Davidson County -
A trip out to Cook Rec Area with my wife this evening to hopefully get a
good sunset (didn't happen) and check the situation of the historic gull
roost between Cook and 7-points was surprisingly productive tonight -
beginning with a jaw-dropping flyover by a female MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRD,
which continued out over the lake until it went behind the trees as it
moved in the direction of the dam overlook. For those who may not know, a
secondhand report of a frigatebird - from last weekend - was submitted on
Facebook on Monday by Clayton Ferrel, and seemed to be corroborated by
another second hand report by Sharon Cardin (whose husband had apparently
seen the bird). I admit that I was skeptical, but I, and others, have
birded the lakes since - so I don't know where this girl is hiding out.
Incredibly, this could be the same bird discovered on Old Hickory Lake on
OCTOBER 12! I've never heard of an inland frigatebird anywhere hanging out
like this. If it is indeed the same bird, it is surely some sort of record.
Shortly thereafter - and considerably anticlimactically - I found a PACIFIC
LOON far out on the water next to a Common Loon, giving good - if very
distant comparisons. Pacifics were consistently present last winter, and it
looks good for that to be the case again this year.
There were many Bonaparte's Gulls and Ring-bills flying around, and a few
Horned Grebes.
My wife and I then walked to the point to scan the roost and found several
hundred gulls already resting on the water. We didn't have much time with
available light, but I quickly found a FRANKLIN'S GULL -likely the same
bird reported earlier this week by Rob Harbin - a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL
(probably one I saw an hour earlier from the dam overlook), and at least 3
HERRING GULLS, dwarfing the many Ring-bills and Bonapartes.
full checklist on ebird here <https://ebird.org/checklist/S75962871>, for
those interested.
All in all, an incredible 90 minutes of birding to end an already happy
day!
Graham Gerdeman
Nashville
