[TN-Bird] Reelfoot Lake CBC report (long)
- From: Mark Greene <greenesnake@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:27:08 -0800 (PST)
The 2011 Reelfoot Lake CBC was held on Saturday, December 17. Fifteen birders
tallied 111 species, which is a little below our recent average. The weather
was nice. It was a little foggy early in the morning but the sun burned off the
fog quickly and the rest of the day was sunny with a slight breeze from the NW
at 5-7mph. The low at the start of the count was a chilly 26 degrees but ended
up at a tolerable 47 degrees.
Participants were: Dennis Davin, Jerry Drewry, Bob Foehring, Mark Greene, Gail
King, Nancy Moore, John Noel, Chris Sloan, Joe Stone, Sabin Thompson, Allan
Trently, Mike Todd, Donna Ward, Melinda Welton, and Jeff Wilson.
Two new count birds were added this year! After having it in the weeks leading
up to the count the previous 3 years, the adult Little Gull finally stuck
around to be tallied! It was found by Mike Todd & Bob Foehring out from the
boardwalk at the Reelfoot Lake State Park Ellington visitor center on Lower
Blue Basin. It was refound by Jeff Wilson & seen by several other birders later
in the day looking out from the old Kiwanis Park area across from the Pit BBQ
place. Another new count species was Pectoral Sandpiper. This bird was found by
Chris Sloan, Melinda Welton, and John Noel near the Phillipy Unit of Black
Bayou. We didn't add a new species last year so it was good to add 2 new
species for the count this year!
Other count highlights:
4 species of geese including:
Ross's Goose - 31 were found amongst the thousands and thousands of Snow Geese.
17 species of ducks including:
Redhead - 101, highest total since 1993.
Greater Scaup - 66, highest total ever for this count.
Common Loon - 8, 2nd highest total ever (9 were seen in 2003).
American Woodcock - 2, seen by 2 different parties, including 1 bird seen
walking across the road.
Short-eared Owl - 7, seen in 2 different areas.
Loggerhead Shrike - 14, seen by 5 different parties.
Barn Swallow - 1, seen on Lower Blue Basin by Mike Todd & Bob Foehring, 4th
count record.
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 2, seen by Jerry Drewry, Sabin Thompson, and Joe Stone
near the Reelfoot Lake NWR headquarters.
House Wren - 1, seen by Jeff Wilson, Gail King, and Mark Greene near Bessie,
23rd count record.
Marsh Wren - 1, seen at Tiptonville sewer lagoon, seen by Jeff Wilson & Gail
King, 27th count record.
Orange-crowned Warbler - 1, seen by Gail King & Mark Greene at Champey Pocket,
14 count record.
Pine Warbler - 1, seen by Jerry Drewry, Sabin Thompson, and Joe Stone near the
Reelfoot Lake NWR headquarters, 11th count record.
Palm Warbler - 2, seen by Nancy Moore & Donna Ward at Long Point, 7th count
record.
A probable Cape May Warbler was also seen at the Reelfoot Lake State Park
visitor center but was not counted due to the brief look in the treetops.
American Tree Sparrow - 7, seen in 3 different areas by 2 parties.
LeConte's Sparrow - 1, seen by Chris Sloan & Melinda Welton, 18th count record.
Lapland Longspur - 2116, including a flock of 800+ seen by Jeff Wilson, Mark
Greene, and Gail King west of Cates.
Western Meadowlark - 16, seen by 2 different parties, including a flock of 11
seen by Jeff Wilson, Mark Greene, and Gail King near Bessie, 13th count record.
Brewer's Blackbird - 1, seen at Long Point by Nancy Moore & Donna Ward, 26th
count record.
Misses include: American Black Duck, Northern Bobwhite (again), Sharp-shinned
Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Least Sandpiper, E. Screech-Owl, Purple Finch, and Pine
Siskin.
Birds added to count week species were Chipping Sparrow (seen the day before
the count at Keystone Pocket) and American White Pelican (an injured bird has
been seen all over the lake for the last couple of weeks and was seen the day
before the count at Samburg but was not located on count day!)
Here are the count totals:
Greater White-Fronted Goose - 6,484
Snow Goose - 8,565
Ross's Goose - 31
Canada Goose - 50
Wood Duck - 15
Green-winged Teal - 5
Mallard - 363
Northern Pintail - 16
Northern Shoveler - 22
Gadwall - 275
American Wigeon - 3
Canvasback - 3
Redhead - 101
Ring-necked Duck - 43
Lesser Scaup - 3,256
Greater Scaup - 66
Common Goldeneye - 5
Bufflehead - 175
Hooded Merganser - 23
Red-breasted Merganser - 3
Ruddy Duck - 6,541
Wild Turkey - 42
Common Loon - 7
Pied-billed Grebe - 155
Horned Grebe - 17
American White Pelican - CW
Double-crested Cormorant - 133
Great Blue Heron - 27
Black Vulture - 71
Turkey Vulture - 60
Bald Eagle - 54
Northern Harrier - 21
Accipiter species - 1
Red-shouldered Hawk - 12
Red-tailed Hawk - 72
American Kestrel - 29
American Coot - 58
Killdeer - 335
Pectoral Sandpiper - 1
Wilson's Snipe - 16
American Woodcock - 2
Bonaparte's Gull - 1472
Little Gull - 1
Ring-billed Gull - 11,222
Herring Gull - 1
Rock Pigeon - 27
Mourning Dove - 728
Eurasian Collared-Dove - 1
Barn Owl - 1
Great Horned Owl - 6
Barred Owl - 11
Short-eared Owl - 7
Belted Kingfisher - 4
Red-headed Woodpecker - 25
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 65
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 18
Downy Woodpecker - 32
Hairy Woodpecker - 7
Northern (Yellow-shafted) Flicker - 83
Pileated Woodpecker - 23
Eastern Phoebe - 6
Loggerhead Shrike - 14
Blue Jay - 76
American Crow - 80
Horned Lark - 867
Barn Swallow - 1
Carolina Chickadee - 40
Tufted Titmouse - 44
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 2
White-breasted Nuthatch - 38
Brown Creeper - 5
Carolina Wren - 78
House Wren - 1
Winter Wren - 18
Marsh Wren - 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 21
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 21
Eastern Bluebird - 98
Hermit Thrush - 17
American Robin - 32
Northern Mockingbird - 27
Brown Thrasher - 11
European Starling - 2723
American Pipit - 8
Cedar Waxwing - 6
Orange-crowned Warbler - 1
Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler - 115
Pine Warbler - 1
Palm Warbler - 2
Eastern Towhee - 7
American Tree Sparrow - 6
Chipping Sparrow - CW
Field Sparrow - 35
Savannah Sparrow - 73
Le Conte's Sparrow - 1
Fox Sparrow - 25
Song Sparrow - 61
Swamp Sparrow - 61
White-throated Sparrow - 150
White-crowned Sparrow - 48
Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Junco - 136
Lapland Longspur - 2116
Northern Cardinal - 361
Red-winged Blackbird - 1710
Eastern Meadowlark - 120
Western Meadowlark - 16
Rusty Blackbird - 17
Brewer's Blackbird - 1
Common Grackle - 3547
Brown-headed Cowbird - 466
House Finch - 8
American Goldfinch - 44
House Sparrow - 166
Total species seen count day = 111
Total number of birds = 53,922
Thanks to all the participants for another greta count!
Good birding,
Mark Greene
Count Compiler
Trenton, TN
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