4/9/06 Henry Co. (southwest corner, just north of McKenzie, TN) I got out for a couple of hours this morning, to see what changes had been made to my local "Warbler Route" since last spring. It was time well-spent (what time spent birding isn't though? :") I had several 1st-of-season (FOS) birds, including a total of 10 species of warblers and 4 vireos, not bad for this early in the season, and on a cold morning. FOS warblers included singles of Prothonotary and Black-&-white, along with a dozen-plus Prairie's (part of this route goes through regenerative clear-cut areas, which teem with Prairie Warblers and Chats, though no Chats have arrived yet). The songs of Northern Parula, Yellow-throated, and Pine Warblers were constant companions, as were Louisiana Waterthrush along several streams. Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-rumped, and a Black-throated Green rounded out a nice day on Warblers. Though variety isn't great yet, I was actually able to see ALL of these warblers, unlike later in the year when half the birds will be heard-only. Vireos were well-represented, with White-eyes being especially numerous. I had the uncommon treat, for this end of the State anyway, of having both Yellow-throated and Blue-headed Vireo together, both singing their versions of the Vireo song. Both of these were FOS birds, as was Red-eyed. The only other Neotropical migrant of the day was Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, another constant companion on the morning. I had hoped for a Kingbird or Broad-winged Hawk, but they'll wait for another day. Shorebird habitat is pretty scarce, but 6 Solitary Sandpipers in a rain-filled depression gave me great looks, which I took advantage of. Though obviously not colorful birds, the intricate pattern of the notching and spotting of these birds is gorgeous. Good Birding!! Mike Todd McKenzie, TN Carroll Co. birder1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx www.pbase.com/mctodd =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation. You are also required to list the count in which the birds you report were seen. The actual date of observation should appear in the first paragraph. _____________________________________________________________ To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx _____________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, send email to: tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. ______________________________________________________________ TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s) endorse the views or opinions expressed by the members of this discussion group. Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx _____________________________________________________________ Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp _____________________________________________________________