[TN-Bird] Turkey Day Trot - TN/MS
- From: OLCOOT1@xxxxxxx
- To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, missbird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 25 Nov 2005 06:43:51 EST
Nov. 25, 2005
Mud Island-Ensley Bottoms
Shelby Co, TN
Tunica Co. MS
A few strutting Turkeys at Ensley were not the best birds of the day but a
female Yellow-headed Blackbird in Tunica Co, with a stunning saffron colored
breast was the hands down winner. The color of the breast in the bright sun
reminded me of the color of a Buddhist Monk's robes.
At Mud Island, in the morning, there was a continuous stream of DC
Cormorants and Ring-billed Gulls going south. A single female Red-breasted
Merganser
took the slow float ride down the river along with a few Ruddy, Gadwall and
Coots. At Ensley, a quick trip around revealed only 32 Least Sandpipers, 2
Wilson's Snipe, a few Killdeer and many Pipits. Red-tailed Hawks were see
hunting
and perched in every direction, Kestrel numbers have leveled off to winter
numbers and 2 high flying male Harriers and an immature Bald Eagle shared the
sky with 21 Turkey Vultures.
TVA Lake held 30 Redhead Ducks and most were immature males, 2 Canvasback,
Gadwall, Shoveler, Ring-necked, Ruddy with Greater and Lesser Scaup filling
the list of Ducks. Also present were DC Cormorants, Ring-billed Gulls,
Pied-billed Grebes and lots of Coots.
In Tunica Co, MS, there were huge flocks of geese and at one place, I talked
to the property owner, that had stopped by to look through my scope. The one
mixed flock of Snow, Ross's and Greater White-fronted stood shoulder to
shoulder in a field that he said was just over 30 acres. I found another flock
that was even larger just 6 miles away. After hearing just one Sandhill Crane
last week I located 6 this trip sailing and calling.
Since my last visit a week ago the Lapland Longspurs have really come in and
I found them in 6 fields but one mass of over 3,000 near Little Texas was
over kill. Gulls were seen in dispersed concentrations but only Bonaparte's and
Ring-billed recorded. Shorebird wise, there were Least Sandpipers in low
numbers, 2 Dunlin, lots of Snipe, 21 Greater Yellowlegs and 3 Lesser with
Killdeer in good numbers at every turn.
The tales of the day were the Red-tailed hawks, 2 of my long time friends
and one favorite from last year have returned to their territories and were
photographed, one is an all dark (showing no white on chest) adult Harlan's,
another is an intermediate morph adult Harlan's with a mottled breast and the
very light Krider's that took up residence just last year off Hot Thornton
Road
is back. I counted 87 Red-tails without really trying, 19 in one scan, far
short of the 57 Mike Todd and I had once down there at the same location. A
little more bad weather up north would fill all the niches. You can tell there
has not been any real bad weather because the gray ghost male Harriers out
number the females and immature by far. When the bigger females arrive they
will force the male out of the good territories and they will head to Mexico.
At Arkabutla Lake, there is a good number of White Pelicans and gulls but
again I failed to find one Herring Gull, none all day? Last week at the big
roost on Reelfoot we had only one. Earlier in the season the adults went south
down the river for a few days but again not enough bad weather to our north
for the big push. A few Forster's Terns, Black Ducks and 1 Spotted Sandpiper,
scattered Least and Dunlin with Killdeer as far as you can see on the
extensive mud flats ended the day. Waterfowl for the day 21 species,
shorebirds only
7.
Good Birding !!!
Jeff R. Wilson / TLBA
6298 Memphis-Arlington Road
Bartlett, TN 38135
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