4-24-12 Duck River Bottoms Unit of TN National Wildlife Refuge Humphrey's County After reading a couple of recent accounts from Clayton Ferrell and Terry Witt about Sora at the Duck River unit of the TN NWR, we went looking for them. They are a bird we still needed for our Tennessee list. We drove slowly around Blue Goose Boulevard interpretive drive, where they had been seen and heard recently. We parked and lingered on the back side of the loop, having a "car picnic" and listening for the Sora to call. After about 20 minutes we heard our first, and then we began to hear them in abundance. It took us a while to pin one down, but my husband spotted one and we finally caught a brief glimpse. Shortly afterward, I heard one calling nearby and spotted it at closer range. But beating us both was our 6 year old daughter, Gail, who spied one hiding quietly in heavy vegetation. She not only spotted the hidden bird, but was also able to describe to us to its location so we could eventually see it as well. This bird soon walked/ran hesitantly out into some open stretches of water and I was able to take a few fast photographs (one is in attachment). "Her" Sora gave us the best views of the day. If she sticks with it, she will some day be better than both of us! Also seen were the normal mix of common shorebirds and waders (including at least 3 dozen Great Egrets just on the Blue Goose loop). We were a little surprised to see a lingering female Bufflehead as well two male and a few female Ring-neck Ducks. On our drive out, we saw another Sora feeding in a pool from the main road and got a nice look at a Horned Lark. The woods on the trail to the Pintail Point observation area were full of singing Prothonotary Warblers, and many Northern Parula were heard, but there was very little migrant songbird activity. Shawna Ellis Paris, Henry County, TN
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