[TN-Bird] Mottled Duck / Anhinga - Ensley Bottoms
- From: OLCOOT1@xxxxxxx
- To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 5 Oct 2003 01:06:28 EDT
Oct. 4, 2003
Ensley Bottoms
Shelby Co. TN
Double treats today at Ensley, first while scanning through the 11 species of
shorebirds that are still hanging around, I noted 3 Pectoral and a Lesser
Yellowlegs craning their necks at something on high. Gail King and her mother
were following me in their truck, so I stopped and finally after I had looked
and
looked, I spotted an Anhinga soaring high above. We all got cricks in our
necks watching this female Anhinga lazily circling. She represents only my
fourth
Anhinga sighting at Ensley over the years and all but one have been pointed
out to me by shorebirds.
After Gail left, I went down into Mississippi to look over the rice fields
and found a lot of cut fields and a lot of dust being kicked up by the only two
combines I found working. No wet tires, no rails.
On the way back, I decided to run back through the pits. It had clouded up
some and I had little light. While scanning through some feeding ducks, I ran
across a dark individual and when I put the scope on it, I immediately thought
Mottled Duck. I was loosing light but managed to get photos of the bird. The
bird had the black mark at the gape of its bright yellow bill, and unmarked
cheeks, chin and throat, a restricted dark crown and wide buff edging to the
rest
of the body feathers. When the bird preened it showed a white edging to the
speculum. It was a very dark individual and most likely of the race maculosa
found in Texas and Mexico. Most field guides show the eastern race that is
found
in Florida and the upper Gulf Coast which is considerably lighter than this
bird. I'll try to get the photos posted somewhere for comments on the ID.
I have heard of Mottled Ducks being reportedly shot by hunters in TN but I
have never been able to hunt a bird or carcass down to confirm. I believe this
might be the first photographed in TN. Mottled Ducks have been seen as far
north as North Dakota and we started finding and IDing them in Arkansas in 1995.
Also seen migrating this morning were 403 White Pelicans and 1072 DC
Cormorants.
Good Birding!!!
Jeff R. Wilson
OL'COOT / TLBA
Bartlett, TN
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