It looks like Ida died long before she arrived here in northwest Alabama.
Several folks were gathered at Wheeler Dam this morning, hoping for some
pelagic gifts. When I arrived, I immediately noticed lots of Black Terns flying
around. A quick scan yielded two immature Sooty Terns flying east toward the
dam. They kept flying and were not seen again during our 1.5 hour stay. Greg
Jackson found an immature Brown Pelican, but it too did not stay around for
others to enjoy. Black Terns were everywhere, I estimated 75. Three Laughing
Gulls were flying below the dam and Greg had 12 on the rock ring. Everything
else was usual residents. Some of us went to The Sinks. The Anhinga was still
present. Lots of swallows included mostly Bank (58 counted). Black, Caspian
and Least (3) Terns may have been storm related. Greg and Jeff Garner found a
Phalarope at Airpark. I arrived in a few minutes to enjoy the Red-necked
variety. At least Ida supplied a state bird for me (plus another notch off my
Hit List). I do plan to look around some more this afternoon, but I'm not
very optimistic. I believe Ida moved too slow and lost too much energy before
getting this far from the coast.
Damien Simbeck
Sent from my smart phone. You can teach an old dog new tricks.
