[TN-Bird] Ensley Afternoon

Aug. 27, 2003
Ensley Bottoms
Shelby Co. TN
Mike Todd had an afternoon off and called to say he was going to visit the 
pits. I got down there at 4 PM and we did the rounds. The numbers are down 
about 
1/3 but still tremendous numbers to shuffle through. The Semipalmated and 
Pectoral Sandpipers had declined along with Western Sandpipers but Least 
Sandpipers still fill every gap. The constant twittering of the birds in the 
afternoon 
was a nice touch as they became use to us and came back to feed almost at our 
feet.

At first we could only find 11 species in the mix but Mike had had a brief 
look at a molting adult Golden-Plover before I arrived for an even dozen. There 
had been a dozen or more Stilt Sandpipers there on Sunday but we could not 
come up with even one until the rain storms arrived. It went from oppressively 
hot sun to clouds and cool breeze and the species we were missing appeared as 
if 
by magic. We found the Golden-Plover again and it was the same one I had 
found on the weekend. Then there was a strutting Buff-breasted, 8 Long-billed 
Dowitchers and 3 Stilt Sandpipers.
The storms split and went around us and we finished the day with billowing 
angry clouds and bolts of lightning that kept dark clouds of shorebirds in the 
air. The immature Cooper's still causes a stir at extended intervals.

Good Birding!!!

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


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