Radnor Lake State Natural Area

May 18, 2013

A large group turned out for the NTOS morning field trip to Radnor Lake.  Highlights were 2 CONNECTICUT WARBLERS, one of which was cooperative to a nearly unprecedented degree. It sang on a close open branch in full view of the entire group, allowing numerous pictures and even some video.  At one point it was nearly right over our heads. There was also 2 MOURNING WARBLER heard, one of which was seen briefly by some. Other highlights included a BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO which posed for photos and a nearby YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO for comparison; great looks at CANADA and KENTUCKY WARBLERS; a large number of BLACKPOLL WARBLERS, male and female; and a face-off between a BARRED OWL and a Squirrel. An empid below the spillway, provided good enough looks to be identified as a TRAILL'S, but remained silent, so positive ID was not possible; however, he was foraging in willow trees, suggesting it was a WILLOW FLYCATCHER. Several of the birds seen were life birds for some of the group, including the Connecticut and the Kentucky Warblers. 74 species were seen, including 21 warbler species, and the Trail's and another unidentified empid.

Number of Species: 74

Canada Goose - 4 Wood Duck - 6 Mallard - 3 Wild Turkey - 4 Black Vulture - 2 Turkey Vulture - 1 Red-tailed Hawk - 1 Mourning Dove - 1 Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 1 Black-billed Cuckoo - 1 Barred Owl - 2 Chimney Swift - 15 Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 2 Downy Woodpecker - 2 Hairy Woodpecker - 1 Northern Flicker - 1 Pileated Woodpecker - 2 Eastern Wood-Pewee - 4 Acadian Flycatcher - 3 Least Flycatcher - 2 Traill's Flycatcher - 1 Empidonax sp. - 1 Eastern Phoebe - 2 Great Crested Flycatcher - 3 Eastern Kingbird - 3 White-eyed Vireo - 2 Yellow-throated Vireo - 2 Philadelphia Vireo - 1 Red-eyed Vireo - 7 Blue Jay - 3 Tree Swallow - 2 Northern Rough-winged Swallow - 25 Barn Swallow - 10 Carolina Chickadee - 15 Tufted Titmouse - 6 White-breasted Nuthatch - 2 Carolina Wren - 14 House Wren - 1

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 12 Eastern Bluebird - 2 Gray-cheeked Thrush - 1 Swainson's Thrush - 8 Wood Thrush - 2 American Robin - 1 Cedar Waxwing - 35 Tennessee Warbler - 1 Yellow Warbler - 2 Chestnut-sided Warbler - 2 Magnolia Warbler - 4 Cape May Warbler - 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler - 1 Black-throated Green Warbler - 1 Blackburnian Warbler - 2 Yellow-throated Warbler - 1 Bay-breasted Warbler - 2 Blackpoll Warbler - 21 Black-and-white Warbler - 1 American Redstart - 7 Prothonotary Warbler - 1 Louisiana Waterthrush - 2 Kentucky Warbler - 1 Connecticut Warbler - 2 Mourning Warbler - 2 Hooded Warbler - 1 Wilson's Warbler - 1 Canada Warbler - 5 Summer Tanager - 2 Scarlet Tanager - 2 Northern Cardinal - 16 Rose-breasted Grosbeak - 1 Indigo Bunting - 2 Red-winged Blackbird - 1 Brown-headed Cowbird - 5 American Goldfinch - 7

Mary Zimmerman

Radnor Lake State Natural Area
Nashville-Davidson Co. TN
May 15, 2013

BLACKPOLL WARBLERS and BAYBREASTED WARBLERS were the species of the day for the last of the NTOS-sponsored Spring Wednesday Walks at Radnor Lake State Natural Area. We saw them along the dam and down the lake trail in large numbers, both male and female. A  highlight near the Spillway was a brilliant male BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER. A lone female BALTIMORE ORIOLE was spotted foraging in the treetops along the dam. Several YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOOS were also spotted during the walk and on our way back to the parking lot we heard a singing VEERY.

Thanks to all who participated in the walks this spring. A special thanks to those who kept the checklists: Susan Hollyday, Jean Buchanan and Pam Lasley.

