[TN-Bird] Blue Sky Vigil -TN / Pacific Loon, Sardis Lake -MS
- From: OLCOOT1@xxxxxxx
- To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, missbird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 30 Oct 2005 07:14:44 EST
Oct. 29, 2005
Ensley Bottoms-Mud Island
Shelby Co. TN
Sardis Lake, Panola Co.
The Pits at Ensley held no surprises but the fields sported 9 sparrow
species including LeConte's. Least Sandpipers still rule with only 2 Pectoral,
1
Western Sandpiper, 8 Wilson's Snipe and 1 Lesser Yellowlegs hanging around. At
TVA Lake a single Ring-billed Gull was present with 7 Pied-billed Grebes and
a gaggle of resident Canada Geese and a cortege of coots.
A two hour vigil over the Mississippi River, at Mud Island, looking into
clear sky blue skies, revealed a few scattered individual birds and some small
flocks moving south. One flock of 24 DC Cormorants and the flocks of ducks
were easy to see but the single raptors were eye straining on such a bright
clear blue back ground. For the second time in the last 2 weeks I've watched a
doe swim across the river from TN to AR.
Besides 3 American Crows and 2 Turkey Vultures, I had 2 Cooper's, 1
Sharp-shinned, 2 Red-shouldered, 5 traveling Red-tailed Hawks plus two
resident, a
male Merlin and 4 Bald Eagles which included 2 resident adults that chased
another adult out of their territory, as it drifted south minding its own
business, and an immature Bald that passed without conflict.
It was a perfect afternoon for the long drive to Oxford, MS, I took the back
roads around Sardis reliving the great birds that Gene and Shannon Knight
and I had shared from it's shore with Dr. Marvin Davis over the years. Marvin
loved Sardis and his presence and reports will be missed. As I scanned the
placid waters from the dam, I found Herring and Ring-billed Gulls with a few
Franklin's and Forster's Terns. There were huge white drifts of thousands of
White Pelicans at two locations on the far shores; they looked like billowing
grounded clouds but none interrupted the expanse of blue in the skies.
From the dam, I picked up a distant Common Loon and then a very small loon
closer in which turned out to be an adult Pacific. As I watched it preening
and splashing, I knew Marvin had a better view from a higher place.
Good Birding !!!
Jeff R. Wilson / TLBA
6298 Memphis-Arlington Road
Bartlett, TN 38135
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