[TN-Bird] Shorebird Sweep

July 30, 2005
Ensley Bottoms-Mud Island
Shelby Co. TN
 
I was joined today by Jerry Ingles from Sewanee, TN for a brush up on  
shorebird ID points. I ran by Mud Island on the way down, there I found and  
photographed a Franklin's Gull sitting on the sandbar and located 6 of the  
Black-necked Stilts along with a few Least Terns. Later in the day Jerry and I  
went 
back and got a Ring-billed Gull and 2 Caspian Terns plus 8 Spotted  Sandpipers, 
a few Pectoral and peeps and the Black-necked Stilts.
 
Five days of steady north winds keep the birds trickling out with a few new  
birds coming in. On Friday there were a lot of birds resting which meant  that 
some of them were going to leave. Saturday morning, I thought a bunch  had 
left but finally in a hole where there had been almost no usage the past  week, 
we found 1200 birds stacked in a small area and they stay there most of  the 
day. There were good numbers of Killdeer, Least, Semipalmated and Pectoral  
Sandpipers in all array of plumages with only singles located of Western, Stilt 
 
and Baird's Sandpipers. There were 9 Lesser Yellowlegs in the mix along with 
20  plus Solitary Sandpipers and 9 Spotted.
 
The biggest surprise and treat was my season's first immature Semipalmated  
Sandpiper, as most of you know by know I really think these are smooth looking  
birds and always look forward to the first each year. In the next few days  
immatures of the other species hopefully will filter in showing that there was 
a  good breeding season for the Wind Birds this year. Anything would be better 
than  last years poor production of the birds that past through Memphis.
 
The leucistic Mockingbird was seen on Riverport Road at 7:45 this evening  
and we also had 12 other normal Mockers in view at that time.
 
Good  Birding!!!

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

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