[TN-Bird] Memphis Scoters / Tunica MS

DEC 16, 2007
Mississippi Rv.
TVA Lake, Coro Lake
Robco Lake- Shelby Co. TN
Tunica Co. MS
 
The Mississippi River ate Dacus Bar overnight but I located one Peregrine  
perched under the bridge and the second bird on a window ledge on the top floor 
 
of the 100 North Main building, so it looks like they are here to spend the  
winter. Among the Ring-billed Gulls, I found a single first winter Herring 
Gull  and 6 Bonaparte's. The single male Goldeneye still hangs out in the eddy 
behind  the dikes along with the Horned Grebe, 3 Mallards, 6 Gadwall, 4 
Buffleheads and  3 Pied-billed Grebe. On the way down, I stopped and scoped 8 
Brewer's 
BB at  DeWitt Spain Airport and later photographed a pair at Ensley. I had a 
flock of  200+ Snow Geese with 7 Greater White-fronted playing wing men.
 
An adult Bald Eagle was a flyover on River Port Road. At TVA, I met Sonny  
Gray and we scoped out the Black Scoter, but dipped on the Surfs, later one  
appeared on my second trip. The birds were just coming in from feeding on  
McKellar Lake, so numbers were low in the AM. Canvasback numbers had soared to  
27 
and Redheads up slightly to 21 with 86 Greater Scaup the final count on the  
afternoon visit. Sonny and I enjoyed another large flock of Snows (140+)  
flashing in the sun overhead that had a least 3 Ross's in the mix. We later had 
 
even more Snow and Ross's (300) over Robco Lake.
 
Sonny and I hustled down to Coro Lake and got good looks at the immature  
female White-winged Scoter, so it ended for me being another rare 3 scoter day. 
 
Tunica Co, was our next stop and it was productive as usual although the 
monster  bunch of gulls were too far out in the field to produce anything 
unusual  
with the heat waves but this is one huge collection of gulls. I can't wait  
till the weather really pushes some more species down.
 
We located 2 Rough-legged Hawks and one put on a heck of a show, kiting in  
the bright sun along with 8 Red-tails doing the same over that one area. One  
group of 15 Sandhill Cranes was moving around the area, gurgling their  
marvelous calls the whole time. We finally positioned ourselves with the sun to 
 our 
backs and spent time with a flock of Lapland Longspurs which put on a show.  
Some males had already worn into their fine rich collars. Pipits and Horned  
Larks were found just about everywhere. While at that location, we had close  
looks and later a short song from two Western Meadowlarks and to top that off, 
a 
 great show from a Short Eared Owl that decided it was too pretty of a day  
to snooze, so it floated by with that moth like flight, giving us a once  over.
 
White geese and gulls made for a winter landscape and Harriers floated at  
every turn. Sonny left to scope through the geese, I returned to the gulls,  
still getting only 3 species and then back by Ensley. 
A fine day in the field.............  

Good Birding  !!!

Jeff R. Wilson / TLBA
6300 Memphis-Arlington Road
Bartlett, TN  38135
http://www.pbase.com/ol_coot/
What is this feathered thing that  lifts my heart to the heavens.




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