[birdky] RPT: Misc observations 18-19 Feb 2007

Out and about some past few days ... what a week of changes!
 
Feb 18
 
Visited Barren River Lake and saw David's nice Red-throated Loon; it was
west of Bailey's Pt campground and NE of Mason's Island, about 1/2 the
way across; nice look with few radiation waves. Other highlights
included 160 Hooded Mergs and 8 Common Mergansers near Peninsula boat
ramp (as viewed from Bailey's Pt); and 7 Sandhill Cranes (pointed out to
me by the craning neck of the Red-throated Loon watching them circle
directly overhead).
 
Went by Green River Lake in the late afternoon and found essentially
NOTHING driven in by the cold weather; most birds appeared to be same as
CBC period like 1 Common Loon and about 6 Horned Grebes, and actually
fewer gulls than on the CBC. One small stretch of about 1/4 mile of
Corbin's Bend Road (Adair Co.) had FIVE Hermit Thrushes feeding on the
roadside, a testament to how little natural food must be remaining in
the woods and edges!
 
At the Campbellsville City Lake, the White-winged Scoter continues from
late December. This bird is molting and now has a velvety black head
with a greenish/purplish gloss and speckled shoulders due to jet black
feathers coming in.
 
Feb 19
 
On my way to a meeting in western KY, I swung by the Ohio River at
Louisville to see a female Long-tailed Duck along the Indiana shore
upstream from the Clark Maritime Center (upstream from Six-Mile Island)
(thanks Tom & Colleen Becker :o). While there a male Red-breasted Merg
and 6 Common Mergs swung in to join the 150+ divers (mostly Canvasbacks
with a lot of Redheads and scaup, too). On the ice in the bay, not 200
yards from Kentucky, was an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull loafing with
some other gulls. We've never had a Lesser Black-backed in the
Louisville area (for some unknown reason), but the bird would not awake
from its slumber to be "ticked" for Jefferson County (later in the
morning Jane and Pat Bell DID see it go out to the river for a
long-expected county-first.
 
Feb 20
 
This morning I took a very brief scan of the same area from the Indiana
side and noted that most of the ice has melted and the 215+ Canvasbacks,
66+ Redheads, and 50-100 more scaup, Ring-necks, etc. were all way back
in the bay. I missed the Long-tailed Duck in my quick scan, but Ben
Yandell saw it later in the AM. Two of the White-winged Scoters
continued in the basin above the Falls along with 80-85+ Cans and 75-100
scaup (including 10+ Greaters). Down on the rocks at the Falls there
were NO gulls. I simply cannot imagine why we don't have 1000+ gulls
feeding over the rapids there ....
 
bpb, Frankfort

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