[TN-Bird] Saturday - Mud Island to Ensley Pits

Oct. 16, 2004
Mud Island, McKellar Lake
Ensley Pits
Shelby Co. TN

Early and late visits to Mud Island produced, hundreds of Coots floating the 
Mississippi and among these were 3 Green-winged Teal and 3 Pied-billed Grebes. 
On the sandbars there was little activity with a few Least and the regular 
Killdeer along with 7 Am. White Pelicans loafing on a small spit of sand. Most 
of the Chimney Swifts have disappeared and Saturday and Sunday where ever I 
looked, there was a steady stream of Rough-winged with a few Tree Swallows 
heading south.

On McKellar Lake there were 62 Ring-billed Gulls, 3 Herring and 103 White 
Pelicans. The Mallards have been joined by Ruddy and Lesser Scaup. At TVA Lake 
it 
looks like the immature Black-necked Stilt finally headed south but the 
injured Snowy is looking toward a bleak winter stay. There was one Ring-necked 
Duck 
that traded between the lake and the pits, one of 12 species of waterfowl 
seen in the area. On the sod fields was a single late immature Cattle Egret 
sporting a dark bill.

The pits were alive with activity, birds were dropping in and leaving all 
morning providing one of the higher counts of the season. It again looked like 
Little Creek in Delaware, just covered up with shorebirds. High numbers for 
quite a few of the 14 species with Killdeer, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, 
Spotted Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Westerns, Least, Baird's, Pectoral, 
large 
number of molting immature Dunlin, Stilt Sandpipers, Long-billed Dowitchers, 
Wilson's Snipe and a lone Wilson's Phalarope. As usual there were some 
unexpected plumages and birds with features that were extreme making for good 
study 
time and a few photos showing the variability of my Wind Birds.


Good Birding!!!

Jeff R. Wilson
OL'COOT / TLBA
Bartlett, TN


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