We launched our canoe near the coal tipple at 5:30 PM yeaterday. The road
to the tipple is in the best shape ever, incidentally. Three SPOTTED
SANDPIPERS were foraging along the water's edge. We paddled nearly 2 miles
up the Nolichucky to survey the mudflats emerging there; not much in the way
of open ground - the exposed land was covered in standing dead grass. We
saw a few killdeer, and 26 GREAT EGRETS, possibly a record high for Hamblen
county. A BALD EAGLE flew across the mouth of the river as we paddled
back; we saw it again as it was dining on a dead carp on the French Broad
riverbank.
We entered the Holt Town Road wetlands to check for shorebirds; best find
was an adult LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER in breeding plumage; also 70 KILLDEER, 12
LEAST SANDPIPERS, and 10 SOLITARY SANDPIPERS. There appeared to be more
shorebirds at the far side of the flats, but we were losing daylight, so
headed back to the car. 120 DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS were roosting at the
south end of the Rankin embayment. During the trip, we also saw 18 GREEN
HERONS, 12 BLACK-CRESTED NIGHT HERONS, 8 OSPREYS, 12+ GREAT BLUE HERONS, AND
50= GREAT EGRETS.
Michael Sledjeski & Leslie Gibbens Cocke county TN
=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================
Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
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Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
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