[TN-Bird] Gobs of Loons!

Nov. 16-17, 2002
Pace Point Area

Went to Pace looking for a Red-necked Grebe and now find that Wallace has one 
holed up on Holston. ;o(

We fought a good battle with the wind on Saturday but until very late in the 
day the wind kept the upper hand. The white capping waves and cutting wind 
made for hard work. I did manage an early White-winged Scoter and a brief 
look at a Pacific in the morning. Loons were flying everywhere and I 
photographed a group of 22 Commons circling, this is the largest flight of 
loons I've ever seen flying together in Tennessee. I was to learn later that 
these were most likely newly arriving birds trying to sort out a good place 
to feed.

Franklin's nor Lesser Black-backed gulls were seen on Saturday. We did manage 
a look at an immature Golden Eagle, as usual right on time at noon, behind 
the maintenance buildings at the Big Sandy Refuge. A slogging tromp through 
the fields at Britton Ford yielded unsatisfactory looks at 4 LeConte's 
Sparrows trying to stay deep in the Panicum and out of the wind and 8 Lapland 
Longspurs were flushed from the corn stubble.

As the wind laid down late in the afternoon and the waters were rippling 
rather than ripping, I was treated to a HUGE loon parade from Port Road and 
Trailer Road with a count of 719 Common and 3 Pacific. On Sunday, Goldeneye 
were seen sleeping off jet lag at Pace Point and many Red-breasted Mergansers 
were feeding at all points. No geese other than a few Canada were seen over 
the weekend. New ducks were rafted up anywhere there was shelter from the 
relentless wind.

Hap Chambers and I searched all day Sunday and loons were spread evenly all 
over the lake but we could only count a little over 300 from the points this 
afternoon. A lot kept to their own company far out in the heat shimmer. In 
equal numbers, Horned Grebe bobbed on every wave's crest and over 100 
Pied-billed Grebe were seen from one point. The two adult Lesser Black-backed 
Gulls had evaded detection last weekend and all day Saturday but both made an 
appearance at the roost at last light Sunday. They stood out among all the 
light back gulls. A few Forster's Terns are still about but evidently the 
Franklin's have retired south.

At dusk a mass of 84 loons appeared to be swimming on thin quicksilver 
threads as an almost full moon cast its spell on the now quivering waters. 
What a vision to take with me on my 3 hour journey home.

Good Birding!!!

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

PS. I just see where David Roamer had 800 loons at one place in Kentucky. 
Must have been heavy traffic in the skies Friday and Saturday nights.


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