[TN-Bird] White Ibis/Ruddy Turnstone
- From: "Desgrosellier, Jay" <jay.desgrosellier@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <TN-BIRD@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 24 Aug 2003 20:55:26 -0500
Saturday, August 23, 2003
Narrows of the Harpeth State Park, Wiley-Pardue Road, Cheatham Lock and
Dam (Cheatham Co.), Cross Creeks NWR (Stewart Co.) and Duck River Unit
Tennessee NWR (Humphreys Co.), TN
This route along the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers was productive 3
weeks ago so I decided to try it again and it didn't disappoint. Best
finds of the day were an immature WHITE IBIS and a single RUDDY
TURNSTONE at Duck River. I reported a White Ibis 3 weeks ago along this
route at Cross Creeks, so I wonder if the same bird just moved a bit
farther south or are other birds still heading north? Shorebird habitat
wasn't the best I've ever seen at Duck River, but it seemed good enough
for the large number of PECTORAL, LEAST and a few scattered SEMIPALMATED
SANDPIPERS present throughout the refuge. Species diversity wasn't that
high probably in large part due to my late arrival at the refuge so that
I only gave myself a good hour of daylight. I could sit here for hours
and scope all of the birds. Very appropriately, the most abundant birds
at Duck River were ducks. Hundreds and hundreds of ducks. At least 500
WOOD DUCKS, 300 BLUE-WINGED TEAL, 200 MALLARD AND 300 CANADA GEESE were
using the refuge. In amongst the hordes I was able to find a single
GREEN-WINGED TEAL and 5 NORTHERN SHOVELER.
The morning was productive too. I began the day at Narrows of the
Harpeth State Park where things got off to a slow start. As the sun came
up and the fog burned off, it began to seriously warm up and I was
starting to give up on passerines. Suddenly an OVENBIRD jumped up into a
tree about 5 feet away. This seemed promising and I didn't take but a
couple more steps down the trail when a PRAIRIE WARBLER and a COMMON
YELLOWTHROAT came in out of nowhere. Mind you I had just completed my
hike up the trail with nary a trace of these birds and now coming back
down, there they were! A few more steps and flying toward me I hear the
raucous call of an oriole. It lands right in front of me and to my
surprise, it's a BALTIMORE ORIOLE. Definitely a migrant as this bird
doesn't breed in middle Tennessee. Seconds later it's gone. Finishing
the ridge trail I walk to the edge of a regenerating field and start to
spish for thrashers, which I know breed here. This is where I had a nice
surprise. In comes first another PRAIRIE WARBLER, then a WORM-EATING
WARBLER joins the mix. Next comes a BLUE-WINGED WARBLER and then 2
AMERICAN REDSTARTS. A fly over by two immature RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS
was also of note since this species doesn't breed at this location. By
now it's 9 am and it's hot! Since I'm having so much luck I go up
Wiley-Pardue Road near the Cheatham Wildlife Management Area to look for
more migrants. It's here that I came across another feeding flock and in
it were a WORM-EATING WARBLER and a BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER. Wow! I
definitely didn't expect blackburnian this early. The trees along the
river on the way in to Cheatham Dam worked their usual magic. Here I had
12 YELLOW WARBLERS, up from the 2 I had here in early August. Also
present were the usual pair of YELLOW-THROATED WARBLERS and a
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER. A group of 8 PINE WARBLERS and a NORTHERN PARULA
at Cross Creeks made for 12 species of warbler.
Also of note on the day were 3 CASPIAN TERNS at Cross Creeks, 4 immature
COOPER'S HAWKS seen at various locations and hundreds of ROUGH-WINGED
SWALLOWS perched on power lines all along the route. This bird is
definitely undergoing a major push south. 96 species on the day.
Good Birding!
Jay Desgrosellier
Nashville, TN
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