[birdky] RPT: Various pts in west KY May 15-16

From: "Palmer-Ball, Brainard (EEC)" <Brainard.Palmer-Ball@xxxxxx>
To: "BIRDKY" <birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 16 May 2011 22:34:30 -0400
Eddie Huber and I visited the aquatic world of northern McLean County 
yesterday. I have never seen water covering so much land area in Kentucky in my 
life; the areas south and west of Rumsey look like an ocean. There is so much 
shorebird habitat that the birds are scattered at random places. Waterbird 
highlights from yesterday included 3 flocks of Cattle Egrets, 8 Sanderlings, 
and 4 Ruddy Turnstones. One of the Sanderlings was an immaculately breeding 
plumaged male ... absolutely brick red. We also had 13 Short-billed Dowitchers 
and 42 Black Terns on the Hopkins County side of Otter Creek. The Gaither's 
Black-bellied Whistlers were a great way to end the day!  Melissa reports that 
all 10 Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks were present again this morning and this 
evening, but gone during mid-day. 
 
Today we began in the LBL area where our highlight was a singing male 
Black-throated Blue Warbler along the Kentucky Lake Scenic Drive ... a first 
for me in the western part of the state. Also of interest was a great 
collection of egrets and herons along US 62 east of Barkley Dam ... the 
receding water there has trapped lots of fish and the collection of birds 
included 28 Snowy Egrets, at least 30 Great Egrets, at least 10 Little Blue 
Herons, and 35-40 Great Blues. The Kuttawa heronry is alive with nests full of 
young Double-crested Cormorants with much nest building going again in the 
lower portions of the trees by herons and egrets now that the lake level is on 
the way down. We then drove down to southern Christian County. The bodies of 
water around Morgan Pond are high just like they are in southern Warren County 
and we only saw a handful of shorebirds; 4 Black Terns over the main pond were 
the highlight. Swallow Spring to the northwest was almost up to the road, which 
was raised several years ago due to the karst pond that forms there during 
rainy weather.
 
We ended the day at pools west of Sonora in southern Hardin County. There were 
fewer shorebirds today than on Friday (it seemed to be a poor day all over for 
them), but 100 Semi Plovers, 7 Short-billed Dowitchers, and 3 Dunlin were 
highlights there.
 
bpb & ebh
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[birdky] RPT: Various pts in west KY May 15-16

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