[TN-Bird] Vermillion Flycatcher still present Saturday

From: "Mark Allen Greene" <magreene@xxxxxxxx>
To: <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 13 Dec 2003 22:54:48 -0600
December 13, 2003
Lake County, TN
I had to work a couple of hours early this morning and then had several things 
lined up to do this afternoon so unfortunately I was not able to participate in 
the Pace Point CBC trial run like I had wanted to.  I did get done at work a 
little quicker than I had anticipated and had about a four hour window so I 
decided to make a run to the Reelfoot Airpark to see if the Vermillion 
Flycatcher was still around as I had not yet had an opportunity to go see it.  
I arrived at about 9:30 and drove slowly scanning the fence in front of the 
runway.  I did not see the bird initially but when I drove to the north and 
turned around I saw a little flash of pink about half way down sitting on the 
fence.  I looked in my binoculars and there he was!  I put my scope on the 
window and then he flew towards me and landed in a tree not more than 20 feet 
away!  A beauty of a little bird no doubt!  I watched him struggle to swallow a 
large cricket and it reminded me of the way a heron keeps working a fish into 
different positions until it can finally swallow it!  He kept working at it for 
about 2 minutes and then finally gobbled it down!  I watched him work his way 
north along the barbed wire fence for about 30 minutes and then he got up and 
flew to the trees on the south side of the runway on the west side of the road 
opposite the lake.  I hope this little jewel sticks around for one more week so 
we can count him on the Reelfoot Lake CBC next Saturday!

After I left the Airpark I stopped at the rice fields near Black Bayou where I 
had a couple of hundred Lapland Longspurs swirling around calling and 
disappearing into the rice and then doing it all over again.  A nice flock of 
blackbirds was also present near the road and I was able to pick out several 
Rusty blackbirds in the flock.  A few minutes later another small flock of 
blackbirds landed off by themselves and I looked and these were all Brewer's 
Blackbirds.  An adult and an immature Bald Eagle were feeding on something in 
the rice about 30 yards from the road and made for some nice views.  Also 
presnt in the rice fields were American Pipits and numerous Wilson's Snipe and 
Killdeer.  I was unable to find any other shorebirds in the field but I didn't 
get to spend a lot of time there.  I left here and then I walked two or three 
suitable looking grass patches for possble LeConte's Sparrow but had no luck.  
I did have several different Red-tailed Hawks in various plumages either around 
the lake or on the way home - Eastern, Krider's, dark morph, and rufous morph 
were all seen.  

I'll be back up there next Friday, the day before the count, to do some more 
scouting but I had to get up there to see that little flycatcher.  He was well 
worth the few minutes I got to spend with him and the drive up there!  Thanks 
again to Bud & Alice Johnson for finding and reporting this little beauty so 
other could enjoy him!  I sure did.  :-)

Good birding,

Mark Greene
Trenton, Gibson County, TN

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[TN-Bird] Vermillion Flycatcher still present Saturday

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