[TN-Bird] Mississippi RV- Memphis to Reelfoot

From: OLCOOT1@xxxxxxx
To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Sun, 31 Oct 2010 08:57:54 EDT
Oct. 31, 2010
Extreme West TN
 
At the waterfront from Mud Island, Coots still reign, with pod after  pod 
floating by accompanied by small groups of Pied-billed Grebes and mixed  
waterfowl. White Pelicans put in a few flybys just as did a few WWII planes  
flying out of DeWitt Spain airport. Best of the parade of coots and ducks were 
2  first of season COMMON LOONS. At the North Treatment Plant, Killdeer,  
Spotted Sandpiper, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs, Least and Pectoral 
Sandpipers,  Dunlin, Long-billed Dowitcher and lots of Wilson's Snipe probed 
the muck.
 
Stops along the Great River Road, just unbelievable loss of habitat,  
cleared ditch banks, timbered woods and newly ditched and drained wetlands,  
all 
made possible by the drought. A few wet areas, courtesy of the recent rain,  
held Killdeer, Least, Wilson's Snipe and L-b Dowitchers. The Mississippi 
River  at Is. 21 and also the I-155 bridge, produced more coots and mixed 
ducks with a  dozen Ring-billed Gulls.
 
At the Tiptonville Bar, 2 Bald Eagles danced in the wind above nervous,  
Ring-billed Gulls and 7 FRANKLIN'S GULLS. A single Rough-winged and a dozen 
Tree  Swallows were trailed on their way south by 2 Barn Swallows. TWO EARED 
GREBES  were seen in a pod of Pied-bills but no Horned on the day list. 
 
You can walk across Reelfoot Lake on the stumps that now stick out above  
the LOW WATER!
Every reach of the lake held thousands of DC Cormorants and White Pelicans. 
 A dozen or so Bald Eagles soared over all afternoon and finally a fair  
concentration of gulls. In the mix around the lake were a few hundred  
Ring-bills, single adult and first year Herring Gulls, 100+ Bonaparte's and  at 
the 
roost late in the afternoon, 3 pods totaling 117+ Franklin's Gulls  arrived 
from the west along with 3 Forster's Terns. The waterfowl had  little deep 
water to roost over but good numbers were present with high flying  flocks 
heading south all day. Three Snow Geese flew in at Champy Pocket, adding  to 
the waterfowl list of 16 species, including my FOS, Redheads and  Canvasback.
 
Lots of new roadside Red-tails, including a few westerners, Coopers and a  
single Sharpy, a single Red-shouldered, and Northern Harriers, plus numerous 
 Kestrels and an adult Peregrine were previews of the raptor show on it's 
way  south. Loggerhead Shrikes are starting to take up wintering territories 
and  sparrows were feeding in the browning grasses all along my route, with  
Field, 5 Vespers, Savannah, LeConte's, Song, Lincoln's, Swamp, 
White-throated,  White-crowned along with big flocks of Horned Larks and 12 
-FOS Lapland 
 Longspurs making the list.    
Jeff R.  Wilson / TLBA
6300 Memphis-Arlington Road
Bartlett, TN  38135
http://www.pbase.com/ol_coot/
What is this feathered thing that  lifts my heart to the  heavens?





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[TN-Bird] Mississippi RV- Memphis to Reelfoot

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