[tn-bird] Anhinga to Cooper's Hawk

May 18-19, 2002
Mustin Bottoms - Ensley Bottoms
Shelby, Co.
Reelfoot Area
Lauderdale, Dyer, Lake and Obion Co.

"WINDY BIRDS"

Saturday the winds roared and were more than just cool. On the road into the 
now fully flooded Eagle Lake I ran across a few migrants using the bluff as a 
refuge from the wind. Beside Magnolia and Blackpoll the regular resident 
birds were found. A fresh, bright Yellow-bellied Flycatcher sallied from the 
Paulownia Tree at the top of the hill and allowed great looks. I drove to the 
bottom where the water has covered the parking lot and scanned up a few Least 
Terns. To the north I watched trading Great Blue and Great Egrets near the 
rookery when I picked up a distinctive soaring bird. I watched as for the 
second time at this location I was treated to the display flight of a male 
Anhinga. Evidently they are breeding at the rookery.

At Ensley a lone female Ruddy Turnstone would be the first of many seen later 
that day. The Black-necked Stilt pairs are scattered about and a tight little 
group of a hundred or so Least, White-rumped, Semipalmated Sandpipers and 
colorful Dunlin huddled behind one levee. Lesser Yellowlegs and Spotted were 
added along with some stealth Pectoral Sandpipers. The Painted bunting was on 
territory and after a period of time three Western Kingbirds were seen. One 
bird flew a bee line for a quarter of a mile to intercept another Western 
Kingbird and do air battle. He may well have been successful in moving the 
other pair to a more distant nesting area rather than the tower next door.

That afternoon the Great River Road held a few "windy birds" as the flood 
waters have crept across the fields and the Obion River now runs backwards. 
Near 104 and the GRR I located 5 breeding plumaged Black-bellied Plovers, 6 
Ruddy Turnstones (5m-1f), 9 Least Sandpipers, 1 Spotted Sandpiper, 2 
Forster's Terns, 12 Black Terns, 2 Ring-billed Gulls and a female Ruddy Duck. 
Least Terns were to be found there and at all the stops there after.

In a flooded field south of Mud Lake in Lake Co. I found 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, 
8 Spotted Sandpiper, 7 Least Sandpiper, 4 Ruddy Turnstones (3 male 1 female) 
and a late, breeding plumaged Western Sandpiper. At Mud Lake I located a pair 
of Black-necked Stilts, 28 Semipalmated Sandpiper and 67 Black Terns.

At Champy's Pocket on Reelfoot I saw a single Caspian Tern, 1 Ring-billed 
Gull and an adult Herring Gull. In a flooded field to the west were 5 
Black-bellied Plovers, 1 Short-billed Dowitcher, 7 Dunlin, 19 Least 
Sandpipers, 27 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 1 White-rumped and a single 
Semipalmated Plover.

On Sunday I spent most of the morning on my quest for a Mourning Warbler 
(nada) with 2 1/2 hours at the soon to be under water Tenn-Mo levee. I found 
a nice selection of resident and migrant warblers with Cape May, Blackpoll, 
Tennessee, Magnolia, Prothonotary, Wilson's, Canada and Common Yellowthroat 
along with Rose-breasted Grosbeak and another cooperative Yellow-bellied 
Flycatcher.

A return to Mud Lake found 15 American Coots with one pair being very 
attentive, the male displaying, running off other coots and grebe and feeding 
the object of his attention, maybe? A proud Pied-billed ferried around a 
young chick on her back while dad made noises unthinkable in polite company. 
A Least Bittern kept me busy keeping up with its movements with no indication 
of a pair or nest. The Black Tern number went up and down with the most 
counted at one time only 29. A single American White Pelican soared up from 
the back of Mud Lake and soon disappeared to the north.

Later on the east side of the lake we found 1 Forster's Tern and 4 Common 
Terns. From Champy's Pocket we saw a pair of DC Cormorants, 4 Ruddy Ducks (3 
m-1f) 2 male Lesser Scaup and a very late female Bufflehead.

On the way home I had 14 Semipalmated Sandpiper, 3 breeding plumaged Dunlin 
and a single Least Sandpiper in one wet spot and in Lauderdale Co. I had a 
Cooper's Hawk flying with a bird in its clutches into a grove of trees, 
hopefully to youngsters.

Good Birding!!!

Jeff R. Wilson
OL' COOT / TLBA
Bartlett Tenn.


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