Leslie Gibbens and Michael Sledjeski treated Linda Northrop and me to a canoe tour of Rankin yesterday. Water levels are dropping rapidly, so accessibility to habitat is continuing to decrease also. However, we all got some excellent looks at a dozen or so species of shorebirds and several other noteworthy species. Here's a quick summary: Double-crested Cormorant (3); Great Egret (210); Green Heron (8); Black-crowned Night-Heron (5); White Ibis (2); Blue-winged Teal (14); Osprey; Peregrine Falcon; Black-bellied Plover; Semipalmated Plover (5); Greater Yellowlegs; Lesser Yellowlegs (25); Solitary Sandpiper; Spotted Sandpiper (2); Least Sandpiper (2); Western Sandpiper (2); Semipalmated Sandpiper; Pectoral Sandpiper (150+); Stilt Sandpiper (4); dowitcher species; Ring-billed Gull; Great Crested Flycatcher; Eastern Kingbird (6); Tree Swallow; Blue-gray Gnatcatcher; White-eyed Vireo (immature); Common Yellowthroat; Blue Grosbeak (2). Many thanks to Leslie and Michael for an outstanding experience, one we plan to repeat next year at Rankin during nesting season. Don Miller, Greeneville, TN =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation. ----------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx ----------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send email to: tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * TN-Bird Net Owner: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx (423) 764-3958 =========================================================