[tn-bird] Red Phalarope Ensley Bottoms

Sept 21, 2002
Ensley Pits 
Shelby Co. TN

I came home before heading to Nashville for the hummer to clean up a bit. You 
know how picky they are in Nashville. I even broke down and went through a 
quickie car wash and got two layers of mud off the truck.

Needless to say it was muddyyyy at the pits early this morning and on top of 
that the first thing I saw as I approached the quagmire was that all the 
birds were racing around in tight flocks. I watched a Peregrine doing lazy 
loops over a Lesser Yellowlegs that was desperately trying to stay under in 
the shallow water. It did not take too long before he was up when he should 
have been down and he was snatched from the water and ferried over to the 
tree line. Shortly there was another anatum adult Peregrine chasing the 
throngs again. This bird perched for a photo and I just looked at the shot 
and found it had a green band on the left leg.

I believe all the cast of shorebirds are still here that were here on 
Thursday but I did not see the Golden-Plover nor the Red-necked Phalarope but 
in the frantic condition of these birds anything could have been hunkered 
down and over looked. The numbers looked the same but I briefly only saw one 
Wilson's Phalarope in flight and when I saw another distant light bird I 
thought I had both but this bird was a little darker and even at a great 
distance the phalarope mark was evident and when the bird flew the wing 
stripes clinched the ID. I thought to myself this just can't be true but sure 
enough I was looking at a molting immature Red Phalarope. I got closer and 
have two diagnostic photos but the Peregrine was working everything every few 
minutes. I was hoping for a Phalarope Tri-fecta for the second time at the 
pits but just as Thursday I could only get 2/3 of the way.

Nothing big had settled in after the rain but the Red was a kick in the butt 
and after Chris Sloan's call I decided to head to Nashville for the Rufous.

Due to new ditches being dug you can visit only a few of the areas at the 
pits. It will dry pretty fast so more areas will be open by this afternoon. 
Only with four wheel drive was I able to get to a couple of the back areas 
and I'm covered with mud.

If I get the hummer this afternoon I'll travel to Pace Point and make some 
offering to the gods for another good bird.

Good Birding!!!

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


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