[TN-Bird] Golden Eagle - Mississippi River Hawk Watch
- From: OLCOOT1@xxxxxxx
- To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 22 Oct 2005 20:48:30 EDT
October 22, 2005
Mississippi River - Mud Island,
Ensley Bottoms,
Shelby Co. TN
Went by the river first thing this AM, at 7:30 there were just a few birds
moving; 21 American Coots, 10 Ruddy Ducks, 1 Green-winged Teal, 1 Horned Grebe,
1 Pied-billed Grebe, 2 Gadwall, 9 Least Sandpipers, a few Killdeer and 2 DC
Cormorants all on the water.
I went down to Ensley and found the Common Loon had been joined by a lot of
new birds and new species at TVA Lake. New for the season were 1 Lesser Scaup
(hopefully first of thousands to occupy this small lake this winter) and 3
Ring-necked Ducks. Coots have almost taken the place over and there were the
other ducks that have been there a couple of weeks.
At the pits, I arrived in time to watch an adult Peregrine clean house and
followed shortly by a Merlin that just breezed through. After the Wind Birds
settled down, I found one vociferous Greater Yellowlegs, 1 very quite Lesser
Yellowlegs, 3 crisply decked out juvenile plumaged Pectoral Sandpipers, 1
Dunlin, 1 Western Sandpiper and 3 Wilson's Snipe. One of the immature Snipe, as
usual thought it was invisible, and allowed me to get within 8 feet for some
frame filling shots. After the second run, by the Peregrine a lot of the birds
went to the river and some even headed south, so I decided to go sit on the
river and see what the front was going to drag through.
Good choice on my part because some fine birds passed through between 11 AM
and 4 PM. One of the best birds came straight down the river and at first at a
distance as the bird came right at me I thought it was a Turkey Vulture but
I didn't see one of those all day. This bird was steady as a rock as it came
on and then I knew it was most likely a great bird for Shelby Co, and sure
enough it turned in a few circles and showed off the underwing and tail
pattern
of a GOLDEN EAGLE. A Super bird but it had some great traveling companions.
Raptor wise, I also had the following; 2 Bald Eagles 7 Red-tailed Hawks, 4
Red-shouldered Hawks, 2 Peregrines, 4 Northern Harrier ( more will move
tomorrow for sure), 4 Cooper's Hawk, 4 Sharpe-shinned Hawk, 1 Merlin (went out
of
its way to dive on a Harrier that was minding its own business), 3 Kestrel
and
6 that didn't make the IDed list. A pretty nice list of 10 species.
Floating down the river or flying above I also had these birds; 2 flyby
Greater Yellowlegs and 3 traveling Herring Gulls, 153 Dc Cormorants, 48
American
Coot, 7 Mallards, 16 Ruddy Duck, 4 Green-winged Teal, 76 Gadwall, 32 Northern
Pintail, 2 Lesser Scaup, 48 Shoveler, 7 Wigeon, and about 400 more ducks
that were too far up or too far away.
My heart went pitty-patter when 2 swallows danced into view, both sported
pale rumps but they both kept going north and out of sight. Probably Cliff
Swallows, I've not had any in 3 weeks, but we are long over due for a
Cave!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Maybe tomorrow they will come back south.................
Good Birding !!!
Jeff R. Wilson / TLBA
6298 Memphis-Arlington Road
Bartlett, TN 38135
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