I spent the day today inside a 7 mile circle around the Duck River Unit.
This is an incredibly diverse part of the State and there’s plenty to stay
occupied with for more than just a day here. I had 120 different species
(not counting my lifer Red-banded Hairstreak) including the highlight of 15
shorebird species.
Three hours this morning wasn’t enough time to relocate Redwine’s
Swainson’s Warbler on Old Johnsonville Rd. (The only record of this species
in Humphreys since I’ve been birding there) but I did have continuing
numbers of all the other species of fat skulky warblers including
Worm-eating, Hooded, Kentucky, Louisiana Waterthrush, etc.
A SCISSOR TAILED FLYCATCHER at the Pump Station was a nice surprise and
the first for Humphreys in several years. It was “pigging out” on the high
densities of Mayflies that have hatched out there. The air is so thick with
Mayflies that it’s difficult to walk on the levee.
The Lasleys had the two best shorebirds of the day (except for the
Godwit) already staked out in the upper end of pool two when I got there,
both juveniles and very cooperative, an UPLAND SANDPIPER and my first BUFF
BREASTED SANDPIPER for the year. Also a juvenile SHORT BILLED DOWITCHER was
hanging with the Stilt Sandpipers. We couldn’t find the adult Baird’s
that’s been around for the past several days, though.
Several NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS are still hanging around the rookery island
and between there and pool 7. I had two different adults (one pool 6, one
flyover on refuge road) and what I thought was an immature bird on the
island. I believe the high count this Summer was the 12 that Alan Troyer
had there back in June which is also a State high count.
I finally made it to upper pool one at 5:45 p.m. after it had cooled off
just a little bit, and only just in time. There was huge cinnamon adult
MARBLED GODWIT there when I got there, but it was getting on towards sunset
and not surprisingly, it picked up and headed out after about 15 minutes of
feeding. It did a loop to the North over Johnsonville and then headed
Southeast up the Duck River. All the hordes of Pectoral Sandpipers were
also rapidly dispersing. Victor was about 20 minutes away but didn’t get
there in time to see the Godwit. There was also a continuing juvenile
WESTERN SANDPIPER, three LEAST TERNS and my FOS Gadwall in upper pool one.
I don’t know where the two ROSEATE SPOONBILLS have been feeding since
pool 6 has been flooded again, I didn’t see any sign of them all day but
then one came through over the rookery island at 7 p.m. and headed to roost
on the next island further up Duck River. The rookery island has lower
numbers of waders overall but very high numbers of Cattle Egrets, Little
Blue Herons and Snowy Egrets. I estimated about 300 Cattle Egrets, 120
Little Blues and 90 Snowy Egrets there tonight.
Here’s a list total list of species for the day, individual checklists
are on ebird.
Canada goose 348
Wood Duck 91
Blue winged Teal 147
Gadwall 1
Mallard 8
Bob white 1
Pied Billed Grebe 2
Rock Pigeon 4
Mourning Dove 13
Yellow Billed Cuckoo 14
Chimney Swift 15
Ruby throated Hummingbird 14
Semipalmated Plover 22
Killdeer 200
Upland Sandpiper 1
Marbled Godwit 1
Stilt Sandpiper 6
Least Sandpiper 52
Buff breasted Sandpiper 1
Pectoral Sandpiper 885
Semipalmated Sandpiper 18
Western Sandpiper 1
Short billed Dowitcher 1
Spotted Sandpiper 11
Solitary Sandpiper 5
Greater Yellowlegs 9
Lesser Yellowlegs 10
Ring billed Gull 4
Least Tern 3
Caspian Tern 18
Black Tern 40
Forster’s Tern 2
Neotropic Cormorant 3
Double crested Cormorant 278
White Pelican 80
Great Blue Heron 52
Great Egret 249
Snowy Egret 93
Little Blue 124
Cattle Egret 308
Green Heron 4
Yellow crowned Night Heron 1
Roseate Spoonbill 1
Black Vulture 12
Turkey Vulture 28
Osprey 24
Mississippi Kite 7
Cooper’s Hawk 1
Bald Eagle 2
Red Shouldered Hawk 3
Eastern Screech owl 1
Great Horned Owl 2
Barred Owl 2
Red headed Woodpecker 1
Red bellied Woodpecker 8
Downy woodpecker 14
Hairy woodpecker 2
Pileated woodpecker 5
Eastern Pewee 15
Acadian Flycatcher 5
Alder Flycatcher 1
Traill’s Flycatcher 1
Eastern Phoebe 2
Great Crested Flycatcher 2
Eastern Kingbird 7
Scissor tailed Flycatcher 1
White eyed Vireo 16
Yellow throated Vireo 6
Warbling Vireo 1
Red eyed Vireo 49
Blue Jay 14
American 111
Fish Crow 16
Carolina Chickadee 33
Tufted Titmouse 23
Rough winged Swallow 72
Purple Martin 20
Tree Swallow 3
Bank Swallow 25
Barn swallow 37
Cliff swallow 12
White breasted Nuthatch 10
Carolina Wren 21
European Starling 8
Gray catbird 1
Brown Thrasher 3
Northern Mockingbird 4
Eastern Bluebird 20
House Sparrow 3
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 17
Chipping Sparrow 9
Field Sparrow 1
Eastern Towhee 6
Yellow breasted Chat 2
Bobolink 1
Orchard Oriole 18
Baltimore Oriole 1
Red winged Blackbird 235
Common Grackle 22
Worm eating Warbler 3
Louisiana Waterthrush 1
Black and white Warbler 3
Prothonotary Warbler 18
Kentucky Warbler 6
Common Yellowthroat 3
Hooded Warbler 3
Northern Parula 23
Yellow Warbler 6
Pine Warbler 4
Yellow throated Warbler 8
Prairie Warbler 3
Summer Tanager 18
Scarlet Tanager 1
Northern Cardinal 25
Blue Grosbeak 8
Indigo Bunting 41
Dickcissel 13
Good birding! Ruben Stoll, Centerville TN
