[TN-Bird] Tri-colored Herons - TN and KY

August 20-21, 2005
Everett Lake, Dyer Co.TN
Lake 9, Fulton Co. KY
 
Late Saturday, while heading north up the Great River Road, I  saw strings of 
Great Egrets with a few Snowys heading to roost. When I got to  the barrow 
ditch, I noted they were going in two directions. About 300 of these  birds 
were 
heading across the road and looked like they were going into Moss  Island 
Refuge. I passed on that, as Moss Island is the worst place for  mosquitoes 
that 
I have ever been in my life. The other Egrets were heading  north and I 
figured they might be heading to Everett Lake just north of  Heloise.
 
The birds were streaming into to the south end of Everett and  I snuck down 
into the willows and started scanning and counting. After counting  900 Great 
Egrets and 600 Snowy's with more falling in , I concentrated  on the small 
adult Little Blues and shortly found an adult Tri-colored and then  another 
standing no more than 10 feet away from the first. Later scanning the  other 
flocks 
coming in, I had an immature Tri-colored. At 8 PM the night  shift came on and 
the mosquitoes all of a sudden decided I was the best bet for  dinner, I 
barely made it out and I'm probably a quart low today.
 
Sunday, I saw probably one of the adults at White Lake Refuge  which also has 
little water and no shorebird habitat. I had 21 Blue-winged Teal  swing in 
while I was there and scared a lone American Coot out of his  cover. 
 
At 11:30, I was at Lake 9 in Kentucky just north of the TN  line, at the 
Mississippi River and found an immature Tri-colored plus  a second immature 
feeding not too far from the first. I was able to get ID  shots thru the heat 
shimmer of both birds. There were also 6 Buff-breasted  Sandpipers feeding in 
with 9 
other species of shorebirds and 7 Blue-winged Teal.  That lake will be dry 
before next weekend without a good rain.  

Good  Birding!!!

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

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