Below is the tally of species observed:

 
61 species

Canada Goose 4 Wood Duck 6 Wild Turkey 1 Black Vulture 4 Turkey Vulture 2 Red-tailed Hawk 3 Yellow-billed Cuckoo 3 Chimney Swift 6 Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2 Red-bellied Woodpecker 5 Downy Woodpecker 2 Pileated Woodpecker 1 Eastern Wood-Pewee 3 Acadian Flycatcher 2 Eastern Phoebe 1 Great Crested Flycatcher 1 Eastern Kingbird 1 White-eyed Vireo 3 Yellow-throated Vireo 1 Red-eyed Vireo 9 Blue Jay 3 American Crow 1 Northern Rough-winged Swallow 19 Barn Swallow 2 Carolina Chickadee 8 Tufted Titmouse 7 White-breasted Nuthatch 1 Carolina Wren 8 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 7 Eastern Bluebird 2 Veery 1

Swainson's Thrush 6 Wood Thrush 1 European Starling 1 Cedar Waxwing 15 Louisiana Waterthrush 1 Black-and-white Warbler 1 Prothonotary Warbler 1 Tennessee Warbler 6 Kentucky Warbler 1 American Redstart 5 Northern Parula 3 Magnolia Warbler 3 Bay-breasted Warbler 10 Blackburnian Warbler 1 Chestnut-sided Warbler 4 Blackpoll Warbler 12  Palm Warbler 4 Yellow-rumped Warbler 2 Yellow-throated Warbler 2 Black-throated Green Warbler 5 Field Sparrow 1 Summer Tanager 4 Scarlet Tanager 2 Northern Cardinal 9 Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1 Indigo Bunting 1 Common Grackle 2 Brown-headed Cowbird 1 Baltimore Oriole 1 female American Goldfinch 2

 

Kevin Bowden

NTOS Spring Bird Count

May 5, 2013

The Nashville spring bird count was held Sunday, May 5, postponed from May 4 because of rain.  Thirty-eight birders found a total of 156 species, which is about average.  Highlights included 2 Red-breasted Mergansers in Cheatham Co., 1 Black Duck at Radnor Lake, 22 Northern Bobwhites (20 at Bells Bend Park), 9 species of shorebirds with 1 Short-billed Dowitcher at Percy Priest Lake, 3 Scissor-tailed Flycatchers in Rutherford Co., all the expected vireos, 1 Bank Swallow at Percy Priest Lake, 32 warbler species with 27 seen at Radnor Lake, 6 Cerulean Warblers at Harpeth West and Radnor Lake, 2 Mourning Warblers at Shelby Bottoms and Radnor Lake, and 57 Bobolinks at Old Hickory Lake and Shelby Bottoms.

To view the results of each route and the totals click on Bird Count Results in the menu on the right.

Jan Shaw

Radnor Lake State Natural Area

Nashville-Davidson Co. TN
May 8, 2013

Highlights of today's NTOS-sponsored Wednesday Walk at Radnor Lake included great looks at an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER, perching for over 10 minutes in the top branches of a bare tree by the house and spillway as well as a reasonably cooperative WILSON'S WARBLER at the spillway. A brilliant male REDSTART was seen in the same area. The total warbler species count was 15. A few hardy birders remained with the group for a complete circle of the lake where they got nice looks at both SCARLET and SUMMER TANAGER, a good look at a singing LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH and a brief look at a RED-HEADED WOODPECKER. Although a rarity a Radnor, the latter species has been seen regularly this spring leading to speculation that a nesting attempt may be underway.

Below is a tally of today's observations:

59 species

Canada Goose 2 Wood Duck 3 Mallard 2 Wild Turkey 3 Great Blue Heron 1 Turkey Vulture 2 Red-tailed Hawk 1 Spotted Sandpiper 2 Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1 Barred Owl 1 Chimney Swift 5 Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2 Red-headed Woodpecker 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker 5 Downy Woodpecker 6 Pileated Woodpecker 3 Olive-sided Flycatcher 1 Eastern Wood-Pewee 1 Acadian Flycatcher 5 Eastern Phoebe 3 Great Crested Flycatcher 3 White-eyed Vireo 2 Red-eyed Vireo 8 Blue Jay 4 Northern Rough-winged Swallow 10 Barn Swallow 3 Carolina Chickadee 12 Tufted Titmouse 13 White-breasted Nuthatch 1

