September 16, 2014 Lake County Fall was definitely in the air and there has been lots of movement since last week when I was in the area. There wasn't much on the MS River at Tiptonville Bar or at Bessie Bend. On Proctor City Road, I was walking along a ditch to take a picture of a wildflower when a small sparrow flushed from under my feet out of some foxtail in a wet area. I knew by the flight that this was an Ammodramus sparrow and I watched where the bird landed, retrieved my binoculars, and got a couple of quick views of a Nelson's Sparrow! I tried to get closer and the bird flushed again into some taller grass and I couldn't relocate it. I also had my first Song Sparrow of the season here. At lunch I went to the Keystone Pocket area of Reelfoot Lake and several American White Pelicans were sitting on stumps. I counted 65 in a quick scan across the lake. Double-crested Cormorants were everywhere and one group of 300+ birds came flying and swimming into the cove obviously chasing a school of fish. The birds were actively diving and most every bird was coming up with a shad in its mouth! While watching the cormorants, a gull flew by and when I got on it I noticed it was a first year Laughing Gull! The only ducks I saw were a few Blue-winged Teal. I drove north to Champey Pocket and once again encountered the cormorant flock. They were still feeding and diving and chasing that school of fish. I scanned the lake from here and cormorants were everywhere - in the water, in the air, and in the trees. I estimated that there were at least 2000 cormorants in the area! There were also lots of swallows around and many were sitting on the power lines in multiple locations. I was able to tally 5 species - N. Rough-winged, Tree, Bank, Barn, and Cliff. N. Rough-winged was the most numerous and Bank was the least. There has been a big influx of American Kestrels and Loggerhead Shrikes since last week. Kestrels were all over sitting on the power lines and on poles. I had 6 shrikes in the northern part of Lake County with 4 in a one mile stretch of highway. I had a Cooper's Hawk along Hwy 78 just south of Ridgely. I had intended to try to get out to Island 13 but didn't have time. Good birding! Mark Greene Trenton, TN Gibson County