Radnor Lake State Natural Area
Nashville-Davidson Co. TN
September 23, 2015

Brilliant sunshine, calm winds and moderate temperatures greeted 25 birders who participated in today's NTOS-sponsored Walk at Radnor Lake.

By far the highlight of the morning was a very cooperative WILSON'S WARBLER that spent a lot of time near the Spillway as did the group. Everyone got good looks at this bird as it foraged in the open at eye level for more than 5 minutes.

Later and further down the lake trail almost to the overlook that is under construction, an enigmatic warbler flitted about overhead; one that had the group puzzled. Opinions varied. This bird morphed into several different species as the various possibilities were discussed. One possibility was a female Cape May Warbler, but in retrospect, due to its heavy notched tail, I suspect it may have been a very dull-looking Pine Warbler. Confusing Fall Warbler, for sure.

Below is a list of the more definitively-identified birds:

Wood Duck 6 Mallard 11 Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1 Chimney Swift 23 Ruby-throated Hummingbird 3 Belted Kingfisher 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker 6 Downy Woodpecker 6 Northern Flicker 1 Pileated Woodpecker 3 Eastern Wood-Pewee 2 Eastern Phoebe 1 Blue Jay 8 American Crow 6 Carolina Chickadee 5

Tufted Titmouse 6 White-breasted Nuthatch 2 Carolina Wren 4 Swainson's Thrush 8 American Robin 4 Cedar Waxwing 48 Blue-winged Warbler 1 Black-and-white Warbler 3 Tennessee Warbler 2 American Redstart 8 Magnolia Warbler 15 Black-throated Green Warbler 4 Wilson's Warbler 1 Northern Cardinal 10

Kevin Bowden

Bells Bend Park
Davidson County, TN
September 12, 2015

What a beautiful and pleasantly chilly morning! Ten smiling birders met at the Bell’s Bend Nature Center. We had two brand new birders with us, a nine year-old and her mom who seemed to thoroughly enjoy the whole experience. The group decided to take the trails behind the nature center first and to try the sod farms later. The cool temps and light wind were refreshing. We saw 41 species (listed below), if we count a dead Ovenbird that was found on the road this morning by one of the birders. Highlights were a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, a Bald Eagle, and a Great Egret. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Pied-billed Grebe Great Egret Great Blue Heron Bald Eagle Cooper’s Hawk Red-tailed Hawk American Kestrel Black Vulture Turkey Vulture Killdeer Tern (species) Mourning Dove Yellow Billed Cuckoo Ruby-throated Hummingbird Hairy Woodpecker Pileated Woodpecker Red-bellied Woodpecker Least Flycatcher Eastern Phoebe Eastern Wood Pewee American Crow

Blue Jay Carolina Chickadee Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Eastern Bluebird Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird Brown Thrasher Cedar Waxwing Philadelphia Vireo White-eyed Vireo Ovenbird (dead) American Redstart Black and White Warbler Magnolia Warbler Orange-crowned Warbler Palm Warbler Common Yellowthroat Eastern Towhee Field Sparrow Bobolink American Goldfinch

Tarcila Fox
NTOS Field Trip Coordinator

TN NWR--Duck River Unit
Humphreys Co., TN
August 15, 2015

Earlier today, eleven birders gathered for a summer field trip at the Duck River Unit of the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge. Distant thunderstorms and on-and-off rain showers were with us throughout the trip, but fortunately it kept us cool and comfortable! Upon entering the refuge, one of our participants deftly picked out a perched juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk, which was being scolded by a pair of Blue Grosbeaks. We also had very nice views of American White Pelicans from the Blue Goose Loop and at the Pump Station. Shorebirds were few due to limited habitat, but all were observed well. These included Spotted, Solitary, and Pectoral Sandpipers; Killdeer; Semipalmated Plover; and Lesser Yellowlegs. A hearty "thank you" to all who attended the outing...it was great to catch up with old friends and meet new ones! A list of species from our day is below.

