[tn-bird] Reelfoot area 7/31/02

Birding was great around the Reelfoot area, with impressive numbers of both 
waders and shorebirds wherever habitat was found. An indication of the 
shorebird presence is that I had 6 locations today with at least 10 shorebird 
species, and I had Stilt Sandpipers at 7 locations, with a high of 14 in a 
wet area just south of Phillippy. Total shorebird species for the day was 17. 

Shorebird highlights were as follows:

Piping Plover: two on Island 13. I spent about 3 hours on Island 13, and the 
Piping's were the last birds I found. They were down at the far end of the 
long pool. I didn't think I was going to find a Piping, when I heard a single 
"Peep-lo" from somewhere, it still took about 30 minutes more to locate a 
bird after I knew one was in the area. The way the pool is cut up it's hard 
to stay on the birds, and I originally thought the one bird was moving around 
but I finally had two birds in view at the same time, although they were 
never actually together. I got a decent shot or two of these little dolls if 
anyone is interested.

Black-necked Stilt: Five at White Lake Refuge. They have pumped water back 
into White Lake, and the shorebirds are responding. Among these five were a 
male escorting a couple of very crisply marked juveniles.

Ruddy Turnstone: Three on Island 13

Sanderling:  Two on Tiptonville Bar and one on Island 13.

Western Sandpiper: Scattered about, but very much outnumbered by Semi's.

Dowitcher:  Single Long-billed at State Line just north of Walnut Log, and 
one each Long and Short-billed traveling together on Island 13. 

On the wader front, the large concentration at White Lake seems to have 
diminished somewhat, but good concentrations of the expected species could be 
found practically anywhere in the area. Black Bayou is teeming with Snowy 
Egrets, and as Nancy previously reported the juvenile Tricolored is still in 
the area. I was there at about 2:00 this afternoon. I had hoped to see a 
White Ibis again at White Lake, or possibly a Wood Stork, but no luck with 
either. 

On another positive note, the Scissor-tails were successful in their nesting. 
The female had a recently fledged juvenile on the wires around the entrance 
to Cargill. The one youngster is all I saw, but I didn't spend much time in 
the area. Other birds of interest were an eclipse male Ring-necked Duck in a 
wet area south of Phillippy, and a Black and several Forster's Terns out from 
Champy's Pocket on the Lake. I saw several juvenile Least Terns while on 
Island 13, hopefully they've had a good year. The swallows are starting to 
pile up, things are just gonna get better and better!

(If this has rambled, I don't think I'm over Island 13 yet)

Good birding!!!!!!!!

Mike Todd
McKenzie, TN
Carroll Co.
mikectodd@xxxxxx



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