Dauphin Island and Fort Morgan, AL

April 19-21, 2013

Sixteen birders from the middle Tennessee area participated in the extended weekend field trip to Dauphin Island, Alabama that was held during the Alabama Ornithological Society (AOS) spring meeting weekend, April 19-21. Individual schedules varied with some of our NTOS group arriving as early as Thursday afternoon and some staying as late as Monday morning. An informal gathering was held Friday evening at the Dortchs' (former NTOS members) house on Omega Street next to the airport marsh. Many of the trip participants also attended the AOS dinner on Saturday evening and two of our group won door prizes! While numbers of some neotropical migrants were not as extensive as in some meeting springs, there was plenty of variety. One special place was a hedge of bottlebrush shrubs at a house next to Shell Mound Park where a feeding Cape May Warbler provided near continual entertainment all weekend. Other warblers also enjoying the same bottlebrush flowers included Northern Parula, Prothonotary, Tennessee, and Pine warblers plus several Orchard Orioles, whose chatter filled the air.  A Northern Waterthrush put in occasional appearances as well.

Other highlights on Dauphin Island included several Osprey at nesting platforms, a Gray Kingbird (a life bird for some in the group) at the golf course, and a perched Peregrine Falcon at Audubon Park. Splashes of color were also provided by a number of Scarlet and Summer Tanagers and a horde of Indigo Buntings. Members of our group assiduously searched on Dauphin Island and Fort Morgan, which is across Mobile Bay, for Painted Buntings and some were fortunate to see them. A wide variety of shorebirds was found highlighted by Whimbrel, all the expected plovers, and White-rumped, Baird's, and Stilt Sandpipers. In addition to shorebirds and chattering Marsh Wrens, the airport marsh produced several Sora and Clapper Rails, a dancing Reddish Egret, and a Nelson's Sparrow. Fort Morgan at one point had numerous Blackpoll warblers, plus a recurring Merlin, Great Horned Owl, and for a fortunate few, a Cave Swallow.  At least 2 foxes, a nutria, meadow voles, and dolphins were also seen. Comparing lists from several birders, more than 165 bird species were found on the trip, including about 20 species of warblers.

Canada Goose Mallard Blue-winged Teal N. Shoveler N. Pintail Redhead Mottled Duck Bufflehead Red-breasted Merganser Common Loon Pied-billed Grebe Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Reddish Egret Great Egret Snowy Egret Little Blue Heron Tricolored Heron Cattle Egret Green Heron Yellow-crowned Night Heron Brown Pelican White Ibis Glossy Ibis White-faced Ibis Turkey Vulture Black Vulture Osprey Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Cooper's Hawk Broad-winged Hawk Red-tailed Hawk American Kestral Merlin Peregrine Falcon Sora American Coot Black-bellied Plover Snowy Plover Wilson's Plover Semipalmated Plover Piping Plover Killdeer Clapper Rail American Oystercatcher Black-necked Stilt Greater Yellowlegs Willet Whimbrel Lesser Yellowlegs Ruddy Turnstone Sanderling Semipalmated Sandpiper Western Sandpiper Least Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Baird's Sandpiper Dunlin Stilt Sandpiper Short-billed Dowitcher Wilson's Snipe Laughing Gull Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Least Tern Gull-billed Tern Caspian Tern Royal Tern Common Tern Forster's Tern Sandwich Tern Black Skimmer Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Eurasian Collared Dove Yellow-billed Cuckoo Great Horned Owl Common Nighthawk Chimney Swift Ruby-throated Hummingbird Belted Kingfisher Red-headed Woodpecker Red-bellied Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Downy Woodpecker Pileated Woodpecker Eastern Wood Pewee Eastern Phoebe Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Gray Kingbird Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Loggerhead Shrike White-eyed Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Blue-headed Vireo Yellow-throated Vireo Blue Jay American Crow Fish Crow Purple Martin Tree Swallow Northern Rough-wing Swallow Bank Swallow Cliff Swallow Cave Swallow Barn Swallow Carolina Chickadee Tufted Titmouse Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch Carolina Wren House Wren Marsh Wren Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Eastern Bluebird Veery Swainson's Thrush Wood Thrush Am. Robin Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird Brown Thrasher Cedar Waxwing European Starling Worm-eating Warbler Louisiana Waterthrush Northern Waterthrush Prothonotary Warbler Tennessee Warbler Nashville Warbler Kentucky Warbler Common Yellowthroat Hooded Warbler American Redstart Cape May Warbler Northern Parula Yellow Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Palm Warbler Pine Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Prairie Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Eastern Towhee Chipping Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Nelson's Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Summer Tanager Scarlet Tanager Northern Cardinal Rose-breasted Grosbeak Blue Grosbeak Indigo Bunting Painted Bunting Bobolink Red-winged Blackbird Eastern Meadowlark Common Grackle Boat-tailed Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird Orchard Oriole House Finch American Goldfinch House Sparrow

Frank Fekel

Radnor Lake State Natural Area

Nashville-Davidson County, TN
April 24, 2013

The regularly-scheduled Wednesday walk sponsored by the Nashville chapter of TOS at Radnor Lake State Natural Area in Nashville-Davidson Co. TN did not take place today, 24 April, due to inclement weather.