Carolina Wren 11 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 7 Eastern Bluebird 1 Swainson's Thrush 6 Wood Thrush 3 European Starling 3 Cedar Waxwing 9 Louisiana Waterthrush 2 Prothonotary Warbler 2 Tennessee Warbler 5 Nashville Warbler 1 Kentucky Warbler 1 American Redstart 1 Northern Parula 1 Magnolia Warbler 1 Yellow Warbler 1 Blackpoll Warbler 3 Palm Warbler 3 Yellow-rumped Warbler 11 Yellow-throated Warbler 2 Black-throated Green Warbler 2 Wilson's Warbler 1 Field Sparrow 1 White-throated Sparrow 1 Summer Tanager 7 Scarlet Tanager 2 Northern Cardinal 11 Rose-breasted Grosbeak 4 Indigo Bunting 2 American Goldfinch 1

Kevin Bowden

 

Radnor Lake State Natural Area
Nashville-Davidson Co, TN
May 1, 2013

Over twenty birders joined this morning's NTOS-sponsored walk at Radnor Lake State Natural Area.

It was one of those mornings where you get some good looks at certain birds, and hear plenty of others. For many, the ACADIAN FLYCATCHER calling out near the road as we strolled from up the parking lot to the lake was a first for this spring. The bird not only sang out loud and clear, but came down on a bare branch for all to see. That's about when we saw the LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH on the road surface in plain view. The youngest member of the group, David, found a RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD nest on a bare branch over the dam road. When we queried him as to how he ever found such a tiny bump on the twig, he said he saw the bird fly onto the nest. Along the same road we saw two YELLOW-THROATED VIREOS, one with nesting material in its bill, and sure enough we found a nest high up in a sycamore tree at the lake's edge. Also along the dam was an AMERICAN COOT standing at the edge of the water, just beside a SPOTTED SANDPIPER that cooperated nicely as well. All this, while a WOOD THRUSH sang continually nearby. We also spied an EASTERN KINGBIRD perched out at the top of a tree near the Spillway, making his buzzy sharp kzeet call.  A highlight for many was seeing and hearing a SUMMER TANAGER out in the open, above the road over the dam. We did later see and hear a female SUMMER TANAGER making pit-a-tuck calls.

On the Lake Trail we spotted a BARRED OWL perched low near the first little footbridge coming from the Spillway. It suddenly dove down, but came up empty-clawed to the same branch, and then flew off, brushing right past us.

We heard more warblers than we saw, but a handful of us saw a male BLACKPOLL WARBLER near Grassy Point; a few more of us saw a NORTHERN PARULA, and most of us got a good look at a PROTHONOTARY WARBLER. Most all the other warblers were heard and not seen.

As we approached the Long Bridge a pair of male SCARLET TANAGERS sat almost side by side, which stopped the group for a while. And finally when we got to the Long Bridge we had a VIREO chorus: a RED-EYED, WHITE-EYED, and YELLOW-THROATED singing simultaneously.

48 species

Canada Goose 7 Wood Duck 5 Wild Turkey 4 Great Blue Heron 1 Turkey Vulture 3 Red-tailed Hawk 1 American Coot 1 Spotted Sandpiper 1 Barred Owl 1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2 Red-bellied Woodpecker 3 Downy Woodpecker 2 Pileated Woodpecker 3 Acadian Flycatcher 1 Eastern Kingbird 1 White-eyed Vireo 1 Yellow-throated Vireo 3 Red-eyed Vireo 3 Blue Jay 6 Northern Rough-winged Swallow 1 Purple Martin 1 Barn Swallow 6 Carolina Chickadee 6 Tufted Titmouse 9

White-breasted Nuthatch 1 Carolina Wren 6 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 5 Eastern Bluebird 5 Swainson's Thrush 1 Wood Thrush 1 Louisiana Waterthrush 3 Prothonotary Warbler 3 Tennessee Warbler 2 Nashville Warbler 1 Kentucky Warbler 1 Cape May Warbler 1 Northern Parula 2 Blackpoll Warbler 1 Palm Warbler 4 Yellow-rumped Warbler 6 Yellow-throated Warbler 1 Black-throated Green Warbler 1 Summer Tanager 3 Scarlet Tanager 3 Northern Cardinal 12 Rose-breasted Grosbeak 3 Brown-headed Cowbird 3 American Goldfinch 4

Kevin Bowden

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