[TN-Bird] Ensley & Mud Island (Shelby Co) 9/6/2013
- From: Michael Todd <birder1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: TN Birds <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 7 Sep 2013 06:55:29 -0700 (PDT)
Had to be in Memphis yesterday afternoon, so birded a few hours at Pits then
visited Mud Island to check the river situation out.
Ran into a few friends at Ensley, and nice to (eventually) get the all the same
shorebirds that had been reported lately for a total of 16 species, these were:
American Golden-Plover (at least 7, at least 5 molting adults & 2 juv, possibly
more as I had 2 groups in short order at 2 different spots)
Semiplamated Plover 3
Killdeer 500+
Black-necked Stilt 14
American Avocet 2 (moving between big pit and central pits)
Lesser Yellowlegs 10
Solitary Sandpiper 6
Spotted Sandpiper 2
Pectoral Sandpiper 500+ (lots of juv birds, which is nice as we've had several
years recently with very few juv)
Baird's Sandpiper 1 juv (frustrating bird, finally found out in middle of big
pit, flushed with group and never relocated)
Western Sandpiper 9 ( 2 adults in almost complete basic, rest bright juv birds)
Semipalmated Sandpiper 50 (mostly juv)
Least Sandpiper 4000+ (nice to see almost the full gamut of Least plumage right
now)
Stilt Sandpiper 12 (most appeared to be molting juv)
Buff-breasted Sandpiper 1 juv (last bird I found, on big flats with Killdeer on
road that loops down from the big pit)
Wilson's Phalarope 1 juv (stayed near middle of big pit, did come over to
freshwater at covered pits once)
MS Kites and a Red-tail were flushing the birds regularly. Saw the Fulvous
Whistler once in the weedy wet area of the central pits. Nothing else of
interest noted.
The structure of the sand bar at Mud Island has changed, not as good as years
past; mostly a hump right now with little flat area at each end. Nothing on
main bar out from south parking lot, but from north parking lot looking upriver
to that big bar had one Sanderling along the waters edge for 17 species of
shorebirds on the day; not bad.
Will post a few photos soon
Good birding!!
Mike Todd
McKenzie, TN
birder1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.pbase.com/mctodd
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