Although we didn't see as much diversity as I'd hoped, the Jay Walk at Eagle
Bend Fish Hatchery in Anderson County turned out to be quite a fun, albeit
toasty excursion (can you say "neck on fire"?). The mudflats of the back two
ponds were the most productive for shorebirds, and in total we saw 37 Killdeers
and lots of sandpipers ("lots" being relative to East Tennessee in early
August). We had 22 Least, 1 Pectoral, 1 Spotted, and 2 Solitary. It was an
especially good opportunity to study the Least Sandpiper, many of which were in
gorgeous juvenile plumage. I also came away with a new appreciation of the
frustration for when their yellow legs are NOT the most dependable field mark
in muddy conditions. Not to mention that the sun was directly overhead, which
caused the often already-muddy legs to be darkly shaded by the birds' own
bodies! And although the yellow was sometimes there, it was not always bright
or easy to see. So instead we took note of other characteristics which helped
to identify this species: size, shape, bill design, color, foraging habits,
voice, etc. Good to know, because once one is familiar with the Least
Sandpiper, it becomes that much easier to identify similar-looking species like
the Semipalmated Sandpiper. So get out to a mudflat near you and take a peek at
those pretty peeps!
Here's the full eBird checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S31046039
Many thanks to wildlife photographer Barry Spruce for allowing me to share some
of his pictures from our walk. You can see them by visiting the KTOS Facebook
page at:
https://www.facebook.com/KnoxvilleTOS/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1354079711288170
Jay Sturner
Knoxville
=================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@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.
_____________________________________________________________
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
--------------------------------
Assistant Moderator Chris O'Bryan
Clemson, SC
__________________________________________________________
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
_____________________________________________________________
