After weeks of sunny weather and temperatures in the 70’s, the 20 participants
that took part in the field trip to Duck River on Nov 12th were instead greeted
by biting cold, and temps that hovered around freezing. Undaunted, we pressed
forward, spurred on by the impending avian riches. As our line of cars snaked
down from the entrance kiosk to the refuge itself, we were immediately greeted
by a massive, roiling flock of blackbirds that numbered well into the
thousands. We watched as the black cloud swirled over the recently mowed
fields, alighting as one giant organism to begin their assault on the cut
grain. Our first order of business was a sparrow stomp through some waist high
grass, and in addition to several Song, Swamp, and Savannah, we eventually
kicked up our main target, a very cooperative LeConte’s that lingered in a
small tree allowing for excellent views. Once we had all accumulated the
requisite number of cockleburs as payment for the sparrow show, we began
working through the refuge by car, making several stops to scan for birds. The
previous nights’ rain left several muddy fields, and we had at least 50 snipe
taking advantage of this newly wet habitat. Birds of prey made a good showing,
as several harriers, eagles, hawks, and kestrels patrolled the open country. We
spent most of our time scoping (freezing) from the dike along Pool 7, as most
of the waterbirds were out on the main flats. Good numbers of shorebirds were
still around with at least 20 Long-billed Dowitchers, as well as Pectoral,
Dunlin, Least, and both yellowlegs. Thousands of waterfowl had arrived as well,
a full list of which can be found below. At this point we were all sufficiently
frozen and called it a day; here’s hoping that a good time was had by all!
Mike Smith,Hendersonville, TN Species:
Greater White-fronted Goose
Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
American Black Duck
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Mourning Dove
Killdeer
Dunlin
Least Sandpiper
Long-billed Dowitcher
Wilson's Snipe
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Bonaparte's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Common Loon
Double-crested Cormorant
American White Pelican
Great Blue Heron
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Belted Kingfisher
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Blue Jay
American Crow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Brown Creeper
Winter Wren
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
American Pipit
American Goldfinch
White-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
LeConte's Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Eastern Meadowlark
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Common Grackle
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Northern Cardinal
