August 31st, 2016
Nice numbers of Gulls and Terns using Pace Point in Henry County at
current water levels on Kentucky Lake.
The area averaged 400-500 Ring-billed Gulls and 80-100 Caspian Terns
while I was there this morning (5:00-9:30 a.m.)
2 first cycle LAUGHING GULLS were there all morning, and a third first
cycle bird and an adult passed through, making a total of four Laughing
Gulls.
Around 8:30 a large group of medium-sized Terns arrived from the North
and fed over the lake for a while before settling in on the island.
Best I could tell, there were 52 COMMON TERNS and 8 FORSTER'S TERNS in
the group. Most of them were still mostly in alternate plumage, with a few
entirely in basic plumage.
2 of the 18 BLACK TERNS seen here yesterday were still hanging around.
Other good birds at Pace were a flyover BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON at
dawn, and my FOS SWAINSON'S THRUSH seen well with a group of passerines.
Good birding! Ruben Stoll, Centerville TN.
