Dec. 11, 2002 Ensley Bottoms Shelby Co. TN The good news is that the only shot I got in the early morning fog shows the diagnostic tail pattern of an Ash-throated Flycatcher. The bad news is that Anthony Whitted and I searched around the area for a couple of hours this afternoon without finding the bird. I have been checking the river front most mornings and if I have time I run to Ensley for a quick run around. On the river anything can show up and This morning I counted 652+ Ring-billed Gulls, 3 Bonaparte's and 11 Herring Gulls plus about 100 American White Pelicans. TVA Lake at Ensley could harbor a rare duck in the large mixed flock while the other areas have produced Common Ground Doves in the winter. You have to try every chance you get near the close of a Big Year. We found an immature Black-Crowned Night-Heron and a partial albino Starling but no flycatcher. There is extensive territory down there and we did not have time to walk into the best habitat so the bird very well may still be in the area. The bird flew across the road about 150 feet in front of my car. The color and size really stood out. When I drove up to the ditch line to scan and came across this bird perched just and 50 feet away I shifted into high gear. I reached back for the camera and the bird flew away from me. I attempted to jump out of the car while the seat belt was still buckled and about broke my neck. The bird was moving northwest down the ditch line stopping every 20 to 30 feet. I ran as far as I could and waited for the bird to stop again. The first shot I took was too dark and you could not even see the bird. I advanced a little farther and adjusted the light gage and got one shot. Fortunately it shows all you need to see. The bird continue this stop and go flight but I never saw the bird feed. It would just stop look around and it continue to the levee of a spoil pit and then I lost sight of the bird. I drove to the far side of the treatment plant and searched from there but then had to leave for a work appointment. I have a big schedule tomorrow so I might not be able to check the area again till afternoon. Good Birding!!! Jeff R. Wilson OL' COOT / TLBA Bartlett Tenn. =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation. ----------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx ----------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send email to: tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * TN-Bird Net Owner: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx (423) 764-3958 =========================================================