Yesterday, Don Carrier, Mike Sanders and I birded Northeast Tennessee.
Our primary targets were migratory waterfowl, with which we had an amazing day,
but other birds were also abundant and cooperative. The day started with me
stopping at the pond behind the old tobacco warehouse on Russell Rd. in
Abingdon, where I found N. Shoveler, G.W. Teal, Wood Ducks and Canada Geese.
Also of note at this location were two white Geese mixed in with the Canadas.
I couldn't see any black primary feathers on either bird, so my suspicion is a
domestic hybrid.
After meeting up with my co-birders, we headed to Middlebrook Lake where
one of our first birds was a FOS male Hooded Merganser. Also added to the list
at Middlebrook were Gadwall, American Wigeon, Ring-necked Ducks and D.C.
Cormorant. From Middlebrook, we headed for Paddle Creek pond, Rooty Branch
wetland and a few stops in between. At these stops we tallied Red-tailed and
Coopers Hawk, E. Meadowlark, Black Duck and B.W. Teal.
Before lunch we stopped by Osceola Island where we were pleasantly
surprised to find the Common Gallinule that has been hanging out there. We
also added Bufflehead, both Kinglets, Swamp Sparrow, Hairy Woodpecker, Y.B.
Sapsucker and a very photogenic female Pileated Woodpecker. One of the more
exciting non-waterfowl finds of the day was a Rusty Blackbird mixed in with a
huge flock of Starlings and Red-wingeds. Also at a nearby feeder was found a
Pine Siskin.
After lunch, Mike treated us to some birding by pontoon on S. Holston
Lake. Additions there were N. Pintail, Ruddy Duck, Bald Eagle, scores of
Red-necked and Pied-billed Grebes, Common Loons numbering in the hundreds,
dozens of Bonaparte's Gulls and the largest raft of American Coots either of us
have yet to see. When we first spotted the Coots, they were four or five
abreast in a line that was, by our estimation, a quarter mile long and we all
agreed on a very conservative estimate of 600 birds. While scanning through
the raft, Don noticed that there were few Redheads mixed in with the coots. We
also found several large rafts of Common Loons.
Thanks to Mike for taking us out on his boat and thanks to Don
for.....umm....umm....Oh yeah! for balancing out the boat! No really, I had a
great time and I hope we can do it again soon. Mike's complete list of 69
species follows this report. I'll send some photos in another email, although
mine will be of much less quality than Mike and Don's.
Daryl Owens,
Oakwood VA
________________________________________
From: Michael Sanders <hawk036@xxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, November 8, 2015 8:05 PM
To: daryl.owens@xxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: eBird Trip Summary -- Today
A better list
105 Canada Goose
4 Wood Duck
13 Gadwall
26 American Wigeon
2 American Black Duck
134 Mallard
1 Blue-winged Teal
5 Northern Shoveler
9 Northern Pintail
2 Green-winged Teal
5 Redhead
35 Ring-necked Duck
50 Bufflehead
1 Hooded Merganser
2 Ruddy Duck
155 Common Loon
17 Pied-billed Grebe
35 Horned Grebe
1 Double-crested Cormorant
2 Great Blue Heron
78 Black Vulture
19 Turkey Vulture
1 Cooper's Hawk
1 Bald Eagle
4 Red-tailed Hawk
1 Common Gallinule
881 American Coot
60 Killdeer
1 Greater Yellowlegs
95 Bonaparte's Gull
8 Ring-billed Gull
25 Mourning Dove
3 Belted Kingfisher
3 Red-bellied Woodpecker
1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
1 Hairy Woodpecker
5 Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)
2 Pileated Woodpecker
2 American Kestrel
3 Eastern Phoebe
15 Blue Jay
11 American Crow
1 Common Raven
4 Carolina Chickadee
2 Tufted Titmouse
2 Carolina Wren
3 Golden-crowned Kinglet
3 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
8 Eastern Bluebird
2 American Robin
2 Northern Mockingbird
152 European Starling
28 Cedar Waxwing
6 Yellow-rumped Warbler
2 Dark-eyed Junco
1 White-crowned Sparrow
3 White-throated Sparrow
7 Song Sparrow
1 Swamp Sparrow
1 Eastern Towhee
3 Northern Cardinal
75 Red-winged Blackbird
3 Eastern Meadowlark
1 Rusty Blackbird
30 Common Grackle
2 Pine Siskin
12 American Goldfinch
1 House Sparrow
Rock Pigeon
Michael Sanders
Bristol, VA
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