44 species

Canada Goose - 267 Wood Duck - 7 Double-crested Cormorant - 38 American White Pelican - 116 Great Blue Heron - 75 Great Egret - 217 Black Vulture - 1 Turkey Vulture - 18 Osprey - 11 Cooper's Hawk - 1 Red-shouldered Hawk - 5 Red-tailed Hawk - 1 Semipalmated Plover - 1 Killdeer - 16 Solitary Sandpiper - 1 Spotted Sandpiper - 11 Lesser Yellowlegs - 1 Pectoral Sandpiper - 6 Ring-billed Gull - 2 Caspian Tern - 37 Mourning Dove - 5 Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 3

Belted Kingfisher - 2 Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1 Pileated Woodpecker - 1 Eastern Wood-Pewee - 1 White-eyed Vireo - 1 Northern Rough-winged Swallow - 65 Bank Swallow - 60 Barn Swallow - 4 Cliff Swallow - 10 Tufted Titmouse - 2 Carolina Wren - 1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 3 Northern Mockingbird - 1 Eastern Towhee - 1 Northern Cardinal - 5 Blue Grosbeak - 6 Indigo Bunting - 22 Dickcissel - 2 Red-winged Blackbird - 63 Eastern Meadowlark - 1 Common Grackle - 2 American Goldfinch - 7

Chloe Walker

Bowie Nature Park
Fairview, TN
July 18, 2015

Six birders gathered for the NTOS's monthly field trip, which was held at Bowie Nature Park in Fairview. It was a sticky morning, but the birds didn't seem to mind! Bowie is a great place to see Red-headed Woodpeckers, and today was no exception. Throughout our walk we saw and heard many of these stunning birds, and we even observed a few feeding young. Pine Warblers were also actively foraging in the treetops along the Loblolly Loop trail. Finally, we all got a bit of practice identifying juvenile birds, including an Eastern Bluebird, an Eastern Towhee, and a Chipping Sparrow. A big thank you to everyone who showed up! Our trip list is as follows:

33 species

Canada Goose - 40 Mallard - 6 Mourning Dove - 7 Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 2 Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 1 Red-headed Woodpecker - 9 Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1 Downy Woodpecker - 1 Hairy Woodpecker - 3 Northern Flicker - 1 Eastern Wood-Pewee - 2 Blue Jay - 2 American Crow - 6 Northern Rough-winged Swallow - 2 Barn Swallow - 6 Purple Martin - 22 Carolina Chickadee - 5

Tufted Titmouse - 8 White-breasted Nuthatch - 1 Carolina Wren - 2 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 5 Eastern Bluebird - 4 American Robin - 2 Gray Catbird - 1 Pine Warbler - 6 Yellow-throated Warbler - 1 Eastern Towhee - 4 Chipping Sparrow - 6 Field Sparrow - 1 Summer Tanager - 2 Northern Cardinal - 5 Indigo Bunting - 3 American Goldfinch - 4

Chloe Walker

TOS Meeting Field Trips
May 1-3, 2015


The 100-year anniversary TOS meeting at Montgomery Bell State Park featured a wide variety of field trips. A number of our walks took place at the park itself, yielding a good tally of species expected in a forest habitat. On Saturday and Sunday we ventured farther afield to a variety of mid-state locales such as Mound Bottoms, Bicentennial Trail/Dyson's Ditch, Narrows of the Harpeth, Ft. Campbell, and the Duck River, and those outings brought our count up considerably.

Our total species count for the weekend was 132 (list below), including 27 species of warblers and 11 sparrow species. Among the highlights were Bachman's Sparrow (Ft. Campbell), Henslow's Sparrow (Ft. Campbell), Grasshopper Sparrow (Ft. Campbell), Glossy Ibis (Duck River), Sora (Duck River), and White-rumped Sandpiper (Duck River). Additionally, participants on the Mound Bottoms walk were treated to a young Woodcock, while those on the park's Lake Loop on Sunday got up close looks at a Great Horned Owl.

Thanks to all the field trip leaders and participants for making the weekend excursions memorable and productive!


TOS 100-year Anniversary Meeting Species list:

Canada Goose Wood Duck Mallard Blue-winged Teal Northern Shoveler Northern Bobwhite Wild Turkey Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Great Egret Green Heron Glossy Ibis Black Vulture Turkey Vulture Osprey Mississippi Kite Sharp-shinned Hawk Copper’s Hawk Bald Eagle Red-shouldered Hawk Broad-winged Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Sora American Coot American Golden-Plover Semipalmated Plover Killdeer Spotted Sandpiper Solitary Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Least Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper American Woodcock Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Barred Owl Great Horned Owl Chimney Swift Ruby-throated Hummingbird Red-headed Woodpecker Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Pileated Woodpecker Eastern Wood-Pewee Acadian Flycatcher Willow Flycatcher Eastern Phoebe Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird White-eyed Vireo Yellow-throated Vireo Blue-headed Vireo Warbling Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Blue Jay American Crow Horned Lark Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Cliff Swallow Carolina Chickadee Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch

