[TN-Bird] Black Scoter / Robco Lake

Nov. 26, 2004
Robco Lake,
Ensley Bottoms,
Shelby Co. TN
Tunica Co. MS 


At TVA Lake in Ensley, the flock of Scaup continues to grow but nothing new 
was present on Turkey Day except a female Bufflehead but no Scoters. I did have 
an early Turkey Treat with 7 scurrying across the road on the way into the 
pits. The numbers of wind birds seem to have held steady through the rain. 
There 
was one nice addition that was photographed at the pits, a late BAIRD'S 
SANDPIPER. The Sanderling gang is molting into whiter and whiter plumage and 
the 
Western Sandpipers are in full basic plumage. A flock of 80 American White 
Pelicans floated over the pits while I was there.

At Robco Lake, the ducks have started to build in numbers and a Black Scoter 
was gleaned from the flock as it slept and was photographed when it raised its 
head. This year has provided an unprecedented number for these birds for me 
as this is the 5th location that I have found them. It is very helpful to 
recognize them sleeping in these flocks of Scaup for they are easily passed 
over. 

I ran Tunica County Roads in Mississippi and found all the ingredients for a 
great winter of birding. Red-tailed Hawks and Harriers are present in big 
numbers with a nice variety of plumage's and morphs. Since my dark morph 
Red-tail 
disappeared after many winters in the same location, the one I called SHY, a 
very DARK Harlan's has now returned to the same tree for the 4th year. I also 
had 1 Krider's and 2 dark morph Red-tails on my trip.

Geese are now concentrated in huge flocks and yesterday you could not scan 
the skies without seeing hundreds in the air. I drove down one road, and for 
3/4 
mile there was an unbroken line of feeding mixed geese. I saw no Canada Geese 
in the fields all day, only the resident Canada's were at their regular 
haunts in settled neighborhood lakes. In these huge flocks of Greater 
White-fronted 
and Snows are big numbers of Ross's Geese, a rarity a few years back. 

At 4 locations, I finally had thousands of Lapland Longspurs but seeing them 
out in the fields is going to be hard this year until a heavy frost. The 
reason for this is the early harvest topped with rain has allowed almost all 
the 
fields of rice, corn and soybeans to re-sprout thus when the birds hit the 
ground they disappear into a dense short re-growth. This will also reduce the 
amount of food for these scavengers, so they may be far more transient that 
usual. 
I did settle into a location in front of a feeding flock and after a 30 minute 
wait, had the Laps feed to within 10-12 feet. I love to get out among these 
little jobs and just sit down and let them fill in around me, it is one great 
treat. Also that is a good way to find the odd one that occasionally shows up 
in these large flocks. Western Meadowlarks were present at 2 locations but they 
also will be harder to find due to the above conditions.

I only saw 3 Sandhill Cranes, fly overs, and was disappointed to find the 
little marsh where they have roosted the last two years drained and plowed. I 
hope they have not moved out of the area. At one location, some ponds were 
being 
drained and in one sweep of the glasses, I counted 495+ Great Blue Herons, 5 
Great Egrets and 12 Red-tailed Hawks.

I tracked Harrier's at dark time and finally located a small group coursing 
one field and saw a Short-eared Owl flutter up and come out to the road to sit; 
in the same field, earlier in the day, I had 2 LeConte's Sparrows.

Come gambol in Tunica!


Good Birding!!!

Jeff R. Wilson
OL'COOT / TLBA
Bartlett, TN


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