[TN-Bird] West TN Weekend

May 17 - 18, 2003
Dyer & Lake Co. TN

After a wet but fantastic start at Ensley on Saturday, I headed north to see 
what the weather had set down. They were setting up Road Closed signs at 
Highway 88 just as I completed my transit in Lauderdale Co. From the bluff at 
Porter's Gap to the Obion River Bridge, some 7 or 8 miles, there was nothing 
but 
water as far as you could see. Another 6 or 8 inches and all of this road would 
have been under water. Water was coming over the highway in 8 places and the 
last one was up to the middle of my tires. Highway 104, in Dyer Co, had already 
been closed. Both of these roads were reopened by the time I returned at dusk 
on Sunday.

I saw very little in Lauderdale Co. just a few Mallards, Woodies and a single 
hen Hooded Duck. Along the Great River Road, again there was too much water 
for any shorebirds but I found quite a few Least Terns and a couple of Black 
Terns. Great Blue and Great Egrets were seen hunting in good number with a few 
Snowy Egrets but again a dearth of Little Blue Herons. Since the drought these 
birds have been almost nonexistent. Over the weekend I saw less than a dozen 
Little Blues, when I would normally expect to see hundreds. It has been that 
way for the last few seasons.

At the Great River Road and 79 Highway were 19 American White Pelicans, 
synchronous feeding in line, a true slow motion ballet. Along this road, I 
found 
good numbers of Blue Grosbeaks traveling in groups of 6 to 10 and a few female 
dominated flocks of Bobolinks. Dickcissel were calling from every perch along 
the way. A single Olive-sided Flycatcher was a nice find in the evening near 
Mud Lake. Just west of Ridgley I found a pair of Black-necked Stilts and we 
were 
to see more in that location on Sunday. Only a few Least and White-rumped 
Sandpipers could be found in the rice fields at Black Bayou.

Sunday, I hooked up with Ken Allen from Florida and the Clendenens from 
Chattanooga to search for a few birds for their TN lists. An early morning 
visit 
with Ken, to see if the Connecticut Warbler might still be hanging out off the 
Island 13 Road, failed to produce one and only a few warblers were found. The 
habitat was still marvelous but the birds had moved on. There was an invasion 
of Yellow-billed Cuckoos with 5 in view and 3 others calling at the river. One 
suspected Yellow-bellied Flycatcher got away before we could get sufficient 
details. My new ears paid off again on many species and Grasshopper Sparrows 
were located at the end of Is 13 Road. Eastern Kingbirds were hunting in good 
numbers all along the river. A group of 129 Cattle Egrets were found feeding 
along the Island 13 Road and more Bobolink flocks consisting again of mostly 
females. The time to enjoy these bird is quickly drawing to a close for this 
season.

On the levee road, I lucked up on another Olive-sided Flycatcher, a bird the 
Clendenens needed for their TN List. We were rewarded with exceptional looks 
from all sides as the bird caught insects from a perch inside the canopy. A 2 
PM look for the Bell's Vireo, another bird for TN lists, was limitedly 
successful with brief glances and the bird only sporadically spitting out short 
snatches of song.

After lunch we checked a few places to the south. We met with Glenn Criswell 
at the Black-necked Stilt area, west of Ridgley at Robinson Bayou and Hampton 
Road. There were now 11 birds and we watched a pair copulate and another pair 
collecting nesting material. I don't hold much hope for these birds to be 
successful in this nesting adventure at this location. It will dry out too soon 
and the area will be plowed.
While standing around enjoying these black and white beauties I heard a 
distant Black-bellied Plover calling. Criswell left to go home but stopped 
about 
1/4 mile down the road and started waving at us. Soon 7 Black-bellied Plovers 
took flight and flew over our group giving their lovely calls.

Criswell had told us he had had good numbers of shorebirds at the same 
location he had found the BB Whistling Ducks last week, off Parker Road, so off 
we 
went. Here we found Killdeer, 39 Semipalmated Plovers, 2 Black-necked Stilts, 7 
flyover Greater Yellowlegs, 50+ Least Sandpipers, 20+ Semipalmated SP, 100+ 
White-rumped Sandpipers, 2 Pectoral SP, and 60+ bright Red-backed SP (aka 
Dunlin).

Dusk found Ken and I at Tenn-Mo Levee, enjoying the sunset with a teed up 
Yellow-throated Warbler singing along with the songs of many other species 
trying 
to get in the last word before the sun set in the Mississippi River. A great 
way to end a fine weekend.

Good Birding!!!

Jeff R. Wilson
OL' COOT / TLBA
Bartlett Tenn.


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