Bells Bend
Davidson Co., TN
2017 Oct. 19
A TALE OF TWO BIRDIES -- FOUND AND MISSED?
After spending several weeks and making a number of unsuccessful trips
to search Shelby Park and Bottoms for SEDGE and MARSH WRENs, I changed
my strategy and went to Bells Bend yesterday and this Thursday morning.
Yesterday also produced nothing unusual. Today I arrived at the
main sod farm field on Old Hickory Blvd in the dense fog with
visibility often less than 50 feet, so almost none of the sod field
was visible. I got out of the car and wandered down the road in the
dense fog, checking the hedge row at the edge of the farm field with
the horses in it. There were plenty of sparrows to look through,
mostly SWAMP SPARROWs and some SONG SPARROWs. Eventually, after a
few minutes a small bird popped into the open and a quick look
resulted in seeing my first SEDGE WREN of the year. Although it
never chipped, it was very cooperative, and I followed it for several
minutes as it slowly worked its way low along the hedge row.
As I continued to follow the birdie, I heard a car coming out of the
fog and turned to see it slow down and then stop next to me and the
window came down. In the back seat were golf clubs and the fellow was
following an app to get to the Hermitage Golf Club for a tournament
and an 8 am tee time. Unfortunately, since it was well past 7:30 am,
that clearly was not going to happen. That golf club is on the other
side of town near Andrew Jackson's Hermitage. Old Hickory Blvd is an
old historic road that circles Nashville but now vanishes at times,
so it is found all over the county. In Bells Bend, Old Hickory Blvd
dead ends at the Cumberland River just a few hundred yards further
fromt he spot where the golfer found me. Rush hour from this side of
town through Nashville would not be kind, so he might well be
missing birdies today.
In fact this was the second golfer at Bells Bend that I'd run into
over the past several years who was looking for the same golf club,
so someone's electronic directions clearly do not work to find
Hermitage Golf Club.
After sending the golfer on his way, I gave up the fog at the sod
farm and went to Bells Bend Park, which also had some fog. Walking
the grassy trails I heard a chip near the barn, and eventually got
brief looks at my second SEDGE WREN of the day. I also found my first
of the season LINCOLN'S SPARROW and DARK-EYED JUNCO at the park.
Frank Fekel
Bellevue, TN
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