Duck River Unit, TN NWR

Humphreys County

February 18, 2012

Twenty-five birders, including many young people, descended on the Long St. meeting point in New Johnsonville for the Nashville chapter of TOS field trip to the Tennessee NWR--Duck River Unit in Humphreys County. We first went to the west side of the refuge, where we found hundreds of DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTs, several WHITE PELICANs, and 8 species of ducks including a group of 13 CANVASBACKs. We then headed for the main refuge entrance. Driving to the Pintail Blind, we heard and then saw a RED-HEADED WOODPECKER and viewed 5 BALD EAGLEs, both immatures and adults. Returning to the main refuge road, we found a large flock of well over 100 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE.  The partially flooded fields held at least 250 AMERICAN WIGEONs.  Several in the group got to see a red phase SCREECH OWL using a wood duck box.  On our return journey we spotted an adult BALD EAGLE on a nest.  A group of 30 NORTHERN FLICKERs flushed from a field produced an impressive pattern of yellow underwings and white rumps.  In all we found 67 species in the general area of the refuge.

Frank Fekel, NTOS Field Trip Coordinator

Numbers for many species are approximate

Greater White-fronted Goose  131  Extensive flock seen on ground next to the river.

Canada Goose  85

Gadwall  45

American Wigeon  275

American Black Duck 2

Mallard  95

Northern Shoveler  33

Northern Pintail  44

Green-winged Teal  4

Canvasback 13

Ring-necked Duck  55

Lesser Scaup  5

Bufflehead  18

Hooded Merganser  3

Ruddy Duck 3

Wild Turkey about 90 seen in two flocks on drive to reach New Johnsonville

Pied-billed Grebe  2

Horned Grebe 3

Double-crested Cormorant  295

American White Pelican  11

Great Blue Heron  26

Turkey Vulture  1

Bald Eagle  10

Northern Harrier  4

Sharp-shinned Hawk  1

Red-tailed Hawk 3

American Kestrel  2

American Coot  90

Killdeer  26

Wilson's Snipe  9

Bonaparte's Gull  8

Ring-billed Gull 32

Mourning Dove  several off refuge

Eastern Screech-Owl 1

Belted Kingfisher  1

Red-headed Woodpecker  2

Red-bellied Woodpecker  3

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  1

Downy Woodpecker  3

Hairy Woodpecker  1

Northern Flicker  32 Large group of flickers flew up from a field. 

Pileated Woodpecker 1

Eastern Phoebe  1

Blue Jay  3

American Crow  25

Carolina Chickadee  5

Tufted Titmouse  1

Brown Creeper  1

Carolina Wren  3

Golden-crowned Kinglet  1

Eastern Bluebird  3

American Robin  3

Northern Mockingbird  1

Yellow-rumped Warbler  3

Eastern Towhee 1

Field Sparrow 2

Savannah Sparrow  25

Song Sparrow  8

Swamp Sparrow  7

White-throated Sparrow 1

Northern Cardinal  1

Red-winged Blackbird 2

Eastern Meadowlark  23

Common Grackle  55

American Goldfinch 3 off refuge

House Sparrow 2 off refuge

J. Percy Priest Lake area

Davidson County
Nashville Tenn. Ornithological Soc. Field Trip
2012 Jan. 21

Saturday morning Jan. 21, was overcast with cool temperatures and increasing winds, but 16 birders braved the conditions and visited six different J. Percy Priest Lake areas, looking for winter species.  The group was rewarded and found over 50 species. At the dam, 11 NORTHERN PINTAILs flew overhead while an adult BALD EAGLE was seen across the way at Nashville Shores.  At Cooks Recreation Area, one of our young birders spotted a flying COMMON GOLDENEYE. At the next stop, Seven Points Recreation area, several birders had a brief view of a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. Later we saw 14 SNOW GEESE arrive on the lake and afterward spotted a RED-BREASTED MERGANSER. The area was well populated with at least 115 HORNED GREBEs. Land birds included BROWN CREEPER, YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, and a large flock of EASTERN BLUEBIRDs. After lunch we finished the Merganser trifecta, finding both HOODED and the continuing female COMMON MERGANSER at Couchville Lake.  We missed the MERLIN at Anderson Road Rec. Area, but were rewarded at Hamilton Creek Rec. Area when we saw 7 COMMON GOLDENEYEs and after some patient waiting, were able to identify 3 SURF SCOTERs, one of which was an adult male. A great day of birding warmed the heart, even if the hands were cold. We thank Richard Connors for acting as trip leader.

