
 * 23 black-throated blue warblers
 * 21 rose-breasted grosbeaks 
 *  8 Canada warblers
 *  8 dark-eyed juncoes (or is that juncos?)
 *  2 hooded warblers
 *  1 blackburnian warbler
 *  1 common raven - kind enough to soar right over head for 3 circuits
before disappearing.  Was silent the entire time.

For this trip and May 4-6, we tallied 195 species altogether.  (I'd had
delusions about 200 species for the two trips combined.)

Biggest misses:  golden-winged and Wilson's warblers.
Biggest near-miss:  We observed only one belted kingfisher.  

We did manage what I'd consider a corvid sweep for Kentucky:  blue jay, Am.
crow, fish crow, and common raven.

Ben and Mary Yandell
Louisville

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