[TN-Bird] Rainy Day Migration.

Oct. 26, 2007
Mississippi River
Shelby Co. TN


I?love bad weather and it?was a damp fine day. From 3 to 5 PM, I sat on Mud 
Island to see what would move and was duly rewarded. There was no telling what 
passed Memphis yesterday as birds were steadily moving all the time I was 
watching.

The first bird seen was a lone Common Loon that sat the whole time in a back 
eddy, moving only to slowly wag its head to shake the water off. A flock of 14 
Ruddy Ducks flew up river and later floated down and in their group was my 
first of season Horned Grebe.?A group of 9 Mallards were the only other 
waterfowl seen.

The parade was in the air, even in the face of the steady rain, migration was 
in move mode. Groups to singles came by with 4 species of gulls, the largest 
group containing 22 birds. The gull totals in the two hours were; Herring-56 
with 8 being?first cycle, Ring-bill - 41 mostly young birds, Lesser 
Black-backed - 1 sub-adult, a rarity for west TN, except around Reelfoot, and 6 
Franklin's Gulls with 5 in a group while a single followed later being harassed 
by a Ring-bill that continually dived on the bird. These birds are really 
moving, on Sunday, at Arkabutla Lake in MS,?Dr. Harboult and I had 72 
Franklin's along with, over 400 Forster's Terns.

Six groups of DC Cormorants hurried by in long skeins for a total of?467. 
Raptor wise I saw 1 Merlin chasing swallows, 2 Cooper's and 2 Harriers all 
moving south.

There were 70 to 80 swallows, mostly Rough-winged with a few immature barn and 
some Tree feeding right on top of the water, no pale rumped species but we 
should be checking for Caves at this time.

What did pass Memphis in the rain yesterday???

Jeff R. Wilson
Ol'Coot / TLBA
Bartlett, TN



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