[TN-Bird] Shorebird report / West TN
- From: OLCOOT1@xxxxxxx
- To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 09:59:28 EDT
June 19-20, 2004
Memphis to Reelfoot and KY
At Ensley the black and white circus of Black-necked Stilts is running at
full tilt. Nests and young are being attended and mating and site selection are
still in progress. Some of the young have already started to molt into
bicolored plumage while others just hatched look like balls of fluff being
blown
around as they try new appendages.
Single Least Sandpipers were found on different pools. Killdeer are having a
very good nesting year. I can't blame the female Shoveler for not breeding now
as the male has lost all of his glorious coloration and now looks like a
panhandler. The Scaup that has been hiding in the vegetation for a couple of
months has gone through a partial molt and has evidently successfully replaced
damaged plumage, as it took flight and flew a great distance when I ran up on
him.
The single Moorhen still sulks around the edges of the northern pools.
The Western Kingbirds are tending two nests, one at the plant where there are
possibly two others as that I have yet to pinpoint and another nest on the
towers northeast of the steel plant where the first pair showed up early this
season.
I checked 3 rookeries and the feeding of young egrets and herons is in full
swing. This late high water should help the population of youngsters get plenty
of food although it has spread out rather than concentrated the food.
On Sunday, along the levees and roads in Dyer and Lake Co, I located 11 pair
of Black-necked stilts in the new water. I had a singing Willow Flycatcher at
White Lake but very little of anything because of high water which will be
drained off quickly.
I had 2 Black Terns on the River and a group of 9 Least Sandpipers flying
down river with either a Semipalmated or Western Sandpiper in with them. The
rush
south has started and will be ever increasing in the next week for anyone
brave enough to get out in the heat to glean through them for goodies. In KY, I
also had 8 pair of Black-necked Stilts in 4 locations, 2 active nests, 1 nest
being built, 2 other pairs mating. Unfortunately a lot of this water will
quickly recede and many of these nests along the Mississippi will have a hard
time
making it.
I made a trip over to the area around McKenzie, TN and visited Mike Todd's
locations for Lark Sparrow but after a couple of hours searching, I started
widening my search. I finally found and photographed a single bird at a
different
location near Radford Lake Road and 140. Evidently there is quite a population
using this area. While searching for Lark Sparrows, I followed a Cooper's
Hawk carrying food for about a mile but lost the bird before it got back to a
nest or young.
Good Birding!!!
Jeff R. Wilson
OL'COOT / TLBA
Bartlett, TN
=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================
The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with
first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation.
-----------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------
To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
-----------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, send email to:
tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society
Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s)
endorse the views or opinions expressed
by the members of this discussion group.
Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
========================================================
Other related posts:
- » [TN-Bird] Shorebird report / West TN