For some species minimum numbers are estimated.

Snow Goose  14 Seen flying and then landed on the lake

Canada Goose   3
Gadwall  3
Mallard  26
Northern Pintail  11
Surf Scoter   3, 1 adult male  
Bufflehead    11
Common Goldeneye  8
Hooded Merganser  5
Common Merganser  1 female
Red-breasted Merganser  1
Ruddy Duck  1
Wild Turkey   97 in two flocks
Common Loon   54
Pied-billed Grebe   13
Horned Grebe   115
Great Blue Heron  9
Black Vulture   34
Turkey Vulture   1
Bald Eagle   1 adult
Sharp-shinned Hawk   1
Cooper's Hawk    1
Red-tailed Hawk   3
American Coot  137
Killdeer    1
Bonaparte's Gull  29
Ring-billed Gull  65
Mourning Dove   1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 4
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   1
Downy Woodpecker  3
Hairy Woodpecker  2
Blue Jay   1
American Crow   14
Carolina Chickadee  11
Tufted Titmouse   4
Brown Creeper   2
Carolina Wren   3
Golden-crowned Kinglet  10
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  1
Eastern Bluebird  45
American Robin   88
Northern Mockingbird  1
European Starling  22
Yellow-rumped Warbler  21
Swamp Sparrow     1
White-throated Sparrow  2
Dark-eyed Junco   16
Northern Cardinal  5
Red-winged Blackbird  20
American Goldfinch  2

Hickory - Priest CBC

Jan. 1, 2012
Nashville TN

Eighteen people were out in 5 parties, on a very windy but still warmer than usual New Year’s Day. Highlights include: one likely TUNDRA SWAN seen early and briefly by Scott Somershoe at Anderson Rd Rec Area. Other notables include 3 Bald Eagles, 3 Merlins, 1 each  Marsh Wren, Gray Catbird, Orange-crowned Warbler, Lincoln's Sparrow and a  high count on Chipping Sparrow (320+). Duck variety was good with 13 species found. White-breasted Nuthatch (1) has finally become a "regular" on this count. Notable misses include Wood Duck, Wild Turkey, Herring Gull, Great Horned Owl and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Click "Bird Count Results" on the right to view the complete results.

Total Species - 90 
Total Birds - 18292

NTOS Christmas Bird Count

The Nashville CBC was conducted on Saturday, Dec. 17 and totaled 76 species, about average for the count. There was also one Count Week species, 5 Canvasbacks, at Radnor Lake. No unusual species were reported, but there was one Red-breasted Nuthatch which has not been common here this year. Three Bald Eagles were found, 2 adults and 1 immature. There was one late Indigo Bunting at Radnor Lake, an occasional winter species in the Nashville area. Thank you to all who helped with the count, and to Susan Hollyday who provided us with a delicious compilation supper.

Click "Bird Count Results" on the right to view the complete results.

Total Species - 77

Total Birds - 9324

Old Hickory Dam Area

J. Percy Priest Dam Area
Davidson Co., TN
Saturday, 2011 Dec. 10
Clear and very chilly

On Saturday morning, December 10, ten intrepid Tennessee birders, representing several counties in middle Tennessee, converged at Old Hickory Dam in northern Davidson County for the Nashville TOS field trip.  They spent a very chilly morning searching for various winter species.  A walk through the woods next to the dam produced an EASTERN PHOEBE, good numbers of GOLDEN CROWNED KINGLETs, and several BROWN CREEPERs, and FOX SPARROWs, the latter being a life bird for some in the group.  Perhaps the best bird of the morning was a FORSTER'S TERN that circled low over Snow Bunting Peninsula.

