[Bristol-Birds] FW: Least Bittern--no, but . . . (Greene Co., TN)
- From: "Donald Miller" <pandion@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Bristol-birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "TN-Bird" <TN-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 5 Aug 2006 22:40:50 -0400
I forgot to sign my post on the Least Bittern at Wal-Mart Distribution Center
in Greene County:
Donald Miller
Greeneville, Greene Co., TN
Donald Miller
pandion@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
EarthLink Revolves Around You.
----- Original Message -----
From: Donald Miller
To: Bristol-birds;TN-Bird
Sent: 8/5/2006 10:33:46 PM
Subject: Least Bittern--no, but . . . (Greene Co., TN)
August 5, 2006
Wal-Mart Distribution Center (WMDC) (Greene Co., TN)
I got Don Holt's message about the Least Bittern about two hours after the bird
was sighted. Within less than a half hour after receiving the word, I was at
WMDC.
I walked the perimeter of both the first and second ponds, as well as half the
perimeter of the third pond and the lower end of the fourth pond, but I found
no Least Bittern. This is not surprising, as the amount of suitable habitat at
WMDC is vast, and Least Bittern is one of the most secretive of our eastern
U.S. species. I would have been stunned if I had found it.
However, the trip was worthwhile nonetheless, as trips to WMDC nearly always
are in fall. The most notable find was a Blue-winged Teal in the third pond.
Today's date is quite early for this mostly transient species. In looking at
my personal records for Greene County, I discovered that August 18 was my
previous early date for fall. Rick Knight's The Birds of Northeast Tennessee:
An Annotated Checklist (1994) shows August 11 as the earliest fall date for
the five-county region covered by the book. John C. Robinson's An Annotated
Checklist of the Birds of Tennessee (1990) shows one East Tennessee fall
arrival record for August 2 (Roane County).
Also present at WMDC were Wood Duck (1 adult female and four young), Great
Egret (3), and Bank Swallow.
Nearby, on Highway 348 adjacent to West Greene High School, I found a Eurasian
Collared-Dove. August 2006 is the 26th consecutive month that ECDO has been
observed at this location.
Donald Miller
pandion@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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