[TN-Bird] Scoters and Long-tailed Duck plus a MS Lesser Black-backed Gull
- From: OLCOOT1@xxxxxxx
- To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, missbird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2009 08:34:41 EST
Jan. 17, 2009
TVA and Robco Lakes
Tunica Co. MS
Early trip to TVA Lake produced a look at a departing Black Scoter and a
returning Surf Scoter, we were not lucky enough or hardy enough to stand on the
levee waiting for the Long-tailed male to sneak in to rest. The weather has
forced a lot of ducks to seek the open water at the TVA Ponds. The 13 species
included: Lots of Gadwall, 3 Wigeon, Mallards, Shovelers, Green-winged Teal,
a single male Canvasback, Ring-necks, Plenty of Greater and Lesser Scaup,
Surf and Black Scoters, Hooded Mergansers and Ruddy Duck. A couple of hundred
Ring-billed Gulls rested and traded in and out of McKellar Lake, we a due an
other good gull down there.
Robco Lake had many thousands of ducks to scan through but only produced
poor looks at a sleeping female LONG-TAILED DUCK which everyone got dull gray
looks at, after losing and refinding the bird many times in the bobbing
throngs. A single, sleeping Common Goldeneye and hundreds of Canvasbacks were
the
only other notable treats. Fewer Ring-bills and Bonaparte's on the lake in the
wind.
On Counce Road in Tunica Co. MS, a single adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL
stuck out like a sore thumb in among the Ring-bills. A small group of Cackling
Geese (7) were scoped off of Hambrick Road among the Greater White-fronted,
Snows and Ross's Geese present. We were lucky, even with all the wind, to get
pretty fair looks at the three dark hawks using one short stretch of road this
season. The intermediate morph and all dark Harlan's sat briefly while just
Irma and Jerry lucked up on seeing the rufous morph perched on a fence post.
Pretty neat trio so close together. One adult and another immature Krider's
were seen along with Cooper's, many Harrier's, gobs of Red-tails hunkered down
in the wind, lots of kiting Kestrels and a Bald Eagle made a half hearted
chase at a lone Blue Goose before giving up.
Dale and Jeannie Swant had a Merlin rush across the road in front of them
and called us back for good scope looks at an adult, pale male prairie type
perched up on some low soybean stalks. We ran across 3 different groups of
Western Meadowlarks but they were wary in the piercing wind. We saw NO Lapland
Longspurs or Pipits and less than a dozen Horned Larks. Four Shrikes were noted
in MS and only one small group of Rusty Black-birds back at T.O. Fuller park
in Memphis plus Dale picked up the only Least Sandpiper, flying helter-skelter
heading south across TVA Lake..
A half dozen White Egrets made us feel even colder as they stood hunkered
over the catfish ponds and hundreds of gray Great Blues looked none to happy
standing out in the cut rice fields. Two small groups of Sandhill Cranes were
seen and we could again only muster up looks at a single flying Short-eared Owl
at dusk but multiples were heard yelping in the dark before moving off to
hunt.
Twenty-one species of waterfowl on the day.........
A little Memphis Bar-B Q feast for "THE CHILLY FIVE", topped off a cold,
windy day of birding in the Delta.
Good Birding !!!
Jeff R. Wilson / TLBA
6300 Memphis-Arlington Road
Bartlett, TN 38135
http://www.pbase.com/ol_coot/
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