[TN-Bird] Bell's Bend (HESP)

I spent a little over an hour this morning at Bell's Bend with the intention of 
trying to photograph several grassland/scrub species.  The dreary overcast sky 
killed that idea, but my secondary objective was the check out the Henslow's 
Sparrows reported last week by Melinda Welton.
I did hear one singing Henslow's Sparrow, but it was a challenge.  I was in the 
area described by Melinda for 30-40 minutes, and I only heard one song burst 
that lasted maybe 2 minutes.  It was far enough into the field that trying to 
see it was pointless, especially given their frustrating tendency to sing from 
deep down in the weeds at times.  I'm not surprised at the infrequent singing 
given the late timing.  Hopefully next May we can conduct a thorough survey to 
get a better feel for how many may be breeding here.

Other species of note:
Dickcissel - at least 3 singing (2 seen)
Blue Grosbeak - 1 ad. male on territory
Orchard Orioles - several noisy and visible small flocks (2-4 birds)
Red-headed Woodpecker - 1 calling constantly

Field Sparrows were as thick as flies, and Common Yellowthroats were not far 
behind.  Significant numbers of Purple Martins were flying around high in the 
sky as well.

One suggestion for anyone checking Bell's Bend over the next month - keep your 
eyes and ears open for Sedge Wrens (which can sound a little like Dickcissel).  
Some areas of the park seem to have the right habitat, in my opinion.  Sedge 
Wrens are unusual in that they sometimes will make a partial southward 
migration after their first nesting and then nest again.  Singing birds have 
been found in Tennessee several times in late summer.

--
Chris Sloan
chris.sloan@xxxxxxxxxxx
Nashville, TN

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