[TN-Bird] Golden-Plover - B-b Whistlers Plus

From: OLCOOT1@xxxxxxx
To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 2009 22:39:23 EDT
Sept. 5, 2009
TVA Lake - Ensley Bottoms
Shelby Co. TN
 
I meet up with Mike Todd this AM and right off the bat we found 13 adult  
Black-bellied Whistlers at the small TVA Lake. Later we had a total of 16 
adults  in the afternoon on big TVA Lake. Mom and brood are hiding in the weeds 
at the  pits.
 
Shorebirds were scattered but most of the goodies dropped into and out of  
TVA during our vigil. We had hundreds of Killdeer, the Golden-Plover, 10  
Semipalmated Plover, 1 Greater Yellowlegs, 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, about 24  
Semipalmated Sandpiper, 2,000 Least, a single injured Pectoral and a pair of  
gorgeous immature Short-billed Dowitchers.
 
With the help of our shorebird alert squad, we had a great raptor day. The  
Wind Birds were continually calling our attention to the sky but we missed  
most of what they were pointing out. We did get numbers of migrating and 
feeding  Mississippi Kites, an Osprey, 2 Bald Eagles, a high flying Cooper's 
and a low  hunting Cooper's, 2 Red-shouldered, 4 Broad-winged Hawks, a bunch 
of resident  and traveling Red-tails plus Kestrels.
 
We did not find the Golden-Plover until about 11 AM at TVA Lake and the  
bird pretty much stayed there all day. Every time we came back we would have 
to  hunt the bird down and when it decided to lay low you just could not see 
the  bird at all. Finally, we waited the bird out and at 6 PM it flew out to 
the  grassy field just south of the main road and north of the pits. Here 
we had  close looks using our cars as blinds. The bird flew and Mike got some 
pretty  good shots in the air and we heard a short call note a couple of 
times but no  long call. Unfortunately this call sounded nothing like any 
calls on the tape.  My impression was the call was  not shrill but more mellow. 
We will have to  dig up more recordings to see if anything matches. I think 
everything Mike saw  today pretty much fits what is shown on my photos and 
his better camera should  show much better details. One point we both made 
was how much the bird has  changed from my first photos, it is constantly 
preening. Looks like we will have  to wait to see what the experts say. Of 
course the default ID is American but  this bird's measurements sure fall 
outside 
the norm for that ID.........but  Pacific is a very long shot.  
Good Birding  !!!

Jeff R. Wilson / TLBA
6300 Memphis-Arlington Road
Bartlett, TN  38135
http://www.pbase.com/ol_coot/
What is this feathered thing that  lifts my heart to the heavens.



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[TN-Bird] Golden-Plover - B-b Whistlers Plus

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