This afternoon after running multiple errands, I hit a couple of regular
spots in midtown Nashville - Centennial Park and the Walter S. Davis Marsh
- and as I left the marsh, I had a flock of 27 mixed white- and blue-morph
SNOW GEESE and 2 ROSS'S GEESE fly over the TSU Agricultural area across the
way. I was ecstatic at the Ross's, as it was a new bird for my county big
year. I almost called it a day. But I went instead up to Snow Bunting
Peninsula on Old Hickory Lake, where after scanning for a few minutes, I
found an immature GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL well out from shore on the water.
I watched it for an hour, until rain and darkness both descended. Although
at great distance, I was able to see it in varying light and in comparison
to several nearby species during that time. (eBird checklist with very
distant digiscope pics here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S62384687 ;)
What a great day! Just this morning, I had conceded to my wife that I was
unlikely to get any new county year birds unless it got really cold really
fast and pushed some northern species down. By the end of the day, I had
two! The gull is a new state bird altogether for me. I now have seen Great
Black-backed in 5 US states and 2 countries.
Graham Gerdeman
Nashville
