[TN-Bird] KY Lake area; 10/8/05 (long)
- From: <birder1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 9 Oct 2005 14:24:53 -0500
10/8/05
KY Lake area from Big Sandy to Paris Landing
Henry & Benton Counties
A cool day spent checking my usual haunts yesterday, yielded no surprises, but
did produce several 1st of season (FOS) winter birds and, as always, time spent
watching nature at work is never wasted.
I began by walking the levee into the Big Sandy flats, picking up several FOS
birds along the way such as Golden-crowned Kinglet (several), Yellow-bellied
Sapsucker, and Swamp Sparrow, as well as the 1st singing White-throated
Sparrow. Warblers were numerous, but Yellow-rumps were far and away the most
common on the day. Other warblers seen included TN, Nashville, Northern Parula,
Magnolia, Black-throated Green, Palm, Northern Waterthrush and Common
Yellowthroat. White-eyed was the only vireo on the day. Ruby-crowned Kinglets
were seen in every flock of warblers as well.
Probably the highlight of the day was spending about 30 minutes watching two
young Sharp-shinned Hawks having a war with a group of 20+ Blue Jays. I 1st saw
a Sharpie chasing a couple of Blue Jays around, and didn't think much of it.
Then the 2nd Sharpie got in on it, and things became very interesting. The
Sharpies would take turns chasing a jay or two down into cover, then come back
up and perch in a couple of dead snags. As soon as one would get settled, here
would come several Blue Jays in, harassing the Sharpie until it again entered
combat and scattered the jays. This happened over and over, with both sides
loosing some feathers in the process. The talk between the jays was incessant,
and I could still hear them long after I made my way on down the levee.
When I finally made my way down to the flats, they were devoid of ducks, (which
is strange, as the last couple of years the area has teemed with ducks by now)
but did have Ring-billed Gulls stacked up in a couple of spots, no other
species of gull though. There was a nice mixed flock of shorebirds that
included a crisp juv. Black-bellied Plover, as well as 3 gorgeous juvie
Sanderlings, my FOS Dunlin (4), and a Western among the more numerous Pectoral
and Least Sandpipers. Things got a little excited when 2 Cooper's Hawks cruised
through the area.
From here I made my way to Pace Point. A quick stop at the Lick Creek flats
produced several Ring-billed Gulls, but nothing else. Pace Point was totally
devoid of birds. As I walked out to check the outer shore of the point,
warblers started streaming into the willows, just afterwards a Cooper's Hawk,
and then 2 Sharp-shinned Hawks sailed over, which explained the warblers.
A couple of fields that I saw today had a good bit of panicum and barnyard
grass, but when I got out in them they were bone dry, which didn't bode well
for the Sharp-tailed Sparrow I had hoped for. Swamp Sparrows were everywhere,
and I saw a couple of Lincoln's as well, but was surprised by no Marsh or Sedge
Wrens, as the field below the old maintenance shed area going into Pace Point
is usually full of wrens. Indigo Buntings were literally everywhere, with House
Wrens still numerous as well.
Quick stops at Grannies Branch and New Hope launch were fruitless. Britton Ford
was likewise, with nothing but a couple of gulls and Killdeer on the exposed
flats there. A couple of small areas of fields there looked good for sparrows,
but were once again bone-dry, with nothing but Swamp Sparrows.
Eagle Creek held only Killdeer for shorebirds, and a total of 2 Mallards among
the Blue-winged Teal. No Mottled Ducks once again, guess I'll be glad they hung
around for a week. I'm glad a few folks got to see them while they were here.
Several Ring-billed and Herring Gulls were loafing here, but no other species.
A large group of Forster's Terns was still present, no longer with any Common
Terns mixed-in though.
Paris Landing was my last stop, and the number of gulls on the island was way
down, and for the 1st time in a month no Lesser Black-back or Laughing Gulls,
and no Red-necked Phalarope. But, there were 2 basic adult Black-bellied Plover
and 2 juvenile American Golden-Plovers feeding side by side on the island, for
a not too frequent direct comparison. They left suddenly for points south when
the little, very lightly marked, male Peregrine claimed his spot on the island.
I have added a few shots taken yesterday to species galleries, such as the
Sharpies, Sanderling, Black-bellied Plover, and a very cooperative Eastern
Phoebe. If anyone's interested, I've placed them in a recent additions gallery:
http://www.pbase.com/mctodd/recent_additions Double-clicking will enlarge the
photo, and you can use the previous and next tabs to go from one photo to
another.
Good Birding!!
Mike Todd
McKenzie, TN
Carroll Co.
birder1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.pbase.com/mctodd
Other related posts:
- » [TN-Bird] KY Lake area; 10/8/05 (long)
