[TN-Bird] Kingston Steam Plant, 9/16/06 ? Caspian Tern, possible Dickcissels
- From: "Carole Gobert" <cpgobert@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 11:59:34 -0400
Returned to Kingston Steam Plant, Roane County, Tennessee, Saturday
afternoon, September 16, just before 4 p.m. Went directly to the upper
pond on the left as you walk from the parking lot. This is where the
majority of the shorebirds had been the past two weeks but I was
disappointed, finding only 4 Least Sandpipers and 4 Killdeer, all at the far
end. Water level appeared lower. From there I could see down into the first
and largest lower pond which parallels the upper one and then bends around
so that you can walk down the hill and out to the path between its far end
and the river. Directly below where I was standing looking out toward the
river I saw a Mallard and my first of the season American Coot on the lower
pond. Of more interest was a large white tern flying from the Steam Plant
toward the river. I decided to walk down the hill to see if I could get a
closer look.
About half way down the hill I saw a small bird fly into the top of a
small
tree at the foot of the hill to my right. Got it in my scope. Large silver
conical bill, very dark streaky back, light underneath, prominent pale
eyebrow extending to the back of its head. Its mouth was open revealing a
pink gape. Possibly an immature Dickcissel? Another landed beside it with
its back to me. Dark streaky back, short tail, gray nape. Same large
silver gray bill, same pale elongated eyebrow. One by one they dropped down
into the vegetation.
Continued on my way. Got an even more distant look at the tern over
the
river as it dropped down to near the surface and then flew. Phoebes in the
trees by the river. Walked back on the path between the two lower ponds.
It was hot, there was no shade and I had unwisely left my water bottle in
the car. By the time I reached the area of the dredge boat and the mud
flats sometime after 6 p.m., I was exhausted and dehydrated. My contact
lenses were foggy from sweat. Of course that?s when I found the missing
shore birds. There were 20 or so feeding actively at fairly close range. I
tried to sort them out. A possible Sanderling, maybe a semi-palm. I just
wasn?t up to it. I ID?d a couple of Leasts and 11 Killdeer (no other
plovers) and saw out of the corner of my eye a Black Crowned Night Heron
with a bright red-orange bill. No, wait, that?s not right. It?s my tern, a
beautiful Caspian Tern flying in and landing on a mud flat. Wow! It
eventually took off again and landed in shallow water beside a Great Blue
Heron where it stood posing. I admired it at length, then returned to the
shorebirds.
Had just about decided to give up and leave when I turned and saw the most
unexpected sight of the day ? a human being, the first I?d encountered there
in the past 3 weekends. I IDed him instantly as a birder based upon his
tall tripod and spotting scope. Gratefully I joined him hoping that he
could shed some light on the shorebirds. He was Kyle from Chattanooga. He
agreed that there were Leasts there. He IDed a Western SP and thought he
saw a Pectoral. He pointed out two Dowitchers that I had not seen; they were
standling out a little farther and looked like they were about to nod off;
one had its head tucked and the other did likewise as I watched. It was now
7 p.m. and I left the shorebirds to Kyle. As I walked back to my car and
bottle of warm water two male red-winged blackbirds flew overhead.
I searched the E-Bird database for Kingston Steam Plant and found no
sightings of Dickcissels (no House Sparrows either). No idea the size of
the database. There have been Bobolinks reported in September; another
possibility though the bills I observed were solid silver/gray, no pink. So
if anyone goes to Kingston you might want to check out the area where I saw
these birds.
Here?s what I saw or heard:
Mallard ? 15+
D.C. Cormorant ? 3
Gr Blue Heron - 4
Great Egret - 1
Black Crowned Night Heron ? 2 (one adult, one imm.)
American Coot ? 1
Killdeer ? 15
Least Sandpiper ? 6+
Dowitcher ? 2
Caspian Tern ? 1
Belted Kingfisher ? 1 (heard)
Phoebe ? 2
Common Yellowthroat ? 1 (heard)
Red-winged Blackbird ? 2
American Goldfinch ? 1 (heard)
2 possible Dickcissels
6-10 UFOs (unidentified feeding organisms)
Carole Gobert, Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee
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