Carolina Wren Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Eastern Bluebird Veery Gray-cheeked Thrush Swainson's Thrush Wood Thrush American Robin Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Northern Mockingbird European Starling Ovenbird Worm-eating Warbler Louisiana Waterthrush Northern Waterthrush Blue-winged Warbler Golden-winged Warbler Black-and-white Warbler Prothonotary Warbler Tennessee Warbler Nashville Warbler Kentucky Warbler Common Yellowthroat Hooded Warbler Cerulean Warbler Northern Parula Bay-breasted Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Yellow Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Palm Warbler Pine Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Yellow-throated Warbler Prairie Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Yellow-breasted Chat Eastern Towhee Bachman’s Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Field Sparrow Lark Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Grasshopper Sparrow Henslow’s Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Summer Tanager Scarlet Tanager Northern Cardinal Rose-breasted Grosbeak Blue Grosbeak Indigo Bunting Dickcissel Bobolink Red-winged Blackbird Eastern Meadowlark Common Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird Orchard Oriole House Finch American Goldfinch House Sparrow

Tony Lance

Beaman Park
Davidson County, TN
June 20, 2015

The NTOS's field trip to Beaman Park was a great success, despite the wet and windy conditions. Upon arrival, we were treated to a chorus of juvenile Carolina Wrens learning to sing. Worm-eating Warblers, an annual breeder here, responded to pishing and cooperated nicely for the group. A couple of us had fleeting looks at a Great Egret as it flew from the creek - quite a surprise. Louisiana Waterthrushes were also present during our walk, though they were heard only. Thank you to those who participated! Our checklist can be found below.

24 species

Great Egret - 1
Chimney Swift - 4
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 1
Downy Woodpecker - 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee - 2
Acadian Flycatcher - 3
Red-eyed Vireo - 2
Blue Jay - 1
Carolina Chickadee - 3
Tufted Titmouse - 4
White-breasted Nuthatch - 1
Carolina Wren - 4
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 2
Wood Thrush - 2
Worm-eating Warbler - 4
Louisiana Waterthrush - 4
Kentucky Warbler - 1
Northern Parula - 2
Yellow-throated Warbler - 3
Summer Tanager - 2
Scarlet Tanager - 2
Northern Cardinal - 2
Indigo Bunting - 1
Brown-headed Cowbird - 1


Chloe Walker
NTOS Field Trip Coordinator

Radnor Lake State Natural Area
Nashville, TN
May 20, 2015

The last of the NTOS-sponsored Wednesday Radnor Walks took place in ideal weather- sunshine, light breeze and comfortable temperatures. The big migration wave has mostly passed through; however, there were a few stray migrants in addition to species that normally spend the summer months at Radnor.

All the group got great looks at a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO along the dam. It perched low on a bare branch over the lake in several ideal spots. Later the group saw a female MAGNOLIA WARBLER at the spillway and a few of us spotted a quick moving female ORCHARD ORIOLE in the same location. And due to its position on the sunlight, a male RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD stood out like a brilliant gem on a bare branch. An interesting find further along was a BARRED OWL and then a GREAT-CRESTED FLYCATCHER. The latter we often hear, but seldom see at Radnor. Other cooperative birds included an ACADIAN FLYCATCHER. WHITE-EYED VIREOS were very vocal, but mostly hidden. On the other hand, while the RED-EYED VIREOS remained unusually quiet, one was seen by some of the group as it came down low to feed near the Spillway.

Thanks to all who led and participated in the six Wednesday Walks this Spring.

Below is a recap of species observed:

40 species

Canada Goose  6 Wood Duck  2 Wild Turkey  3 Double-crested Cormorant  6 Red-tailed Hawk  1 Yellow-billed Cuckoo  2 Barred Owl  1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird  1 Red-bellied Woodpecker  3 Downy Woodpecker  4 Pileated Woodpecker  2 Eastern Wood-Pewee  4 Acadian Flycatcher  3 Eastern Phoebe  1 Great Crested Flycatcher  3 White-eyed Vireo  2 Red-eyed Vireo  1 Blue Jay  3 American Crow  2 Northern Rough-winged Swallow  16

Barn Swallow  2 Carolina Chickadee  8 Tufted Titmouse  5 Carolina Wren  2 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  3 Cedar Waxwing  21 Kentucky Warbler  2 Northern Parula  2 Magnolia Warbler  1 Bay-breasted Warbler  1 Blackpoll Warbler  1 Yellow-throated Warbler  1 Black-throated Green Warbler  1 Summer Tanager  2 Northern Cardinal  8 Indigo Bunting  1 Red-winged Blackbird  1 Brown-headed Cowbird  4 Orchard Oriole  1 American Goldfinch  8

Kevin Bowden