 The few birders who gathered at 7:30 headed up the road to the dam before thunder, wind, and rain began in earnest. Along the way they encountered two GREAT-CRESTED FLYCATCHERS calling from trees near the parking lot. The YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER that has been present for the last two Wednesdays was heard again in the woods between the parking lot and the lake. This bird was heard singing even in the rain, wind and thunder. A TENNESSEE WARBLER sang repeatedly in the woods near the south end of the dam road and numerous YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS were singing as they flitted about. A pair of AMERICAN COOTS swam near the lake shore. At that point a couple rolls of thunder, dark clouds and the sound of approaching rain ended the walk.

 We will just have to hope for better conditions next week.

 Kevin Bowden

Radnor Lake State Natural Area

Nashville-Davidson County, TN
April 17, 2013

Twenty-six birders met today for the second of six spring Radnor Lake walks. The bird sightings started off much slower than last week but picked up towards the end. Twelve species of warblers were seen, with the Yellow-rumped being the most common.

59 Species

Canada Goose 6 Wood Duck 6 Mallard 2 Blue-winged Teal 6 Lesser Scaup 6 Wild Turkey 11 Pied-billed Grebe 1 Great Blue Heron 2 Black Vulture 2 Turkey Vulture 3 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 Broad-winged Hawk 1 American Coot 25 Barred Owl 3 Chimney Swift 6 Belted Kingfisher 1 Red-headed Woodpecker 2 Red-bellied Woodpecker 10 Downy Woodpecker 3 Northern Flicker 1 Pileated Woodpecker 3 EasternPhoebe 3 Great Crested Flycatcher 1 Eastern Kingbird 2 White-eyed Vireo 1 Yellow-throated Vireo 1 Red-eyed Vireo 5 Blue Jay 11 American Crow 2 Barn Swallow 5

Carolina Chickadee 15 Tufted Titmouse 15 White-breasted Nuthatch 3 Carolina Wren 18 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 16 Eastern Bluebird 2 Wood Thrush 1 European Starling 1 Blue-winged Warbler 3 Nashville Warbler 2 Northern Parula 4 Yellow Warbler 2 Yellow-rumped Warbler 22 Black-throated Green Warbler 5 Yellow-throated Warbler 2 Prairie Warbler 1 Palm Warbler 6 Prothonotary Warbler 2 Louisiana Waterthrush 1 Kentucky Warbler 1 Scarlet Tanager 3 Eastern Towhee 1 Field Sparrow 1 White-throated Sparrow 8 Northern Cardinal 24 Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1 Indigo Bunting 1 Brown-headed Cowbird 6 American Goldfinch 24

 

Scott Block

Radnor Lake State Natural Area

Nashville-Davidson County, TN
April 10, 2013

Nineteen birders attended the the NTOS-sponsored walk at Radnor Lake this morning. From the parking lot onward it was busy; so much so that we made it only to the spillway by 9:30 and thus we decided to take the normally-not-taken path down along the creek back towards the Visitor's Center. Several warblers were highlights including a CERULEAN WARBLER seen out in the open flitting around in the branches near the spillway. Also in the spillway ravine was a HOODED WARBLER that moved low and slow, popping into the open several times for us to have great looks. Along side the HOODED was a PRAIRIE WARBLER that was almost as cooperative. A PALM WARBLER caught a large insect after a bit of a chase and then posed for the group. A NORTHERN PARULA sang and flitted overhead on the path leading back to the Visitor's Center. Also by the spillway was an unusually brightly colored singing WHITE-EYED VIREO. A YELLOW-THROATED VIREO was seen earlier along the dam itself. YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS in every imaginable plumage were very abundant. A BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER stayed at almost eye level along the dam, but only for a few warbler seconds. The YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER was the least cooperative of all the warblers this morning. He sang, but only a few of us got minimal looks from a great distance.

In the skies overhead was a large group of DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS flying north and two NORTHERN HARRIERS, the latter not usually seen at Radnor.

A great first walk for Spring 2013. Below is a list of species observed:

52 species

Canada Goose 3 Wood Duck 5 Mallard 5 Bufflehead 1 Double-crested Cormorant 35 Great Blue Heron 2 Black Vulture 1 Turkey Vulture 2 Northern Harrier 2 Cooper's Hawk 1 Red-tailed Hawk 2 American Coot 1 Mourning Dove 2 Red-bellied Woodpecker 6 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1 Downy Woodpecker 4 Pileated Woodpecker 3 Eastern Phoebe 3 White-eyed Vireo 1 Yellow-throated Vireo 1 Blue-headed Vireo 1 Blue Jay 3 American Crow 1 Northern Rough-winged Swallow 2 Barn Swallow 2 Carolina Chickadee 13

Tufted Titmouse 11 White-breasted Nuthatch 4 Carolina Wren 7 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 12 Golden-crowned Kinglet 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 7 Eastern Bluebird 5 Hermit Thrush 1 American Robin 2 Brown Thrasher 1 Hooded Warbler 1 Cerulean Warbler 1 on the spillway seen clearly Northern Parula 3 Palm Warbler 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler 35 Yellow-throated Warbler 1 Prairie Warbler 1 Black-throated Green Warbler 2 Field Sparrow 1 Song Sparrow 1 White-throated Sparrow 8 Dark-eyed Junco 1 Northern Cardinal 10 Red-winged Blackbird 5 Brown-headed Cowbird 6 American Goldfinch 5

Kevin Bowden