[TN-Bird] Shorebird report / West TN

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


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