[TN-Bird] West TN Ramble

From: OLCOOT1@xxxxxxx
To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Mon, 16 May 2005 20:35:19 EDT
May 14-15-2005
Shelby Co. to Lake Co.
 
Well, chasing bad storms paid off again on Saturday. Ken Allen, from down  
Florida way, and I arrived in the rain at Ensley Bottoms and shortly there  
after a Sandhill Crane appeared and stayed long enough for me to get a few  
photos. Bad Storms = Good Birds. This is only the second Sandhill Crane I've  
seen 
on the ground in Memphis both at Ensley. At first, I thought the bird might  
have had a injured wing but it was just holding it out to dry. It looked pretty 
 
soaked until it shook itself out and preened up. The bird slept for a little  
while and just as expected, after seeing that, it continued its journey 
north.  This was my 3rd Sandhill in west TN in May, some are just lazy, loner 
migrants,  I guess.
 
The shorebird numbers continue to trickle down, we had fewer of most  of the 
species seen on recent trips with some now completely out of the  mix. Big 
increases in numbers were seen only in the  following, Dunlin, Semipalmated 
Sandpipers and Semipalmated Plovers.  This increase was evident all weekend at 
each 
location we visited. All the  Black-bellied Plovers were north of Memphis 
with 8 at White Lake Refuge, 5 at  Hurd Loop Road and a single at Black Bayou 
(a 
fly by) and all were in stunning  dress colors. Total species of Wind Birds 
for the weekend was 16 species,  down from 21 just a week ago.
 
Eleven species of waterfowl were seen, with 9 species at White  Lake Refuge, 
including pairs of Mallards, Pintail, Shoveler, Am. Wigeon,  Green-winged 
Teal, Hoodies and Woodies, plus a single Ring-necked Duck and token  Coot. A 
Black-billed Cuckoo and Scarlet Tanager were nice finds at White-Lake  Refuge 
as 
were Pewee, Yellow-bellied, Acadian, Willow and Least Flycatchers  along 79 
highway west, plus 100+ Baltimore Orioles. Only 10 species of warblers  were 
seen 
as we did not work the woods much but I did get a look at the  Bell's Vireo at 
Black Bayou.
 
We have seen as many as 5 Painted Buntings on one visit at Ensley in recent  
visits, 4 males and 1 female and it seems all the males had wives stashed  
away some where. Saturday we could only find 2 males and they were counter  
singing from exposed perches. The Bobolink flocks are now mostly females so  
their 
brief passage is soon to end.
 
Ended the weekend with 131 species with lots on empty slots on  the card but 
starting off with a Sandhill Crane in the rain was pretty  nifty...........
 
 
Good  Birding!!!
Jeff R. Wilson
OL'COOT / TLBA
Bartlett,  TN


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[TN-Bird] West TN Ramble

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