TN-birders,
Dollyann & I went out to Loudon County this afternoon around 1:30 pm to try to
find the Dickcissel that has been reported out there recently. We got off I-75
at exit 68 and drove west along Pond Creek Rd. heading towards Harris Rd. While
we were driving Dollyann spotted a white bird flying in the same direction we
were driving and when we got a decent look at it, we saw it was a Cattle Egret.
The coordinates for this sighting were N 35.69078, W 84.44627. Just a little
bit further on Pond Creek Rd., we found a Loggerhead Shrike on the power lines
along the road. Coordinates were N 35.68630, W 84.45235. We turned south on
Harris Rd. and drove the whole length until we hit Washington Pike. We didn’t
see or hear the Dickcissel.
We turned west (R) on Washington Pike and within about 100 yards we found
Horned lark perched on top of some rolled up alfalfa covered in plastic lying
along the side of the road. We drove out Washington Pike a ways and didn’t find
anything of interest, so we turned around with the intention of driving Harris
Rd. again. When we got back to Harris Rd., we turned north for our run. Fairly
soon there is a small cattle feedlot on the left that has a wet area behind it,
right next to Harris Rd. We found 2 Semipalmated Sandpipers here. Near this
feedlot, there is a tall silo and a barn. Directly across the road is a large
field of alfalfa. I noticed a small sparrow sitting on the fence on the farm
side of the road, just past the silo, that turned out to be a Grasshopper
Sparrow. It flew across the road and when we followed it with our bins, we
heard, and then briefly saw, the Dickcissel. It had been calling quietly and it
didn’t click in our minds until we caught a glimpse of it. It went back down
into the alfalfa and we couldn’t see it anymore. Typically Dickcissels like to
perch up on a wire, fence, or shrub and sing, but the alfalfa field is uniform
with no tall weeds or shrubs. The coordinates for the Dickcissel were N
35.66793, W 84.45992.
FYI – being the math nut that I am, when coordinates are carried out to 5
decimal places (as above), that’s accurate to about 4 feet!
Fun 2 hours of birding in the middle of the afternoon.
Great birding to all,
Ron Hoff & Dollyann Myers
Clinton, TN
