[TN-Bird] SOOTY TERN again at South Holston Lake

From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: "TN-birds" <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 9 Sep 2004 21:07:46 -0400
9 Sept. 2004
Musick's Campground
South Holston Lake
Sullivan County, TN
The Sooty Tern was back at Musick's Campground, South Holston Lake, this 
afternoon and left nothing to the imgaination.  It flew past the campground 
maybe a dozen times in a three and one-half hour period.

4:30 p.m. --  The large tern apporached from the southeast (left) and flew over 
the main channel, pausing to turn in wide circles which revealed the necessary 
tell-tell field markings.  John Shumate and Wallace Coffey had spotting scope 
and got great looks at the Sooty with excellent lighting and the intense 
brightness from over our shoulder.  Howard Langridge was present.  The bird 
flew off into Washington County, VA establishing a new species record for 
Southwest Virginia.

6:30 p.m. --   Shumate departed at 6:20 p.m. and Coffey was alone when the 
Sooty returned, flying down the lake on the far side and passing out of sight 
around the bend.  Coffey got a good study on it at some distance.

6:44 p.m. --   Mike Poe arrives and we continue to bird.  He sets up his 1200 
mm magnification, long, telescopice camera lens with a mounted digital camera.

6:56 p.m  --   Rack and Sammy Cross arrive to bird for the remainder of the 
evening.

7:10 p.m. --   The Sooty returns, flying back up the lake and everyone gets a 
long study.  The bird remains in the area for 34 minutes without leaving -- 
constantly flying past Musick's Campground and into Virginia and back.  It 
continued on the wing until last seen at 7:54 p.m.   It dove to near the 
surface of the water several times.  Sometimes it flew high.

Mike Poe took approximately 6 digital photos with his telephoto lens under 
various lighting conditions at varying distances.

The bird showed the black wings above, black nape, mantle, rump and tail.  It 
had a distinctive forked tail and the streamer tail feathers revealed white.  
There was no dark spur on he side of the neck and breast as seen in a Black 
Tern.  The loral stripe at the eye was distinctive as it divided the black 
upper head from the white below.

The underside of the wings were white coverts with the primaries and 
secondaries being dark, giving a two tone effect to the underwing.  A slight 
white leading edge could be seen  on the front of the wing.  It flew with a 
strong wing stroke and ranged over a considerable area.

Let's go birding.....

Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN

  


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[TN-Bird] SOOTY TERN again at South Holston Lake

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