January 31, 2015
The NTOS field trip to the Pace Point/Britton Ford area was a wonderful success!
Our group started at the Bennetts Creek Overlook within the Big Sandy Unit of the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge, and no sooner had we stepped out of our vehicles when the cry of "Golden Eagle!" sounded. We all had fantastic views of both an adult and an immature together - a life bird for many.
Duck numbers were sky-rocketing throughout the day, the vast majority being Mallards. Three hybrid dabblers were sighted: one, a "Brewer's Duck" (Gadwall x Mallard) at the Bennetts Creek Overlook; the second, a handsome Mallard x American Black Duck at Tennessee NWR--Britton Ford Unit; and finally, an additional "Brewer's Duck" at Britton Ford. Also of note was a merganser "trifecta" at Bennets Creek Overlook and all five regular geese at Britton Ford.
Notable misses: American Coot (!)
Wow...what a day! A huge thanks to Mike Todd for leading the trip, and thank you to all who attended.
65 species
| Great White-fronted Goose Snow Goose Ross's Goose Cackling Goose Canada Goose Gadwall Mallard Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Canvasback Redhead Ring-necked Duck Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Ruddy Duck Common Loon Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe American White Pelican Great Blue Heron Black Vulture Turkey Vulture Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk |
Golden Eagle American Kestrel Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Red-headed Woodpecker Red-bellied Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Pileated Woodpecker Eastern Phoebe Blue Jay American Crow Carolina Chickadee Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch Carolina Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Eastern Bluebird American Robin Yellow-rumped Warbler Eastern Towhee Savannah Sparrow Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Northern Cardinal Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird American Goldfinch |
Chloe Walker
Field Trip Coordinator
