[TN-Bird] Life at the "Pits", Ensley Birthday

From: OLCOOT1@xxxxxxx
To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Tue, 1 Jun 2004 00:02:59 EDT
May 29, 2004
Ensley Bottoms
Shelby Co. TN
The first Black-necked Stilt young of the year arrived on Saturday and I was 
there to take photos as they were shown to the world for the first time. One 
adult female was trying to keep her 3 youngsters tucked under her wing as she 
stooped to their level. I got photos where one evidently went to sleep and both 
feet slowly left the ground, such is the trust of the innocent. At another 
nest Terry Witt and I witnessed the hatching of a second brood. A couple of the 
chicks could hardly stand and would tumble out from under mom as she moved 
around on the nest anxiously awaiting the arrival of the late comers. There are 
now well over 30 Black-necked Stilt nests at Ensley.

I watched one pair of Western Kingbirds copulate and the other pair did not 
seem too interested in one another but stayed relatively close as they fed. The 
pair of Shoveler Ducks still swim close to one another, if she disappears 
things could get interesting and the two Blue-winged Teal males were still 
present. The Mallards have chicks everywhere and the males are going into 
eclipse 
plumage and are really ratty looking. The biggest waterfowl surprise came with 
the discovery of 7 Lesser Scaup, all males on McKellar Lake.

A single Avocet molting into breeding plumage made a brief appearance early 
on but could not be relocated. The Killdeer numbers still grow with young 
scattered about. The "Wind Bird" numbers dwindle but still a nice collection of 
Semipalmated Plovers, a pair of Spotted Sandpipers with the female making 
advances on the smaller male, will they nest again at the Pits? Least 
Sandpipers were 
hard to come by and still only one Pectoral among the numerous Semipalmated 
Sandpipers and White-rumps. No Legs nor Stilt Sandpipers could be found and I 
saw none all weekend until a Greater showed up at White Lake on Monday.


Good Birding!!!

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


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[TN-Bird] Life at the "Pits", Ensley Birthday

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