June 11, 2003 Dyer, Lake Co. TN Yesterday while looking for Black-necked Stilts and monitoring the Scissor-tailed FC nest, I searched a lot of wet areas. Among the finds were returning shorebirds for sure; confirming my suspicions from last week. At 79 Highway, I had 2 Pectoral Sandpipers with 3 Least Sandpipers and north of 103 Highway off the Great River Road I had 9 Least Sandpipers and 3 Pectoral. The bad weather had evidently set these south bound travelers on the Ground. Something is sending these birds back a little early but hopefully they just got up north early, got in a hurry and finished their business early. They were passing White-rumped Sandpipers heading north, as I had 4 White-rumped off Hurd Loop Road and 17 more a little north on the Great River Road at MM #19. Another bird that could have been either coming or going was a crisp Forster's Tern that made for a good long study before it flew up to confirm its ID. This is the best year I've ever seen for Grasshopper Sparrows and they have even returned to the fields where they had been singing until the waters rose. I can't get my fill of these boys as they sit atop grass stalks displaying, head down and wings akimbo, filling my scope. The colors and patterns on these handsome birds are perfect for this grass loving species. The Black Duck male still can be seen off 103 Highway and late in the evening he went across the road to the west and returned with his Mallard girlfriend. Up to 7 Mottled Ducks are being seen in northeast central Arkansas and even a few in Cheyenne Bottoms in central Kansas, so why not here? Two more assumed Black Ducks are being seen regularly at the Bogota Bottoms off the Obion River. Good Birding!!! Jeff R. Wilson OL' COOT / TLBA Bartlett Tenn. =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation. ----------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx ----------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send email to: tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * TN-Bird Net Owner: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx (423) 764-3958 =========================================================