[TN-Bird] Trumpeter Swans in Dyer Co; 1/12/08
- From: <birder1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:38:33 -0600
1/12/08
Hwy 51, 1/4 mile south of the Obion/Dyer Co line
Bill Pulliam and I birded some this morning around KY Lake, which I will
address in a separate email. After lunch, Bill worked to the west, and
called me at 14:30, saying that he had 2 adult Trumpeter Swans at the barrow
pit on the west side of Hwy 51, where Hwy 105 crosses Hwy 51.
As there is no good way to get from Paris Landing to this spot, it was 16:00
when I arrived. They were still there, two adults, with one sporting a
yellow neck band "00Y", and a band on at least the left leg, which I
couldn't read at the app. 200 yards distance I was at. I stayed until 16:45,
at which time I left to try and catch some Sandhill Cranes at Hop-In Refuge
before last light.
When I arrived, the swans were apparently feeding in the extreme north end
of the pit, and slowly moved to the south, getting maybe 20% of the way to
the south end of the pit. After about 30 minutes of watching and
photographing them, they both came out to the shallows on the far west side
of the pit, and preened extensively. They then got back in the water, swam a
bit, and started doing some animated head and neck bobbing. I was expecting
them to leave shortly afterwards, but they then settled down gain. It was
almost 17:00 by this time, so I decided to leave and had to continue on down
51 to turn around. As I came back thru the area shortly afterwards, there
were two swans in an adjacent bar pit on the east side of the road, and it
was the same two of course. I wish I had stayed a few minutes longer now,
and seen the distinctive S-curve of the neck that Trumpeters do briefly on
takeoff, in comparison to Tundra which keeps the neck straight throughout
takeoff.
To my recollection, these are just the 3rd instance of Trumpeter Swans being
in TN in recent times, following Jeff's finding of 3 at Lauderdale in 2002,
and Rick Knight's bird from 2003. Of course, not too far over in Arkansas at
Magness Lake the numbers have grown over the last couple of decades to the
point that over 100 now winter there; this is only 150 miles or so west of
Memphis.
I will post some photos soon of the swans, and a few other birds of the day.
Good Birding!!
Mike Todd
McKenzie, TN
birder1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.pbase.com/mctodd
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