[TN-Bird] Wind Bird Work Out

From: OLCOOT1@xxxxxxx
To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2007 08:27:30 EDT
April 22, 2007
Ensley Bottoms
Shelby Co. TN
DeSoto Co, MS
 
Ed Conrad came back down to Memphis from Jackson, where he is staying and  
working in West TN on studies at WMA's in West TN. Being from Utah, he  could 
not resist the lure of 2 Lifers being found down here. Right off the bat,  we 
cleared Upland Sandpipers from his most wanted list at Ensley, with views of  
the small bunch feeding off of Riverport Road. Then we drove down to MS for  
Golden-Plovers. Here we had great looks at more Uplands but far fewer than Mike 
 
and I had on Saturday and we found 2 cooperative groups of Golden-Plovers, one 
 bird had almost completed his dress uniform.
 
Before Ed showed up. I had located the Wilson's Phalarope, 3 Baird's  
Sandpipers and found the numbers of Least Sandpipers had grown considerably 
over  
night plus at least 19 Semipalmated Plovers were running around like wind up  
toys. Unfortunately the winds out of the south bore no Semipalmated or Western  
Sandpipers. At midday, a single Stilt Sandpiper dropped in front of Ed and me,  
for a new species added to the weekend Wind Bird list. We spent some time  
working the flocks and after some study and tutoring Ed could pick up on the  
Baird's Sandpiper out in the masses, at a couple of hundred feet without using  
his field glasses. Learning shorebirds by color and habits is doable if you 
have  the desire.
 
After, Ed had left to search for some warblers in the park, I ran into the  
Riley's and we finally found the Uplands after much searching. Three were 
widely  spread and staying in deeper grass than in the AM. We also had good 
scope 
looks  at a colorful Baird's and many Semipalmated Plovers.
 
This might seem to be sacrilege to some, but the most stunningly beautiful  
birds of the day, were 2 birds in breeding plumage that fed just 20 feet from  
us in the late afternoon sun. The photos I took do not do them justice but  do 
show the complex, diverse markings and some of the iridescence of their  
plumage. If these birds were to jump up in front of you on a jungle birding  
trip, 
there would be lost breaths and AAHS galore but here it is just the  loathed 
Starling, child waif of a misguided Shakespeare fan. Look closely,  beauty 
abounds at every turn, even in the most common..............
 
 
Good Birding  !!!
Jeff R. Wilson / TLBA
6298 Memphis-Arlington Road
Bartlett, TN  38135

What is this feathered thing that lifts my heart to the  heavens.



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[TN-Bird] Wind Bird Work Out

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