[TN-Bird] Kingston Steam Plant - possible scoter - new trail

I birded the Kingston Steam Plant in Roane County this morning, 7/19/08, from 
8:35 to 12:15.  There is a new path that weaves its way through the largest 
pond on the lower level.  It starts at the area off the road from the parking 
lot where people always walk out to scan for shore birds and for the first part 
it meanders alongside the fast moving stream that runs along the foot of the 
hill.  I was walking along this part of the path when I saw a duck up ahead in 
the stream swimming away from me.  It was brown and I expected it to be a 
mallard.  But when the bird turned its head I saw that it had the blocky head 
and heavy triangular bill of a scoter (either a white-winged or surf).  I 
wached the bird through my scope until it disappeared around a curve.  I 
couldn't detect any facial markings or patterns on its bill but it wasn't all 
that close. I kept walking but the path took a sharp right at the approximate 
place the bird swam from sight.  After a couple more changes of direction, the 
path eventually came out on land (thank goodness) near the foot of the hill 
back by the river.  I walked all along the river but couldn't relocate the bird 
and on my way out, I again took the first part of the new path until I could 
see the section of the stream where I had watched the bird but it hadn't 
returned.  Here's what else I found:

Canada Goose     24

Mallard     18

Double-crested Cormorant     11

Great Blue Heron     4

Green Heron     1

Black-crowned Night-Heron     2

Osprey     1 (maybe more - several sightings but always just one at a time)

Killdeer     23+

Spotted Sandpiper     1

Rock Pigeon     20

Mourning Dove     3

Eastern Phoebe     1

Blue Jay     1

Tree Swallow     3

Cliff Swallow     6

Carolina Wren     3

Eastern Bluebird     1

Northern Mockingbird     1

Yellow Warbler     1

Common Yellowthroat     5

Eastern Towhee     1

Song Sparrow     4

Northern Cardinal     4

Blue Grosbeak     1

Red-winged Blackbird     30+

Eastern Meadowlark     1

House Finch     5

American Goldfinch     5


Carole Gobert, Knoxville, TN 



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