[TN-Bird] a Coot, a ticket, 2 lifers and a tornado - very long
- From: Charlie <cmmbirds@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 13 Nov 2002 13:58:04 -0800 (PST)
Hi Folks,
After working 19 days straight, I needed a good birding trip. Having
wanted to see west Tennessee for over 2 years, I figured now is the
time. As usual I did little preparation, but I was able to get some
excellent help.
Here is the short version, for those who don?t want to read all this!
1000 miles, 2 life birds, 100 bird species, a dozen state birds, 2
new state herps, good times with wonderful birds, 3 dumb mistakes,
and a tornado?
First stop Thursday wasn?t far from home: Fort Loudon Dam. The high
winds had already started, but with the dam doors open (no, that is
not a statement against the doors?) the gulls were pretty
cooperative. I had about 25 BONAPARTE?S, 5 RING-BILLED and one
HERRING. All the starlings on the powerlines got excited by the
passing of a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK. After about 15 minutes the
pre-requisite bird for this stop finally showed up: one immature
BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON.
On the way out of the dam I made the first of 3 very stupid mistakes
for the weekend: I left my field guide on top of my truck. So if
anyone finds little bits and pieces of a NG 3rd edition out there?
Next stop was to try finding a couple birds reported in Putnam and
Dekalb Counties. Forgive me if my memory fails me, but I think both
were reported by Steve Stedman Found the GREAT WHITE HERON at Happy
Hollow Boat Ramp in Putnam County, and ran into the first of several
groups of great Tennessee birders for the week: Jan Shaw, Gary
Casey, Philip Casteel. They didn?t have the Black Scoter, so I
decided to get back on the road west. There would be other chances.
On the way west I must have passed some sort of a biocline (only
partly a joke) because east of the US 231 exit off I-40 (Wilson
County) I only saw 6 RED TAILED HAWKS. West of there, I saw at least
35 before getting to Pace Point. In Davidson County I saw a
COOPER?S HAWK and an unknown accipiter.
A stop at the US 70 crossing of Kentucky Lake produced GREAT EGRET,
HERRING and RING-BILLED GULLS and a few other common species.
With only a few hours of daylight left, I bumbled around the Pace
Point area for a bit, finding WHITE_CROWNED, WHITE-THROATED, SONG,
CHIPPING, SAVANNAH, LINCOLN?S and SWAMP SPARROWS in the fields near
the beginning of Bennett?s Creek Road. Having never been there
before, and anticipating some time there with an expert birder, I
spent most of my energy with checking out the area, finding land
birds (instead of the water birds that it?s known for) and eating. A
short stop at the point produced the expected gulls, many LESSER
SCAUP, other expected waterfowl, and my first 2 BALD EAGLES of the
weekend. I heard, but did not see, one very high altitude SANDHILL
CRANE.
With dark approaching it was time to head to Reelfoot and the
wonderful company of Nancy Moore. If you?ve never stayed at her B&B,
I?d recommend it. If you?ve never gotten to bird with her, I?d
recommend that, too. Her ?bunkhouse? is much more comfortable than
the name implies, and of course you can?t beat the waterfront
location. That night weI went out to try unsuccessfully for what is
becoming my TN nemesis bird. I?ve seen Barn Owls in GA, AL, MA, NH,
PA, NJ, but not here.
Due to a cold, I started Friday the lazy way and didn?t leave until 7
am. Nancy kindly showed me around the Reelfoot area in Lake County.
Highlight of the trip was my lifer SMITH?S LONGSPUR. Though there
were only 1-3 of this bird the field was absolutely full of sparrows
and EASTERN MEADOWLARKS. Most of the sparrows SAVANNAH SPARROWS. We
could hear nothing in the strong wind, which is especially
frustrating for a sparrow lover. We also saw at least 1 VESPER
SPARROW and 2 that I think were Grasshopper, but I?m not sure.
While looking at many AMERICAN PIPITS and HORNED LARKS in one field
near the river road, a couple Red-taileds stirred up all the birds.
At a distance of about half a mile, I watched a big flock of
blackbirds get up. Scanning for an unlikely, but much desired
Yellow-headed, I found a bird with an awfully long tail. It?s body
was smaller than a meadowlark, bigger than a horned lark, and that is
about all I can say too short a view, too great a distance. My
initial instinct was Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, which would be quite
unexpected this time of year. I wasn?t able to get Nancy on it, and
despite trying, we couldn?t relocate it. We were roughly west of
?the Ibis Hole?, which hosted LESSER YELLOWLEGS, DUNLIN and a
PECTORAL SANDPIPER. An INDIGO BUNTING was a nice find, too.
