CAMPBELL AND SCOTT COUNTIES, TN In the gusty winds today it was difficult to check Cove Lake State Park, (Campbell County, TN) for incoming Spring arrivals, but we did manage a short walk on the way to an appointment, and found 4 TREE SWALLOWS. According to my "ebird" yearly records, the first arrivals the past 6 years were on March 6th or later. Several Ring-Billed Gulls were blowing about, and this is the first time in 6 years they have stayed daily all winter. A quick drive to check a few lakes/ ponds in SCOTT COUNTY, TN also produced some nice birds. TREE SWALLOWS (4) were at the Oneida City Park as well as a lone BONAPARTES GULL, my first for that county. Tree Swallows were also seen over Lake Elizabeth which is a short distance from the first mentioned lake. REDHEAD DUCKS- 15 along with 70+ RING-NECKED DUCK were also on this lake, along with a very probable GREATER SCAUP. I do not have time to write details on this duck tonight, but have field notes. It was disturbing that the winds were so strong that a picture was just not possible, or at least not one that would be good enough to identify it with all the waves/ movement on the lake. We watched this duck for about 30 minutes noting several field marks- size etc. in comparison to the Ring-Necks. I am aware of the difficulty in identifying the Greater from the Lesser Scaup, and will return to try to take pictures. I hope she stays around. A quick drive through the Huntsville Water reservoir yielded my first COMMON LOON there and 15 AMERICAN WIGEON. An EASTERN PHOEBE was calling at the entrance. Nell and Jimi Moore Caryville, TN =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation. ----------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- 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 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ========================================================