Sunday morning we set out to see more birds than our time on
Saturday in Old Stone Fort had provided.
Our random wandering to Monteagle Mountain included a stop at our
favorite farm pond/flooded field location on US41 Hwy, south of Hillsboro.
There we were surprised to see a Coot and a
Sandhill Crane among some expected ducks and waders. Next stop, the flooded
field between Pelham
and I-24, where we found 21 resting Willets on the south bank with three
sleeping
Mallards.
Onward now up the hill to Sewanee, stopping just inside the stone entrance to
check out
the birds along the Perimeter Trail section called Shakerag Hollow, famous for
its wildflower diversity. The warbler
diversity however, we found to be a little short (11 species). But the woods
and stream allowed some really
great views of birds and their behavior.
Along with the beauty of the place, this made for a really satisfying
hike.
After a food stop in Monteagle, we retraced past our two
pond locations to find the Willets still there, now bathing and
stretching. We assumed they would soon
be resuming their amazing trip north.
The Sandhill Crane, Coot, and Shovelers had already left the next pond
and been replaced by a lot of Semipalmated Sandpipers. Along the road further
north toward
Hillsboro, we found a pair of Lark Sparrows (thanks Chloe Walker). Down a side
road were “broken-wing Plovers” protecting
their two adorable Killdeer chicks running helter-skelter in the road and
another Lark Sparrow. Another fabulous spring day of birding in Tennessee!
5/3/15 species list:
American Coot
Northern Shoveler
Blue-winged Teal
Mallard
Canada Goose
Sandhill Crane
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Cattle Egret
Great Blue Heron
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Solitary Sandpiper
Spotted Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Willet
Downy Woodpecker
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Acadian Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Red-eyed Vireo
White-eyed Vireo
Northern Cardinal
Blue Jay
Carolina Chickadee
American Crow
Barn Swallow
Tree Swallow
N. Rough-winged Swallow
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Eastern Bluebird
Wood Thrush
Swainson’s Thrush
Veery
American Robin
Brown Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Mourning Dove
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black and White Warbler
Worm-eating Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Louisiana Waterthrush
Ovenbird
Scarlet Tanager
Summer Tanager
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Blue Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
House Sparrow
Eastern Meadowlark
Red-wing Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Finch
Dale and Jeannie Swant
Manchester, TN
