[tn-bird] Pace Point Area

Sept. 21-22, 2002

After getting some great looks and distant photos of the Nashville, Rufous 
Hummer, I traveled to Duck River for a late afternoon scanning. There was 
little moving about but Great Blue and Great Egrets with the expected trading 
of ducks. There is a hunt going on so many areas were closed to travel but it 
was a beautiful sunset in such a peaceful setting. 

I did hear one Sora Rail and had 5 Immature Black-crowned and 1 immature 
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron at dusk. Common Yellowthroats and a single Yellow 
Warbler piled in with a troop of Indigo Buntings that had taken up roosting 
rights in a dense willow. They were joined briefly by a female Blue Grosbeak 
that moved on possibly because of all the shuffling around at bed time.

The morning put me at Pace Point where I had about 250 Ring-billed Gulls plus 
26 Caspian Terns and 17 Forster's Terns strung along the emerging strip of 
mud that will soon connect the point to the island. I later had another bunch 
of Forster's and a couple of Common Terns at Paris Landing where I added 
another 11 Caspian Terns, 4 Herring Gulls and a horde of Ring-billed. A total 
of 4 hours of scanning from these two points got not one odd gull or tern. 
Hap must be feeding them pretty good at the dams. 

I did record a lot of Red-headed Woodpeckers at Pace. At the point they were 
crossing and heading inland and some groups of 5 and 6 birds were seen flying 
very high but heading back across the water to the north. I actually counted 
38 Red-heads moving at the point and perched in the willows on the island 
with 11 in one area farther back in the woods. Needless to say it is the most 
I've ever seen at one place but even more amazing is that only 2 immatures 
were seen. 

Crows and Blue Jays were noted at all locations and along the interstate over 
the weekend but I could not say if it was more or less than usual but 
encouraging to say the least after hearing others comment on the lack of them 
at their locations. A group of 16 Common Crows was seen at O'Neill Lake at 
the Hatchie NWR and a single Fish Crow flew by constantly calling while I was 
there. Later a large group was seen going to roost to the southeast of that 
area on Sunday afternoon. 

I had one Least Sandpiper and 2 Spotted Sandpipers at the point. In one creek 
bed near Eagle Marina I had 11 Least Sandpipers, 9 Pectoral, 1 Western and 13 
Lesser Yellowlegs. Scarlet Tanagers were also moving and warblers were found 
in pockets out of the steady wind that blew all day. Warblers and vireos seen 
were: White-eyed, Blue-headed, Yellow-throated, Philadelphia, Tennessee, 
Parula, Yellow, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated 
Green, Pine, Palm, Black-and-white, Redstart, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, 
Hooded, Wilson's and Common Yellowthroat.

Now lets see what's happening along the Mighty Mississip'

Good Birding!!!

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


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