[TN-Bird] Douglas Lake - loons, eagles, etc.

  • From: K Dean EDWARDS <kde@xxxxxxx>
  • To: Tennessee Birds <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sun, 18 Nov 2007 00:43:07 -0500 (EST)

I spent a few hours birding the lower parts of Douglas Lake
in Jefferson and Sevier Co, TN on Saturday, 17 Nov 2007.
Areas covered were the dam and then pullouts along Hwy 139
up to the Shady Grove area near Dandridge.  I haven't checked
the lake elevations online but Douglas is as low as I have
ever seen it.  The French Broad River below the dam was
low and stagnant with no visible flow at all coming from the
dam.  A bass tournament was underway on the lake so lots of
boats and few ducks and such.

Canada Goose, ~20
Mallard, 5

Common Loon, 11
Pied-billed Grebe, ~10
Horned Grebe, 3

DC Cormorant, 3

Great Blue Heron, several
Black-crowned Night-Heron, 28 in the tailwaters below the dam

Bald Eagle, 2 immatures near Shady Grove

American Coot, ~50

Killdeer, a few

Bonaparte's Gull, ~200
Ring-billed Gull, ~300

At the boat put-in off of Flora Rd (off Hwy 139) near Shady Grove,
I had a really interesting loon.  There were 5 Common Loons up
fairly close (about 200yds away) with a smaller, dark bird further
out.  This bird was actively diving and moving away from me in
bad, mid-day light.  It would only stay above water very briefly
before diving again... barely enough time to relocate and refocus.
At first, I couldn't even see any white on the bird.  The head
was slicked back due to diving but appeared rounded with no steep
forehead... more of a smooth transition from bill to head.  The
bill seem smaller and less bulky than a Common.  The bird's body
seemed much shorter in proportion to the rest of the bird unlike
the really long body of a Common.  Finally the bird caught a fish,
ate it, and then stayed on the surface preening but unfortunately
by this time it was almost a mile away.  With the bird finally
facing me, I could clearly see white but couldn't make out the
pattern of the demarcation between white and black.  The bird
was just too far away and in too bad light.  It was definitely
a very dark-backed bird... much too dark for Red-throated.
The white on the face was very low (below the eye) and often
appeared isolated even making it look like a cormorant's throat
pouch or the the white spot on a Brandt's Cormorant.  The head
always appeared smooth and rounded but didn't have the bulbous,
cobra-headed look I have in mind for Pacific.  Without getting
a clear feel for the demarcation between black and white on the
neck, this will just have to go down as too far and too poor
light to ID... but definitely an interesting bird.  My only
experience with Pacific Loon is a few distant birds at Pt Reyes
but I remember the demarcation being clear and clean even at
that distance.

While talking to Mike Todd and Jeff Wilson to get some pointers,
I lost track of the bird when it dove and I couldn't find where
it came up.  About 30-45 minutes later, I finally got on a bird
that came in from the direction I last saw the loon.  I felt good
at first that this was the same bird but when it came closer, it
was clearly a Common Loon.  Same bird?  Not sure.

May try again tomorrow if I have time.


Dean Edwards
Knoxville, TN


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  • » [TN-Bird] Douglas Lake - loons, eagles, etc.