April 23rd, 2020
I finally got down today to check out the better than average shorebird
migration that’s been happening for the past few weeks at Coffee Landing in
Hardin County, where several of my friends have been photographing things
like American Avocet, Black-bellied Plover, Baird’s Sandpiper etc.
The whole area has been flooded off and on for most of the Spring which
has left an abundance of mudflats and edge habitat more in line with what
you would expect in West TN.
Victor and I had 14 species there today including two WILSON’S
PHALAROPES, a single continuing BAIRD’S SANDPIPER, 3 FOS WHITE-RUMPED
SANDPIPERS, 1 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER, 4 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS and 30
SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS.
An FOS UPLAND SANDPIPER was photographed at the intersection of Musselers
and Stadium Roads in Savannah Bottoms as well.
At Walker Branch SNA we had a nice variety of warblers including our
first CERULEAN WARBLER of the season and a SWAINSON’S WARBLER singing on
territory.
At Pickwick Dam we saw a male SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER on the utility
towers. We didn’t see any of these in Clifton TN where recent years have
seen one of the State’s biggest strongholds of this species.
Ruben Stoll, Centerville Tennessee.
