Jamie Baker and I birded in the general vicinity of Ky/Barkley dams today.
First stop was Calvert City landfill, where we could only find Lesser
Black-backeds besides the Ringers and Herrings, but we had at least 12 as
compiled by age-class. Also a female Brewer's Blackbird flew in briefly and
landed on top of a utility pole.
At Ky Dam, some action with about a dozen gates spilling water, although only
the regulars. On the lake above the dam as viewed from some of the residential
areas, we saw perhaps the same three scoters Mark Monroe and I saw about 10
days ago with better looks today (2 Surf and a White-winged); otherwise really
*very* few waterbirds on the main lake for this time of year.
Best bird of the day was a Nashville Warbler foraging in the Willow Oak trees
next to the Ky Dam powerhouse viewing area parking lot (pics by Jamie on eBird
list).
Sledd Creek embayment had at least 3 more Lesser Black-backed Gulls and some
distant but decent looks at a Pacific Loon with about a dozen Commons. The
birds were viewed from the gravel lane by the portolet, looking back east
towards the mouth of the bay. Also a number of Bonies, Horned Grebes, and a few
Forster's Terns.
We drove up to Smithland Dam, but the water is high and we saw only a few gulls
and no waterfowl.
Last good spot on the day was the Barkley Dam tailwater, where we had a nice
array of 6 spp of gulls including no fewer than *5* Lesser Black-backed Gulls
(making for a tally of no fewer than TWENTY on the day), again tallied by
noting high counts by age-class (2 first-year, a second-year, and 2
third-years, with perhaps another one or two mixed in); also at least 15-20
Bonaparte's feeding below the main group; also found an adult "Thayer's" Gull
on one of the light standards, and a first-year Glaucous Gull foraging and
feeding below the dam. Nice skein of White Pelicans went in over the dam to one
of the hidden islands.
Great day despite missing the "good" one, whatever it may have been . . .
bpb, Louisville
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