[TN-Bird] Wapanocca NWR to Ensley Bottoms

April 29, 2005
Wapanocca NWR - Crittenden Co, AR
Ensley Bottoms - Shelby Co. TN
 
Mike Todd and I,  joined Paul Lehman from New Jersey, as he makes a  round 
robin trip through MO-KY-TN-MS-AR-LA-OK, etc to work on his state lists.  Even 
with all the bad weather we managed 137 species today. 
 
The ducks which were thick at Ensley just the other day had pulled out and  
headed north and we only managed 5 waterfowl species on the day. The Mottled  
could not be found and all the many Shoveler and Gadwall had also flown the  
coop. A Common Loon at Robco Lake was an unexpected find as was a 
Yellow-crowned 
 Night-Heron standing in the median on I-55.
 
We visited the Pits at Ensley, twice today and found nearly 5,000 Wind  Birds 
to pick through. This afternoon, at the pits, we watch in amazement when  an 
American Bittern caught and after much wetting in the water, swallow a Common  
Grackle!!!
 
Egrets and herons were is short supply but we found both Sharp-shinned and  
Cooper's Hawks along with a single Harrier and watched a Peregrine Falcon  
feasting on its catch in a field. We also had 5 Sora Rails. The 19 species of  
shorebirds and the great numbers were highlighted by a single American  
Golden-Plover, Western, Semipalmated, Baird's and White-rumped Sandpipers plus  
Dunlin,Stilt, Long-billed Dowitchers, Wilson's Snipe and 2 gorgeous female  
Wilson's 
Phalarope in full breeding plumage.
 
The warbler total for the day and they were really scattered was 19,  
including Blue-winged, Golden-winged, Blackburnian, Bay-breasted,  
Chestnut-sided, 
both Waterthrush, and Chat. Only 9 species of sparrows could be  coaxed out of 
the weeds and into the rain and wind, Grasshopper and Lincoln's  made the list
 
A pair of male Painted Buntings were trading songs at Ensley while  
Dickcissels and Bobolink, scisseled and dinked. Another surprise was a trio of  
Pine 
Siskins feeding with a large flock of Goldfinches along the side of a  road.
 
I pretty full day and we now are off to AR for 2 days with Kenny and  LaDonna 
Nichols to punch out a few more birds on Paul Lehman's want  list.  
Good  Birding!!!

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



=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================

The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with
first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation.
-----------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------
To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
----------------------------------------------------- 
To unsubscribe, send email to:
tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

  TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society 
       Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s)
        endorse the views or opinions expressed
        by the members of this discussion group.
 
         Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
                 wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
     Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
          web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    ========================================================

Other related posts: