[TN-Bird] Turkey Day Trot - TN/MS

Nov. 25, 2005
Mud Island-Ensley Bottoms
Shelby Co, TN
Tunica Co. MS
 
A few strutting Turkeys at Ensley were not the best birds of the day but a  
female Yellow-headed Blackbird in Tunica Co, with a stunning saffron colored  
breast was the hands down winner. The color of the breast in the bright sun  
reminded me of the color of a Buddhist Monk's robes.
 
At Mud Island, in the morning, there was a continuous stream of DC  
Cormorants and Ring-billed Gulls going south. A single female Red-breasted  
Merganser 
took the slow float ride down the river along with a few Ruddy,  Gadwall and 
Coots. At Ensley, a quick trip around revealed only 32 Least  Sandpipers, 2 
Wilson's Snipe, a few Killdeer and many Pipits. Red-tailed Hawks  were see 
hunting 
and perched in every direction, Kestrel numbers have leveled  off to winter 
numbers and 2 high flying male Harriers and an immature Bald  Eagle shared the 
sky with 21 Turkey Vultures.
 
TVA Lake held 30 Redhead Ducks and most were immature males, 2 Canvasback,  
Gadwall, Shoveler, Ring-necked, Ruddy with Greater and Lesser Scaup filling  
the list of Ducks. Also present were DC Cormorants, Ring-billed  Gulls, 
Pied-billed Grebes and lots of Coots.
 
In Tunica Co, MS, there were huge flocks of geese and at one place, I  talked 
to the property owner, that had stopped by to look through my scope. The  one 
mixed flock of Snow, Ross's and Greater White-fronted stood shoulder to  
shoulder in a field that he said was just over 30 acres. I found another  flock 
that was even larger just 6 miles away. After hearing just one Sandhill  Crane 
last week I located 6 this trip sailing and calling. 
 
Since my last visit a week ago the Lapland Longspurs have really come in  and 
I found them in 6 fields but one mass of over 3,000 near Little Texas was  
over kill. Gulls were seen in dispersed concentrations but only Bonaparte's and 
 
Ring-billed recorded. Shorebird wise, there were Least Sandpipers in low  
numbers, 2 Dunlin, lots of Snipe, 21 Greater Yellowlegs and 3 Lesser with  
Killdeer in good numbers at every turn.
 
The tales of the day were the Red-tailed hawks, 2 of my long time  friends 
and one favorite from last year have returned to their territories and  were 
photographed, one is an all dark (showing no white on chest) adult  Harlan's, 
another is an intermediate morph adult Harlan's with a mottled breast  and the 
very light Krider's that took up residence just last year off Hot  Thornton 
Road 
is back. I counted 87 Red-tails without really trying, 19 in one  scan, far 
short of the 57 Mike Todd and I had once down there at the same  location. A 
little more bad weather up north would fill all the niches. You  can tell there 
has not been any real bad weather because the gray  ghost male Harriers out 
number the females and immature by far. When the bigger  females arrive they 
will force the male out of the good territories and they  will head to Mexico.
 
At Arkabutla Lake, there is a good number of White Pelicans and gulls but  
again I failed to find one Herring Gull, none all day? Last week at the big  
roost on Reelfoot we had only one. Earlier in the season the adults went  south 
down the river for a few days but again not enough bad weather to our  north 
for the big push. A few Forster's Terns, Black Ducks and 1 Spotted  Sandpiper, 
scattered Least and Dunlin with Killdeer as far as you can see on the  
extensive mud flats ended the day.  Waterfowl for the day 21 species,  
shorebirds only 
7.   
Good Birding  !!!

Jeff R. Wilson / TLBA
6298 Memphis-Arlington Road
Bartlett, TN  38135



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