[TN-Bird] Britton Ford Waterfowl

From: OLCOOT1@xxxxxxx
To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2003 11:14:40 EST
Dec. 21, 2003
Britton Ford
Henry Co. TN

I spent most of the day at Britton Ford, in the morning with John Noel and 
Melinda Welton and then with Mike Todd and Don Manning and later with Phillip 
Casteel and Gary Casey (aka Bob) from Nashville.

The numbers and diversity of waterfowl was impressive with the added bonus of 
an all day search and study of an aberrant colored and plumaged backcross 
Snow/Blue Goose that was Gray-Brown and more extensively marked than any I've 
seen.

In the Goose category we had a single Ross's (adult) show up early and 2 
entirely different birds (adult and immature) show up later in the day. There 
were 
3-400 Canada Geese moving around all day and late in the evening 5 Greater 
White-fronted made a showing. Four goose species in a day at Reelfoot on 
Saturday and Britton ford on Sunday is pretty good.

A total of 22 waterfowl species seen in this limited area during the day is 
pretty niffty. The last bird and only of its species was a Redhead that showed 
up and went immediately to sleep at dusk.

Melinda, John and I watched a very persistent Great Blue Heron chase a 
Ring-billed Gull up in a steady rising spiral in what I thought would be a 
study in 
futility because of the gulls seemingly more agile flight abilities. Much to 
all of our surprise, the tenacity of the Great Blue won the prize as the gull 
finally drop the fish and the great blue chased it to the ground. 

I also found a Palm Warbler and possibly had 2 later in the day. There have 
been Palms there on every visit since the Red Phalarope was seen and at that 
time we had 4 birds working around us as close as 10 feet at one time. At one 
time the fields literally crawled with Pipits and the weeds rocked with Gold 
Finches.

There is one of the largest concentrations of Canvasbacks I've ever seen in 
TN just out from the viewing platform with more birds dropping in all day. In 
the late afternoon sun there appeared to be a snow drift out in the lake when 
they all rafted up.

Good Birding!!!

Jeff R. Wilson
OL'COOT / TLBA
Bartlett, TN


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[TN-Bird] Britton Ford Waterfowl

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