[TN-Bird] Re: Least likely TN bird?

  • From: KD Edwards <sparverius@xxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "littlezz@xxxxxxxxx" <littlezz@xxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2013 23:46:14 -0500

I've enjoyed all the responses!

I feel the same about "hurricane" birds, any could show up again plus several 
potential species that haven't shown up yet (Brown Noddy, anyone?).  TWO Great 
Shearwaters were reported in Paducah KY in 2012!  Of the seabirds, I'll go with 
N Gannet as least likely repeat... though as Chris Sloan pointed out, that 
wasn't even a storm bird.

Same goes for hummingbirds and long-range migrant shorebirds like Sharp-tailed 
Sandpiper and Red-necked Stint for me.  

If Hooded Crane is accepted, it would go high on the list, unless the same bird 
returns.  Hooded Oriole was high on my overdue species list.

Also, there have been a total of three Limpkin reports with two recently during 
drought years in Florida.

A few notables I thought someone might mention:  Barrow's Goldeneye, Lark 
Bunting, Snowy Plover, Violet-green Swallow.

Maybe next we should do most overdue repeat.  Where's our next Black-throated 
Gray Warbler?  Western Tanager?  Clark's Grebe? Green-tailed Towhee? 
Long-billed Curlew?  Lazuli Bunting?  Bullock's Oriole?

Dean Edwards
Knoxville, TN

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 14, 2013, at 22:49, Bill Pulliam <littlezz@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> I personally think any arctic/boreal bird, any waterfowl, and any seabird 
> that has occurred before has a high likelihood of eventually turning up 
> again.  As for Hooded Crane, the population of Common Cranes is a lot bigger 
> and a lot closer to Alaska, yet we still lack that one, so I doubt there will 
> be another Hooded Crane found here "ever again."  Whatever that means.  Of 
> course that same individual still might turn up again next year after 
> spending this winter somewhere else that it hasn't been detected.  
> 
> Variegated Flycatcher is really so easy for number one, the contest is for 
> number 2.  Caribbean Coot is off the list everywhere, none of them were real. 
> Somehow my gut feeling is Greater Shearwater, that just feels like the least 
> likely of the tubenoses to show up again.  And I would not be surprised if 
> the Shiny Cowbird "invasion" fizzled completely and another one of those 
> never appeared.  But frankly, I'd not be surprised if just about every bird 
> currently on the list except for the flycatcher were to make another 
> appearance in the next decade or two.  
> 
> Bill Pulliam
> Hohenwald TN
> 
> On Jan 14, 2013, at 7:34 PM, Scott Somershoe wrote:
> 
> Ok, here's a few of my thoughts.
>> 
>> 1. Variegated Flycatcher is my pick for least likely to visit TN again.
>> 2. Caribbean Coot - really? How'd we even get one?
>> 3. Sage Thrasher
>> 4. Gyrfalcon 
>> 5. Black-throated Sparrow
>> 
>> Honorable mention, but pretty unlikely in my mind:
>> Wilson's Plover
>> Groove-billed Ani - although they are found in the mid-west and Gulf coast 
>> as vagrants, for some reason I'm voting against this one (ok, one will now 
>> turn up in TN within 2 years!).
>> Limpkin - I'm still blown away by the 2 records we have.
>> 
>> Didn't make the honorable mention list:
>> I couldn't include King Eider since Pensacola FL had a bird (I think) last 
>> winter.  With crazy things going on in the Arctic, I think Ivory Gull has an 
>> outside chance of a second appearance, esp. after the GA/AL bird a few years 
>> ago.  Northern Shrike is possible, if we look closely in say Robertson Co 
>> and other counties that border KY, since they are in KY periodically and 
>> Peabody WMA (where this years bird is/was) isn't that far from TN.  Hooded 
>> Oriole will likely reappear since there are a variety of records in the 
>> east.  I guess Hooded Crane again is almost as likely as a Common Crane 
>> turning up (and that will happen, eventually).
>> 
>> As unlikely as the Skua and Great Shearwater are for a repeat, one more good 
>> storm could bring those goodies up (I'm hoping anyway!).
>> 
>> Thanks for the rainy day game Dean.  Fun to contemplate.
>> 
>> Scott Somershoe
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> On Mon, Jan 14, 2013 at 4:20 PM, Chris Sloan <csloan1973@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> Were it on the official list (or if it is added), I would put the Hooded 
>> Crane at the top, but since we're only going by the official list, in my 
>> opinion the Ivory Gull has to be at the top of the list, followed closely by 
>> South Polar Skua and Great Shearwater.  After that, I'd probably go with 
>> Variegated Flycatcher and then Black-throated Sparrow, followed by Sage 
>> Thrasher, King Eider, Limpkin.  I don't include Gyrfalcon or Pine Grosbeak 
>> in the candidate list, because both are provisional on the state list.  Some 
>> others I'd put in as candidates: Hooded Oriole (which in my opinion was 
>> erroneously rejected by the TBRC), Barnacle Goose, and Anna's Hummingbird.
>> 
>> 
>> Chris Sloan
>> Nashville, TN
>> http://www.chrissloanphotography.com
>> 
>> 
>> On Mon, Jan 14, 2013 at 3:52 PM,  <kde@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> 
>> Here's a fun rainy day game.  We often try to predict the next bird to be
>> added to the state list, but what bird already on the official state list
>> do you think is least likely to be seen in TN again?  I remember playing
>> this game with Chris Sloan long ago.  He said Limpkin (and noone disagreed
>> with him) and we had 2 records within the next few years.
>> 
>> Give your top five.
>> 
>> No fair including Carolina Parakeet or Passenger Pigeon.  The extirpated
>> Greater Prairie-Chicken is a pretty sure 'gimmee' too so let's exclude it
>> (unless someone wants to make a case), but maybe not Red-cockaded
>> Woodpecker... I would probably put it as more likely than some of the
>> other species on the list.
>> 
>> The up-to-date official TN state list can be found here...
>> 
>> http://www.tnbirds.org/TBRC/TBRC_checklist.html
>> 
>> 
>> I'll go with (excluding Greater Prairie-Chicken):
>> 
>> 5 - King Eider (narrowly edging Wilson's Plover on my list)
>> 4 - Band-tailed Pigeon (they do wander though)
>> 3 - Ivory Gull
>> 2 - Gyrfalcon
>> 1 - Variegated Flycatcher
>> 
>> Honorable mention:
>> Barnacle Goose & Garganey (would they be accepted as wild?)
>> Northern Shrike & Pine Grosbeak (the shrike made it KY this year)
>> Groove-billed Ani (they wander but not as common as in the past)
>> Shiny Cowbird (failed to establish?)
>> Limpkin (c'mon, man!)
>> 
>> Lots of other rare birds on there worth mentioning.
>> 
>> 
>> Dean Edwards
>> Knoxville, TN
> 
> 

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