[TN-Bird] Webb Road, Chattanooga

From: TenacBirder@xxxxxxxxxxx
To: tn- bird <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2013 01:34:22 +0000 (UTC)
2-12-2013
Webb Rd, Chattanooga
Hamilton Co., TN

Today many birders from the Chattanooga, Clinton and Nashville area
saw some of the following birds:

Common Loon
Red-throated Loon
possible Pacific Loon...a loon with an extremely thick neck and
as Jeff Wilson would have described as a "cobra type appearance."

Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Western Grebe

Red-breasted Merganser (M)
Common Merganser (F)

While leaving and on a whim, I decided to look for a Whooping
Crane that is being seen in the area.  I won't disclose the area where
we did see the bird but it was first sighted in a corn field where it was 
supposed to be.  Just before 5 pm eastern a group of Sandhill Cranes 
got up to depart the area.  Included with this group was a lone white
bird travelig with the group.  I wrongly assumed that the Sandhills and 
Whooper were leaving to go to Hiwassee Refuge to rest for the night.
Fifteen minutes later my wife and I were on a bay where a dear friend
and his wife used to live.  We decided to bird the mud flats in this bay
while there was just enough light to do so.  Here we found about 300
Sandhill Cranes along with a single Whooping Crane.  While we may
never know for sure, we are certain, this is the same Whooper we
saw earlier!

While protocal won't let me disclose the exact location, our dear friend
and his wife's back yard was precisely where the Whooping Crane 
chose to roost for the night.  The ironic part is that these dear friends
have probably done more for the Sandhill Cranes than any other people
in east Tennessee.

I was beside myself with excitement.  The only thing I could do was to
make a call to this friend and explain what we were seeing.  After all his
hard work and dedication we were the benefactor of the fruits of his labor
and the area was right in his old back yard...

Jimmy and Cynthia Wilkerson
[TN-Bird] Webb Road, Chattanooga

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