[birdky] RPT: Dams area March 22, 2008

Eddie Huber, Matt Stickel, and myself birded the north ends of Lake Barkley and 
Kentucky Lake including the dams yesterday, March 22nd, in hopes of finding 
some of Paul Lehman's good birds from Tuesday. We were successful in finding 
only the first-year Glaucous Gull at Kentucky Dam, but we had a nice day of 
birding with the following highlights: 

16 species of waterfowl with most not in large numbers and nothing rare among 
them. A flock of about 150 Red-breasted Mergansers on Barkley from both Boyd's 
Landing and the end of Green Road was nice; the colder temps and north breeze 
made IDs out in both lakes challenging to say the least.

Loons/grebes ... only the common three seen with about 50 Common Loons (many in 
nice plumage) scattered about Kentucky Lake and some Horned Grebs coming into 
nice breeding plumage, mostly off the Kentucky dam area.

American White Pelicans ... probably 250 below Barkley Dam ... quite a sight 
mixed in with dozens of shiny black Double-crested Cormorants and hundreds of 
gulls; there were probably only an additional 150-200 above the dam with it way 
above summer pool and no loafing bars exposed.

Double-crested Cormorants ... probably in exccess of a few thousand seen with 
most blanketing the trees of the Kuttawa heronry island and in a massive raft 
nearby; also many above Barkley Dam.

Black-crowned Night-Herons ... at least a dozen flying around the Kuttawa 
heronry island; seemingly disoriented by all the corms!

Franklin's Gull ... a gorgous adult at Barkley Dam (nice photos by Eddie)

Bonaparte's Gulls ... some several hundred or so on the day with only a few 
with complete black hoods; most were below Barkley Dam and loafing above; some 
at Ky Dam

Herring Gulls ... maybe up to 50 at Barkley Dam and probably 150 in the 
vicinity of Kentucky Dam

Glaucous Gull ... first-year bird first found near one of the buoys above 
Kentucky Dam by Matt; then seen foraging below Kentucky Dam, mostly soaring and 
coursing back and forth in the breeze

Lesser Black-backed Gull ... 2 adults at Barkley Dam and at least 1 and maybe a 
second first-year bird below Kentucky Dam.

Oddities ... we spent much time with an adult gull at Barkley Dam that caught 
my eye as a California; it had long wings and bill and yellowish legs, but the 
back was not darker than the other gulls and it was as large as Herrings; we 
finally got it to fly up to the lock where we found it had a light eye; not 
sure why it had such long wings and a long bill with black mark distal of the 
red spot and yellowish legs, but we got some decent photos for others to 
review. My best guess is some sort of anomalous Herring, but a hybrid could be 
a possibility.

At Kentucky Dam there was also one of the troublesome Herring x Thayer's 
looking first-year birds that just is too pale in the wing tips for a Herring 
but just isn't good enough for a clear-cut midwestern Thayer's. I wish I knew 
if these were hybrids or not ... there is at least one every year or so ...

Also at Kentucky Dam was a leucistic first-year Ring-billed Gull that was quite 
ghostly, with all darkish feathering lightened to medium to light gray-brown. 

Swallows ... are in in force with all but Bank seen; lots of Trees with martins 
and Cliffs pretty numerous and a few Barn and Rough-wings in the mix. The COLD 
north wind had them hugging the water.

Passerines .. also had a Pine Warblers, a few Chipping Sparrows and 
Red-breasted Nuthatches, and a Louisiana Waterthrush singing at Boyd's Landing.

Bpb, Frankfort

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