[Bristol-Birds] Reddish Egret @ Rankin

Rankin Bottoms, Cocke county, 7/12/08
By canoe, 5:30-8 PM; Douglas Lake elevation: 985.4
Scoping the far side of the embayment from the access road, we spotted a grayish wader actively foraging with wings out. We knew it wasn't common to this area, so we motored across for a closer look. The REDDISH EGRET, a juvenile, allowed a close approach, and stayed long enough for a few photos (online at http://www.pbase.com/ sylvafoto/image/100073739 and following). >> Previous records for East Tennessee? >> It flew off, along with a few dozen great egrets, when 4 noisy ultralights invaded the airspace; one dropped to about 20 ft. above the water; for a moment, we thought it might splash down. Wishful thinking, perhaps, but aren't aircraft required to maintain a certain altitude?
A bit later, we saw shorebirds flying by, then settling in the mudflats at the south end. Several breeding hendersoni SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS were among them (image at http://www.pbase.com/sylvafoto/ image/100074944). 

Partial list:

Killdeer (78)
Solitary sandpiper
Least sandpiper (24)
Short-billed dowitcher (5)

Michael Sledjeski & Leslie Gibbens
Del Rio TN
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