At day?s end my mind failed me a second time when I neglected to put
my scope into it?s box like I ?always? do. So of course, that is the
time I drop it, bending the sunshade, denting the body and scratching
it. Fortunately there was no optical damage.
With the daylight fading, I bid Nancy adieu and headed to Lauderdale
WMA in Lauderdale County to bird with Jeff Wilson. When I arrived,
Ole Coot was naming off what he was seeing and pointed out some of
the nice birds for me. I was lucky enough to be there when history
was made! After about 10 minutes he announced he had a dark ibis. At
a distance of several hundred yards in poor light, even he couldn?t
tell which, but either way, it was # 301.
Next morning we started at Lauderdale, hoping that the ibis would
come back. No such luck, but we did have 4 goose types (if you
include morphs): SNOW (both forms), ROSS? and GREATER WHITE-FRONTED.
Having birded mostly in Maryland, I?ve NEVER seen multiple goose
species without Canada before! Lauderdale is a great place. The
duck concentration felt like a tiny bit of the Chesapeake was moved
here. Living in the Smokies is wonderful, and I love the summer
birds. But winter is just no fun without waterfowl.
A stop on the Mississippi bagged me my second lifer for the trip. We
had a total of 23 FRANKLIN?S GULLS (Life bird!). That, of course,
is Jeff?s number. I counted 16, but fully believe him. I believe
the WHITE PELICANS were a state bird for me. Once I add this all to
my database, I think I?ll have about 12 state birds for the trip. On
the way north I happened to mention that I hadn?t seen a EURASIAN
COLLARED DOVE. So, Jeff being Jeff, he casually takes a left turn,
points out the left window, and VAVOOM, there?s one on the line.
Geez!
A stop at Nancy?s to pick up my forgotten scope case netter me
another state first herp: the cottonmouth that Jeff, Nancy and I
almost stepped on, but that her cat wisely gave wide berth. I hope
my pics of Nancy catching it with her snake pole come out well!
We headed to Pace Point. Next morning Hap Chambers was added to
Jeff?s entourage. Yet another birder who?s company I thoroughly
enjoyed. Stopping at Trailer Park Road and another spot on the
western shore didn?t work well with the waves, but I can?t wait to
get back to Britton Ford. Seems like a top-notch birding spot. I
particularly can?t wait to check out the sparrows sometime when they
aren?t trying to tunnel underground to escape the wind!
As we headed to the eastern side, Jeff got a call from Chris Sloan
about the now-famous hummer in Nashville. I decided that since it
was on the way, I?d be better off going for it, then going home, than
trying to get the loons with Jeff. He recommended nicely that I
continue to bird and wait for an update.
So why the heck didn?t I listen to him?!? It seems I missed the
Pacific Loon by about 10-15 minutes. Then the 3rd big dumb move of
the trip: a senseless speeding ticket. I simply wasn?t paying
attention to the fact I?d just entered a lower speed zone. Stupidity
always bothers me, but especially so when *I * am the stupid one. I
ended up waiting for the no-show hummer 2.5 hours. It was nice,
though, to
Get to meet a few more birders, and become reacquainted with others.
I?m glad most of them got to see it the next day, and only a little
jealous. Honestly. No, really, just a little.
The trip ended with me driving among those terrible storms, and
seeing another new sight for me: my first ever tornado. I was
traveling 70-80 mph on I-40, and I was just keeping pace with the
huge, intense storm cell ahead of me all the way from Nashville until
US 321, intently listening to news radio and the many storm warnings,
wondering if I should get off the road. Also wondering if, as an
EMT, I should be trying to find a way to help. When I hear a report
of a tornado 8 miles east of the house Tracey and I just bought, I
decided it was time to head home.
So, a long email about a lot of stuff.
=====
**************************************************
Charlie Muise, Senior Naturalist
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont
Townsend, TN lat 35 deg, 38'23" long 83 deg, 41'22"
"Up, Sluggard, and waste not life; in the grave will be sleeping enough"
- Ben Frankline, Poor Richard's Almanac
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