[birdky] RPT: Misc recent observations -- long

From: "Palmer-Ball, Brainard (EPPC OOS KNPC)" <Brainard.Palmer-Ball@xxxxxx>
To: "'birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx'" <birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 21 Dec 2005 22:27:23 -0500
I apologize for the tardiness of these reports, but work tasks and the
season have had me buried.

December 15, 2005: David Ayer previously reported on a little birding we did
last Thursday at the Sauerheber Unit of Sloughs WMA, Henderson Co. That
afternoon, we actually counted THIRTY-EIGHT Tundra Swans along the south
side of KY 268 ... most adults (suggesting a poor breeding season?). It was
really great to get to study the birds and listen to their variety of calls,
some of which are very crane-like. I did not see the bird that has been
there in recent years with the gray neck collar, but some flew off just as
we arrived. Also present were 500+ Greater White-fronted Geese; 15+ Cackling
Geese; about 6 Snow Geese; 1 adult Ross's Goose; and some nice numbers of
American Wigeon and Northern Shoveler. David mentioned the hybrid dabbler.
It was a mostly grayish drake with a mostly green head. Some hybrids are
hard to pin down, and with no real obvious light markings to key in on and
indicate possible Northern Pintail or American Wigeon lineage, a slim,
blackish bill led me to the ID of Mallard x Gadwall.

December 16, 2005: Before doing some work in Hickman County, I stopped by
the dams and photographed a nicely marked adult Thayer's Gull below Barkley
Dam. Bonaparte's Gulls are in great evidence around Kentucky Dam, with many
feeding on the Tennessee River in small groups all the way down towards
Calvert City.

December 17, 2005: I assisted Ken Leggett and Nancy Moore in covering the KY
portion of the Reelfoot Lake CBC compiled by Mark Greene. We had 81 species
in our territory, which included some interior roads on the Long Point Unit
that extended down into Tennessee, where we had what I thought our best
birds -- TWO Marsh Wrens and TWO Common Yellowthroats. Highlights on the
Kentucky side included the following from the Long Point observation tower:
2000? Greater White-fronted Geese; 1500? Snow Geese; 150+ Canada Geese; 10
Cackling Geese; 7+ Ross's Geese; and a Sandhill Crane that flew by going
north. Elsewhere on and near to the refuge we had an Eastern Phoebe, several
American Tree Sparrows, something like TEN Brown Thrashers; scattered
Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Hermit Thrushes, all 7 woodpeckers, and 20+
Savannah Sparrows.  The area continues to be quite dry. I was disappointed
not to kick up any LeConte's Sparrows in the grassy fields, nor run into
some unusual passerine on the KY portion but it was a wonderful day. The
count tallied 115 species ... "normal"!!!

December 18, 2005: the following day I spent a couple of hours birding the
dams and northern lakes before heading back east. I saw the adult Thayer's
Gull below Barkley Dam again and counted 85 Herring Gulls below Kentucky
Dam, perched -- as was noted by Mike Resch -- on their favorite new perches
... the now-completed highway/railroad bridge pilings. The most interesting
bird (and maybe a count week bird for the LBL CBC) was a non-adult (juv or
sub-adult) Peregrine Falcon on the island above Barkley Dam. I was really
surprised how few gulls were on northern Lake Barkley. A few Greater Scaup
and a single Red-breasted Merg were the most unusual ducks I saw on a few
quick scans across the radiation-wave obscured water.

On my way back up to Louisville, I got a call from Matt Stickel about his
Oldham County Tundra Swans, so I diverted by the Reformatory Lake and
photo'd the pair of adults as well as 4 Cackling Geese. Also present on the
lake were small numbers of Gadwall, American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler,
Redhead, Canvasback, and Ring-necked Ducks. Among the Canadas, the only
other odd goose was a single adult Blue Goose.

Besides my own sightings, I have also heard that the LBL CBC tallied a
Mourning Warbler and two Thayer's Gulls on the 17th. 

bpb, Louisville
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[birdky] RPT: Misc recent observations -- long

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