I got most of last week off from work with the only responsibility being
baby-sitting the family dog, so it was an easy choice for me, of course.
Pack up and go birding and take Flynn along!
I had written up the whole week in detail for Tnbirds and was ready to
send the email when the everything disappeared while I was photographing
Kites, so I’m just gonna post a shorter version.
August 1st, Duck River Unit
The levels on the main lake are still too high for mudflats and pool 1
and 2 levels are back up again so there wasn’t a whole lot going on here.
The highlight was a continuing RUDDY DUCK in pool 1.
August 1st, Paris Landing
Hopefully the lake levels will drop soon, the only Gulls were ringers,
about 50 of them, and they were still perched on the Marina roof for lack
of anything better to rest on. Highlight was a PEREGRINE FALCON hunting
from the bridge.
August 2nd, Mississippi River, North Treatment Plant
All the pits here were flooded and only a few Killdeer and Least
Sandpipers present. A sandbar has begun to emerge on the main river and was
covered in Least Terns and nothing else.
August 2nd, Mud Island, Shelby County
A WHITE-WINGED DOVE flew over where Flynn and I were watching the river,
coming from the direction of the Wolf River and crossing over the
Mississippi River into Arkansas. I wouldn’t know where to begin if you
wanted to refind this bird, I didn’t see it again.
August 2nd/3rd, Ensley Bottoms
The TVA Lake appears to be history but there was a bit of scattered
habitat in the pits. I probably saw less than 500 shorebirds total with all
the pits combined, only 8 common species. Highlights here were a female
PAINTED BUNTING on the South side of the pits and three WESTERN KINGBIRDS
nearby in the industrial area. The next morning was no better.
August 3rd, HWY 88, Lauderdale County
I drove out a muddy field access road in the highway 88 Bottoms and found
a bit of mud around the Duck blinds here. A hundred shorebirds with the
clear highlight being a great looking RUDDY TURNSTONE in full color.
August 3rd Lauderdale/Dyer line, Great River Road.
Another mud puddle with 500 or so waders and 95 BLACK-NECKED STILTS, only
a small part of the large numbers of these birds seen on the weekend. Also
a dozen STILT SANDPIPERS and a BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER here.
August 3rd, Mud Lake
Good habitat with nearly 500 shorebirds but nearly all were Pectoral
Sandpipers and a few other common species and four WESTERN SANDPIPERS were
the nicest birds here.
August 4th
I crossed the line into Hickman Bottoms to check what Clay Bliznick might
be finding in KYs recently exposed mudflats, but found out that he had
jumped ship and headed for Illinois after a Little Stint report. Fulton
County was boring anyways with only 8 common species of shorebirds, best
being Black-necked Stilts.
I spent the rest of the morning glassing sandbars at Tiptonville and
Fritz Landings. Everything was covered in Least Terns with some even
appearing to be thinking about renesting. I have no idea whether this could
be successfull this late. Either way the season doesn’t appear to be a
total bust with a few fresh juveniles around.
Other Terns here were a few CASPIANS, half a dozen FORSTER’S and a basic
plumaged COMMON TERN out from Fritz Landing.
I also had a LARK SPARROW flushed up from the side of the road in Lake
County, which was a treat since I hadn’t seen one since Spring.
I then got word that the Illinois Little Stint was hanging on, so I
wrapped up there and made a quick stop at the Lauderdale/Dyer line (2
LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, 34 STILT SANDPIPERS and one WILSON’S PHALAROPE had
dropped in) a quick stop at the HWY 88 Bottoms (RUDDY TURNSTONE continuing)
then stopped by the house to pick up my car and Daniel Redwine before doing
a seven hour overnight drive to Illinois.
The Little Stint was a beautiful little orange bird in very bright
plumage, and was a lifer for both of us. Now if it does decide to stop by
West TN on it’s way South we’ll be ready for it.
August 5th/6th, Brushy Ridge Rd. Lauderdale County
All the shorebird spots that I had found earlier were mostly dried up and
the birds moved on, so Redwine got to looking at google maps and took us to
Brushy Ridge Road. Here we found some decent mudflats again with nearly a
thousand waders and pelicans and well over a thousand shorebirds. We spent
Monday evening and Tuesday morning slogging the mud and glassing these
birds. Highlights were 55 BLACK-NECKED STILTS, 2 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, 4
STILT SANDPIPERS and an UPLAND SANDPIPER heard calling at dusk somewhere
overhead. Also four BLACK TERNS were feeding over the lake with Least Terns
and four YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS passed through at dusk.
I had about 135 species for the week with 17 being shorebirds. (Not
counting several different ones seen in Illinois). Complete checklists are
on ebird.
Good birding, Ruben Stoll, Centerville Tennessee.
