Nineteen NTOS Birders met this morning for a field trip exploring Robertson
County. The temperature ranged from 40° - 48°f, and the winds were almost
constant so it felt colder. We were led by Tony Lance, who is familiar with the
area and who is able to take us through private property (with the owner’s
blessing) to Cedar Hill Swamp, a small TWRA Wildlife Management Area. Some met
and carpooled from the Adventure Science Center in Nashville to meet the rest
of us at exit 24 on I-24. From there we went through Springfield to State Line
Road, where the birds on one side of the road were in Kentucky and the birds on
the other side of the road were in Tennessee. We saw Horned Larks on the side
of the road that was toward Kentucky but we decided they were in Tennessee when
they walked up on the pavement toward Tennessee. There were lots of Horned
Larks, and American Pipits in the fields, and flying around back and forth
between the two states. We traveled by car to many locations within the county,
and then for the grande finale, we hiked to and through Cedar Hill Swamp, we
were mostly on an active railroad track. Twice, we had to get off the tracks
for oncoming trains, but it was easily the highlight of the morning. Our trip
ended just after noon, and by then we had seen 41/42 species (one was Accipiter
Species).
Best birds: Northern Harrier, on State Line Road (Kentucky side), two Brewers
Black Birds, Rusty Blackbirds, Red-headed Woodpeckers and a Tree Swallow, all
at Cedar Hill Swamp. The Loggerhead Shrikes, on Homer Worsham Blvd. were
another favorite.
Thanks to everyone who attended, and made the field trip a success. A big
thanks to Tony Lance for taking us to so many great birding spots.
A list of species follows below.
Cheers,
Tarcila Fox
tarcila@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Canada Goose
Mallard
Wild Turkey
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Accipiter sp.
Red-Shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Killdeer
Ring-billed Gull
Morning Dove
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
American Kestrel
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
Horned Lark
Tree Swallow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
American Pipit
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Rusty Blackbird
Brewer’s Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Finch
House Sparrow
