[TN-Bird] 8/30/04 Big Sandy Area & KY Long-tailed Jaeger

08/30/04
Big Sandy (Pace Point) area
Henry Co.
KY Lake Dam (Long-tailed Jaeger)

I began this morning hoping for a few migrant passerines, and a little bit of 
mud somewhere on KY Lake. I got very little of either, but did have my 1st of 
the year Yellow-bellied Flycatcher playing hide and seek with me from the 
dense, shady cover they like, near Pace Point. Only warbler of the day was a 
Yellow. 

Water levels had jumped back up on KY Lake, and there was no mud to be found. 
Pace Point produced only about 50 Ring-billed Gulls, 5 Caspian Terns, and a 
single Spotted Sandpiper. 

At this point I called Hap Chambers to check on her Long-tailed Jaeger at KY 
Dam. It was still there so the only sensible thing to do seemed to be drive a 
couple of hours to KY Dam and get a little more familiar with juvenile 
Long-tailed Jaegers. I arrived and there were several birders there when I got 
there, and after just a few minutes the bird was relocated, though very 
distant. 

After decent, but distant views from a couple of vantage points, Dave Roemer, 
Robert Dever, and I decided to rent a john boat and (hopefully) get some better 
looks at the bird. This was an adventure in itself, but we quickly got right up 
on the bird for some good looks and marginal photo opportunities (a rocking 
john boat in the middle of KY Lake not being the steadiest of platforms). We 
got good looks a couple of times, but didn't want to harry the bird and went 
back to the marina with smiles on our faces. After everyone else left for home, 
Hap and I were treated to some great looks as the bird flew by our us no more 
than 30-40 yards off of the overlook, a couple of times. We had hoped for 
another close landing like they were treated to yesterday, but no luck. We also 
got to see a patented Jaeger chase of a Caspian Tern. 

I got a few marginal to decent photos of the bird from the boat, I will be 
getting them posted shortly. I believe there were some good photos taken by 
others of the bird, hopefully some will be posted for all to enjoy. For anyone 
thinking of going for it, I recommend it, but patience may be needed. It spends 
a lot of its time well out over 1/2 mile from the overlook, and can seemingly 
turn up out of nowhere after not being seen recently. At this distance it's 
clearly a Jaeger, and structural clues and at times even plumage clues are 
visible, but it may take a while to really get a good look at this very 
crisply-patterned bird.

Good birding!!

Mike Todd
McKenzie, TN
Carroll Co.
birder1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.pbase.com/mctodd


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