Late yesterday, we surveyed Douglas Lake from Taylor's Bend (just downstream from Dutch Bottoms) to Swann's Bridge (the I-40 crossing), an area over 5 miles in length, and 1/2 to 1 mile wide (all in Jefferson County). Lake elevation is just over 952 - about as low as it gets, resulting in extensive shallows and mudflats along this stretch. Good observation points are few - most of the lakeshore is privately owned and without nearby public roads. The TWRA boat launch off Hwy 113 is set back from the lake and lacks enough water to launch a canoe. We scoped the area from "Lighthouse Point" at Baneberry, and canoed about 1 mile upstream from Swann's Bridge. Many of the birds we saw, especially waterfowl, were too far away to identify conclusively.
Most notable:
American Black Duck ( 2)
Northern Shoveler (6)
Ruddy Duck (7)
Double-crested Cormorant (8)
Great Blue Heron (200+)
Great Egret (52)
Bald Eagle
Killdeer (12)
Least Sandpiper (11)
Herring Gull
Bonaparte's Gull
Ring-billed Gull (100+)
Red-headed Woodpecker (1 adult, 1 immature at Lighthouse Point)
Michael Sledjeski & Leslie Gibbens
Cocke County
