[TN-Bird] Hwy 79 area, Lake Co.

From: "Scott Somershoe" <Scott.Somershoe@xxxxxx>
To: <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 25 Apr 2011 21:56:47 -0500
After doing some field surveys with TWRA personnel in west TN, I managed to get 
about 45 minutes of decent to poor light at the end of the day to look for 
shorebirds in the Hwy 79 area of Lake Co.

All of Jeff's good habitat along Hwy 79W was flooded to the Great River Rd, but 
the gravel road on the north side of that bend in the river was open.  There 
was extensive shorebird habitat in the area.  Birds were spread out and 
lighting was low, but not a bad tally considering the situation:

Black-necked Stilt     22 (one pair courted and mated)
Solitary Sandpiper (Eastern)     20
Greater Yellowlegs     ~100
Lesser Yellowlegs     ~400
Least Sandpiper     10
Short-billed Dowitcher     3
Long-billed Dowitcher     12

About 7:20 pm local time, all the shorebirds (except the black-necked stilts) 
got up and flew north.  I knew something was up (literally), so I kept looking 
up for a raptor.  About 1 minute later a Peregrine Falcon came by headed north. 
 The shorebirds never returned.  They had a strong south tailwind, so they may 
have taken the WIND and headed north.  We'll be in the area tomorrow, so we'll 
see what is left or what blew in.

I had my first Grasshopper Sparrow and several Dickcissels of the year along 
the levee.  ~275 Blue-winged Teal were scattered about.

As the river continues to rise, the birds will be pushed closer to the levee, 
but this will be all submerged by Wednesday as the river is rising quickly.

At Hatchie NWR, we had a Snowy Egret and a few Little Blue Herons (both firsts 
for me this year).

Good birding,
Scott Somershoe

State Ornithologist
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
P.O. Box 40747
Nashville, TN 37204
615-781-6653 (o)
615-781-6654 (fax)

www.tnwatchablewildlife.org
www.pbase.com/shoeman
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[TN-Bird] Hwy 79 area, Lake Co.

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