[TN-Bird] Sooty Tern / Old Hickory Lake
- From: "Chris Sloan" <chris.sloan@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 31 Aug 2005 21:16:58 -0500
Well, I was sitting on the office all day watching all the reports of storm
birds coming from across TN and from as far away as Ohio, and I finally
decided I couldn't take it any more. I told my assistant that I had some
"errands" to run, and I ran home to grab my camera and binoculars and then
headed up to Old Hickory Lake.
I started off in Hendersonville at Drake's Creek and worked my way around
the lake. At Loch 3, I noticed a flock of 7 immature gulls sitting on the
water. I suspected they were Laughing Gulls, but the light was so horrible
(I was looking almost straight into the sun) I couldn't be sure.
Things started to get a little interesting when I was at the dam. I looked
across the beach area and saw a dark-backed tern sitting on a buoy. I
immediately took off to make the 20-30 min trip around to the beach. Once
there, I was slightly disappointed to find that it was a BLACK TERN. I then
looked up and noticed a large movement of 50-75 COMMON NIGHTHAWKS coming
through. A couple of additional BLACK TERNS were up hawking insects with
the nighthawks.
Significant numbers of PURPLE MARTINS were also passing through.
I finally worked my way around to Snow Bunting Peninsula (aka the end of
Burnett Rd.), where I was greeted by a number of migrant NORTHERN
ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS. I also was pleased to find two BANK SWALLOWS, a
species I don't see in middle TN very often.
I spent the next little while scanning the lake, looking for any gulls,
terns or other storm waifs. At long last, at about 7:00, I found an ad. (or
possibly second summer on account of the amount of contrast between the
underwing coverts and primaries) SOOTY TERN floating on driftwood halfway
across the lake. Even at that distance, the jet black back, upperwings, and
crown were unmistakable. I could also occasionally make out the white
forehead. Once, it flapped its wings a couple of times showing off its
white underwing coverts.
I watched this bird for a while hoping it would get up and fly towards the
dam. It never did; in fact, it is apparently roosting on that piece of
driftwood, as it was still there when I left in the dark at 7:35. I believe
that there is a reasonable chance that this bird will still be there in the
morning, and that it might drift closer to the dam/peninsula during the
night. I would suggest to anyone who wants to look for it that you be there
BEFORE dawn.
Around 7:15 I noticed a flock of about 15 gulls making a wide circle around
the lake and heading towards me. This included the 7 I had seen earlier,
which were in fact LAUGHING GULLS. The rest were Ring-billed Gulls. These
also roosted in the middle of the lake.
A couple of times in the dark I noted a distant lone bird that was
suggestive of a jaeger, but the light was too poor for me to be sure I
wasn't seeing another Laughing Gull or something else.
On the way out, I found an ad. YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON on the peninsula;
this is only my second record of this species at Old Hickory Lake.
Regards,
Chris Sloan
Nashville, TN
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