[TN-Bird] Pace Point & area still producing!! (long)

  • From: Mikectodd@xxxxxx
  • To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Wed, 6 Nov 2002 23:01:33 EST

11/06/02
Big Sandy Area- Pace Point
Britton Ford Area
Paris Landing Area
Port Rd./Trailer Park Rd.

Henry/Benton Co.

After talking to Jeff over the weekend & seeing what they had, I couldn't 
wait to get back up there. A daylight to dark day of birding today produced 
very little that hadn't already been seen, but that's not too bad in this 
case. 

As Jeff said, Loon numbers have skyrocketed since the end of last week. Late 
this afternoon from Port Rd. Overlook I had 260 Loons on the surface, and 
shortly later I had an additional 50 from Trailer Park Rd. There are at least 
3 Pacific Loons in the area now. Jeff & company had an adult & immature over 
the weekend, and I had 2 different adult birds. I had my 1st Pacific sighting 
today from the Budweiser Beach area on the refuge, and late this afternoon I 
had this same loon (same plumage & location anyway) from Trailer Park Rd. I 
also had an adult Pacific in the mass of loons out from Port Rd. I arrived at 
Port Rd. at about 3:30, left there and had just enough light left at Trailer 
Park when I got there to ID the birds, including the Pacific. I hoped for, 
but didn't see, a Red-throated this afternoon when the water smoothed out 
some. 

Ducks are still trading around, for example, I didn't have any Canvasbacks at 
Britton Ford where they were this weekend, but did have a few Redheads in 
with the Ruddies instead. Another return bird from last year is a male 
Mallard x American Black Duck hybrid that I saw off and on last winter at 
Britton Ford. He's back again. The Hooded Merganser flock behind the 
maintenance sheds on the refuge has grown to over 250 birds (although when I 
left something had run ALL of them out), with a couple of Ring-necked Ducks 
and a single Red-breasted Merganser mixed in. I had single Red-breasted (all 
females) in 3 different locations today so they are starting to trickle in. 

It took awhile but I was finally able to coax a female/imm. Surf Scoter out 
of the distant mass of divers in the Pace Point area. The Surf was hanging 
around with a group of Scaup, as was the apparently adult female (I couldn't 
see any light on the belly when she would leap before diving) Black Scoter 
out from Paris Landing State Park later in the day. This was a much more 
satisfying look than what I had last month of my lifer Black Scoter at 
Britton Ford. The bird was less than 100 yards off of the small fishing 
platform at the State Park. (Definitely time to get another camera!) 
Otherwise Paris Landing was pretty slow, with an adult Bald Eagle sitting on 
the island favored by the Gulls.

Shorebirds on the day included 3 Pectoral Sandpipers at Lick Creek, and 
Dunlin flocks at 4 locations (the largest being 150+ on the flats at the 
mouth of the Big Sandy), Greater Yellowlegs at Britton Ford (4) and calling 
birds heard at Big Sandy and Trailer Park Rd. Wilson's Snipe were noted a 
couple of places as well. 

I had an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull off and on all day in the area, with 
it roosting right out from Port Rd. The bird I had today appeared to be the 
lighter of the two Jeff had (definitely graellsii).  Forster's Terns are 
still hanging in there. Hopefully as the Bonaparte's numbers continue to 
grow, we can get a Little or Black-headed this winter. 

A couple of other surprises today were 2 Tennessee Warblers feeding among the 
rocks and weeds on the shoreline where we park at Pace Point. When I flushed 
one I was surprised by the little green jewel, and then thought 
Orange-crowned, but the very high call note gave it away before I got a look 
at one. Also, at Britton Ford, I got my 1st Lapland Longspurs of the season, 
working with the Horned Larks and Pipits in the stubble fields there.

If anyone is interested and unsure about any locations I mention, email me 
and I'll get them to you on Topozone.

Good birding!!!!

Mike Todd
McKenzie, TN
Carroll Co.
mikectodd@xxxxxx
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