[TN-Bird] Shorebird Sweep
- From: OLCOOT1@xxxxxxx
- To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 30 Jul 2005 23:30:42 EDT
July 30, 2005
Ensley Bottoms-Mud Island
Shelby Co. TN
I was joined today by Jerry Ingles from Sewanee, TN for a brush up on
shorebird ID points. I ran by Mud Island on the way down, there I found and
photographed a Franklin's Gull sitting on the sandbar and located 6 of the
Black-necked Stilts along with a few Least Terns. Later in the day Jerry and I
went
back and got a Ring-billed Gull and 2 Caspian Terns plus 8 Spotted Sandpipers,
a few Pectoral and peeps and the Black-necked Stilts.
Five days of steady north winds keep the birds trickling out with a few new
birds coming in. On Friday there were a lot of birds resting which meant that
some of them were going to leave. Saturday morning, I thought a bunch had
left but finally in a hole where there had been almost no usage the past week,
we found 1200 birds stacked in a small area and they stay there most of the
day. There were good numbers of Killdeer, Least, Semipalmated and Pectoral
Sandpipers in all array of plumages with only singles located of Western, Stilt
and Baird's Sandpipers. There were 9 Lesser Yellowlegs in the mix along with
20 plus Solitary Sandpipers and 9 Spotted.
The biggest surprise and treat was my season's first immature Semipalmated
Sandpiper, as most of you know by know I really think these are smooth looking
birds and always look forward to the first each year. In the next few days
immatures of the other species hopefully will filter in showing that there was
a good breeding season for the Wind Birds this year. Anything would be better
than last years poor production of the birds that past through Memphis.
The leucistic Mockingbird was seen on Riverport Road at 7:45 this evening
and we also had 12 other normal Mockers in view at that time.
Good Birding!!!
Jeff R. Wilson
OL'COOT / TLBA
Bartlett, TN
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