[TN-Bird] Re: Reelfoot Lake CBC - new high count!
- From: shelcove@xxxxxxx
- To: greenesnake@xxxxxxxxx, tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 23 Dec 2008 10:13:48 -0500
A big thank-you to all who participated in this count.? Many people love
Reelfoot (including my husband, who was raised there) and it is heartening to
know that some Reelfoot birds are doing well.? I hope you all thaw out in time
for Christmas!
Rebecca Stevens
White Oak Creek Embayment
Houston County
-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Greene <greenesnake@xxxxxxxxx>
To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Mon, 22 Dec 2008 1:11 pm
Subject: [TN-Bird] Reelfoot Lake CBC - new high count!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Reelfoot Lake Christmas Bird Count
Lake & Obion Counties in TN and Hickman Co. in KY
?
The 2008 Reelfoot Lake Christmas Bird Count was held on Saturday, December
20.?Seventeen birders in 5-6 parties tallied 119 species, which is a new record
for the Reelfoot count! The previous high species count was 117 species in
2006.
?
The weather was colder than what had been forecast and was a big change from
the
upper 60s we enjoyed on Friday. The temperature was 36 when we started the
count
early Friday morning and only got up to 44 degrees all day. There was a steady
breeze blowing all day but thankfully nothing like it was on Sunday! It was
cloudy all day long and about middle of the afternoon a light rain/mist/fog
settled in and made for some poor light conditions.
?
Highlights for this years count were many but the best bird of the count was
the
previously reported Chestnut-collared Longspur first heard by Mike Todd on
Friday, then seen by Jeff Wilson. The bird was then seen or heard by several
birders on Saturday & Sunday. This is the first Tennessee record for this
prairie species and obviously a new Reelfoot CBC bird. Another?new species?for
the count was Laughing Gull. This species was seen by two different parties -
Jeff Wilson, Gail King, and Mark Greene had one at Tiptonville Landing flying
along the edge of the Mississippi River and Mike Todd & Bob Foehring had one on
the south end of Reelfoot Lake.
?
Brief summary of the other highlights:
?
Geese were abundant and were represented by 5 species - Snow, Greater
White-fronted, Canada, Ross's, and Cackling. Snows and Greater White-fronted
Geese were the most abundant species. We had 15 Ross's Geese mixed in amongst
the thousands of Snow & Greater White-fronted Geese and 2 Cackling Geese were
found on Donald Rd. amongst the big flocks. 23 species of waterfowl were seen
in
all?- all the regular species were represented and that includes several
Greater
Scaup.
?
Hap Chambers & Melissa Easley reported the only Nort
hern Bobwhite for the day.
?
A single American White Pelican was seen sleeping out from Champey Pocket on
Reelfoot Lake.
?
Raptors?were well represented with?good numbers of?Red-tailed Hawks including a
Harlan's seen by Mike Todd & Bob Foehring. A Merlin seen by Jeff Wilson, Mark
Greene, and Gail King southwest of Tiptonville was the best raptor find of the
day but a quick glimpse of a large falcon that disappeared into the fog before
it could be identified late in the day just north of the the Lake Co. prison
was
very intriguing.
?
The only shorebirds seen besides the normal Killdeer and Wilson's Snipe were 2
Least Sandpipers seen in a flooded field near the levee southwest of
Tiptonville
by Jeff Wilson, Mark Greene, and Gail King. Jeff also spotted 2 Forster's Terns
sitting out on a stump out from Champey Pocket on Reelfoot Lake not 30 seconds
after I said we should look for those.
?
Short-eared Owls were once again seen along Van Works Rd. which has been the
normal spot now for several years. They were seen by many both Friday evening
and Saturday evening. Hap Chambers & Melissa Easley tallied a Barn Owl for our
5th owl species for the count. Thanks to Jeff for going out and getting the
only
E. Screech-Owl for the count at 11 pm on Saturday night when we thought we had
missed it!
?
Loggerhead Shrikes were seen in decent numbers with?all 5 parties?reporting at
least one.
?
Jerry Drewry, Joe Stone, and and Sabin Thompson got the only Red-breasted
Nuthatch for the count as well as the only Marsh Wren and Sedge Wrens for the
count from Hamilton's on the east side of the lake. House Wrens were reported
by
several parties.
?
American Pipits were seen in good numbers and were reported by multiple
parties.
?
Jerry, Sabin, and Joe also got the only Pine Warbler for the count from the
pines?north of?the Reelfoot Lake NWR office.
?
Mike Todd & Bob Foehring had the only Common Yellowthroat for the count from
the
grasses around the edge of the lake on the south end.
?
Hap Chambers and Melissa Eas
ley had the only American Tree Sparrows for the
count. Leconte's Sparrows were found by two parties - Jeff Wilson, Gail King,
and I had one near Tiptonville and Nancy Moore, Brainard Palmer-Ball, Donna
Ward, Eddie Huber, and Ken Leggett had 4 near Long Point on the refuge. Gail
King had a single Lincoln's Sparrow. As reported earlier Lapland Longspurs were
abundant with 7500+ being tallied, easily a high count for this species on the
count. Mix in the Horned Larks and the flocks are very impressive indeed!
?
Gail King's sharp eyes alerted?Jeff & I?to 4 Western Meadowlarks in a field
west
of the prison. There have also been some seen recently in the Donald Rd. area
near where the big groups of Longspurs are being seen. Mike & Bob ahd the only
Brewer's Blackbirds for the count.
?
Purple Finches and Pine Siskins were reported by multiple parties buy Jerry,
Joe, and Sabin had the only House Finches for the count!
?
As always we had a few misses and a few species that were tallied as count week
birds but not seen on count day. Count day misses include Common Loon,
Sharp-shinned Hawk, and Fish Crow. Count week?additions were Fish Crow (by Jeff
Wilson on Sunday), and Chipping Sparrow (by Bob Foehring on Friday).
?
Another great Reelfoot Lake CBC. Thanks to all who participated.??Participants
were Jerry Drewry, Joe Stone, Sabin Thompson, Jeff Wilson, Gail King, Mike
Todd,
Bob Foehring, Hap Chambers, Melissa?Easley, Nancy Moore, Donna Ward,
Brainard-Palmer Ball, Eddie Huber, Ken Leggett, Alan Whitted, Tara (from the
Reelfoot NWR) and myself.
?
Mark Greene
count compiler
Trenton, TN
?
?
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------------------------------
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-------------------------------
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Rosedale, VA
__________________________________________________________
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=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================
The TN-Bird Net requires you to SIGN YOUR MESSAGE with
first and last name, CITY (TOWN) and state abbreviation.
You are also required to list the COUNTY in which the birds
you report were seen. The actual DATE OF OBSERVATION should
appear in the first paragraph.
_____________________________________________________________
To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
_____________________________________________________________
To unsubscribe, send email to:
tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
______________________________________________________________
TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society
Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s)
endorse the views or opinions expressed
by the members of this discussion group.
Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
------------------------------
Assistant Moderator Andy Jones
Cleveland, OH
-------------------------------
Assistant Moderator Dave Worley
Rosedale, VA
__________________________________________________________
Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
ARCHIVES
TN-Bird Net Archives at //www.freelists.org/archives/tn-bird/
MAP RESOURCES
Tenn.Counties Map at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/states/tennessee3.gif
Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com
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