DEC. 31, 2005 Hatchie NWR, Haywood, Co.TN Pace Point and environs, Henry Co. TN I started out at daylight watching the Tundra Swans at Hatchie feeding in a morning haze. It was going to be a good day. By the time I got to Pace Point, the conditions were improving and they did so all day. Almost the first birds in view were 2 Red-necked Grebes; they were to stay in the area off the right side of the point all day Saturday and Sunday. There was another bird sleeping far out toward Paris Landing that I had high hopes in it being a aechmophorus but it was just too far to see anything but size. I wanted to scan other areas and then come back to get a better look and photograph the Red-necked Grebes if the weather improved. The skies cleared and the temps went up and the wind died down. At Britton Ford, I found 5 species of geese, including 28 Cackling and 2 Ross's plus all the regular duck species we usually find there on a good day. I ended the day with 24 species of waterfowl missing Common Merganser. Returning to the point I stopped by Coot Cove on the east side and struck the mother lode. I walked out to the point and found all the gulls, loons and ducks one could want to scan. I located an adult and an immature Pacific Loon. The adult stayed on the surface long enough on one occasion for one photo. There were gulls everywhere but nothing appeared out of sorts. I located a female Goldeneye with an all yellow bill but that is as far as she went in that direction, but SOME DAY! Arriving back at the point, the Horned, Pied and Red-necked Grebes were still feeding along with the large number of Common Goldeneye and scaup. The light was great but the heat shimmer was getting worse by the minute. I located the sleeping grebe and settled in. Thirty minutes later it raised its head, a Western Grebe with wide black stripe on back of neck, dull greenish yellow bill and eye encased in black. Number 297 for my West TN BIG YEAR. I ended the year still scanning for a Long-tailed Duck but it was not to be. It was one HELL of A YEAR!!!! Good Birding !!! Jeff R. Wilson / TLBA 6298 Memphis-Arlington Road Bartlett, TN 38135 =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation. You are also required to list the count in which the birds you report were seen. The actual date of observation should appear in the first paragraph. _____________________________________________________________ To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx _____________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, send email to: tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. ______________________________________________________________ TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s) endorse the views or opinions expressed by the members of this discussion group. Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx _____________________________________________________________ Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp _____________________________________________________________