[tn-bird] Ensley Evening

From: OLCOOT1@xxxxxxx
To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 23:56:17 EDT
Aug. 15, 2002
Ensley Bottoms
Shelby Co. TN


I met Mike Resch, from Massachusetts, at the pits late this afternoon to work 
on his TN list. At TVA Lake the first bird I put my glasses on was an 
immature Greater Yellowlegs my first young of that species for the season and 
it would not be the last. The second bird I saw was an adult male Ruddy 
Turnstone, my first for the season.

We had a pleasant breeze and an overcast sky while storm clouds rumbled to 
the south. Wind Birds were everywhere coming and going, talking about where 
to go, what to eat and other travel plans. Groups of 60 and 70 birds left 
while others descended to stay for shot periods before they also left.

Before the storm we tallied 18 species with the following points of interest:

I heard a very distant Black-bellied Plover call and I had had 1 bird 
yesterday but it was 15 minutes before 5 of these high plumaged dandies came 
in to circle and call, land and pick up and then leave to the 
south-southeast.

Semipalmated Plovers were constantly calling and even Killdeer were in the 
travel mode. There were well over 100 Lesser Yellowlegs and I counted 110 
Stilt Sandpipers from one point so there had to be quite a few more around.

One group of birds dropped in and much to our surprise it contained my 
season's first juvenile plumaged Short-billed Dowitcher and my first Juvenile 
Stilt Sandpiper. You can't get a prettier picture than those two side by 
side. There were 8 Sanderling in various progressions toward basic plumage.

There were thousands of Least Sandpiper but only 2 immatures. The 
Semipalmated immatures are becoming more numerous by the day but the prize 
goes to the 5 slick and very pale immature Western Sandpipers that stood out 
like sore thumbs in the crowd. Two Baird's Sandpipers showed how different a 
single species can look with a very worn adult and my first immature for the 
season, looking pretty in pink.

The topping for this wonderful evening came with 5 Wilson's Phalarope, 
snatching minute bugs from the air with their forcep like bills with the 
dexterity of a Chinese eating individual grains of rice off a slick plate. 
There was 1 adult female, 1 female molting immature, 2 molting immature males 
and one small male in almost perfect juvenile plumage, with tones of beige, 
brown and rich honey which made it look like a grand pastry just from the 
oven. My mouth waters at the thought, even now...............

Again 18 species of Wind Birds. I can't wait for the weekend to really give 
these birds the fine tooth combing they deserve.

Good Birding!!!

Jeff R. Wilson
OL' COOT / TLBA
Bartlett Tenn.


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[tn-bird] Ensley Evening

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