Also seen in the area were a nearby COMMON LOON, BONAPARTE'S GULLs, and plenty of HORNED and PIED-BILLED GREBEs.  Duck numbers were rather low with only RUDDY and MALLARDs seen.  Since the morning was still young, as a bonus, we drove to the J. Percy Priest Dam.

While no new species were found on the lake, a drive to the area below the dam produced a lone RUSTY BLACKBIRD that posed in a bare tree for the group.  At the end of the morning the group had found 44 species. 

List of birds found:

Mallard 15

Ruddy Duck  18
Common Loon 11
Pied-billed Grebe  12
Horned Grebe  22
Double-crested Cormorant  1
Great Blue Heron  9
Black Vulture  36
Cooper's Hawk 2
Red-tailed Hawk  6
American Coot  81
Killdeer  5
Bonaparte's Gull 3
Ring-billed Gull 170
Forster's Tern 1
Mourning Dove  1
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  2
Downy Woodpecker  4
Northern Flicker  2
Eastern Phoebe  1
Blue Jay  4
American Crow  5
Carolina Chickadee  8
Tufted Titmouse  4
Brown Creeper  3
Carolina Wren  6
Golden-crowned Kinglet  9
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  5
Eastern Bluebird  14
American Robin  32
Northern Mockingbird  2
Brown Thrasher  1
European Starling  209
Yellow-rumped Warbler  3
Eastern Towhee  2
Field Sparrow  4
Fox Sparrow  3
Song Sparrow  11
Swamp Sparrow  5
White-throated Sparrow  4
Northern Cardinal  8
Rusty Blackbird 1
American Goldfinch  2

Frank Fekel

NTOS Field Trip Leader

Benton and Henry Counties, TN
Saturday, 2011 Nov. 19
8:30am-4:15 pm

Fifteen birders, including David Kirschke from East Tennessee, enjoyed the NTOS sponsored trip to Pace Point and the Britton Ford areas around Kentucky Lake. The weather was surprisingly warm and conditions were reasonably good for viewing during most of the day. Highlights began even before we reached the town of Big Sandy. The group stopped at a spot on Lower Big Sandy Road and had nice views of a LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE. At Big Sandy we joined forces with several additional birders and headed toward Pace Point. A stop at Lick Creek resulted in several BALD EAGLEs and two distant HORNED LARKs. Bennett's Creek Overlook produced its usual flotilla of MALLARDs plus several other duck species. A NORTHERN HARRIER and a flyover, calling AMERICAN PIPIT added additional spice to our list. The cove area just short of Pace Point produced a RED-NECKED GREBE that spent a good deal of time diving and so unfortunately, was observed by only a few of our group. At the Point the highlight was several COMMON GOLDENEYEs. On our way to Rocky Point we got close up views of a number of HOODED MERGANSERs plus a female WOOD DUCK at a small pond. Eating lunch on the run, the afternoon was spent on the Britton Ford side of Kentucky Lake where we got several new duck species, including BLACK DUCK, REDHEAD, and CANVASBACK, and added a WHITE-WINGED SCOTER that spent much of the time trying to sleep and avoid identification. A brief foray to Eagle Creek produced a raft of 83 PIED-BILLED GREBEs and a lone AMERICAN EGRET. We finished the outing at Paris Landing State Park, where the wind substantially increased, making viewing difficult. Everyone enjoyed the RED-HEADED WOODPECKER found in the picnic area. At the end of a long but satisfying day we had tallied ~63 species.

Totals are very approximate and representative at best for most species:

Canada Geese 25
Wood Duck 1
Gadwall 65
Am. Wigeon 3
Am. Black Duck 9
Mallard hundreds if not a thousand or more
N. Shoveler 2
N. Pintail 2
Green-winged Teal 4
Canvasback 5
Redhead 20
Ring-necked Duck 2
Lesser Scaup 100
White-winged Scoter 1
Bufflehead 40
Common Goldeneye 4
Hooded Merganser 24
Ruddy Duck several hundred
Common Loon 12
Pied-billed Grebe 135
Horned Grebe 20
Red-necked Grebe 1
Double-crested Cormorant 2
Great Blue Heron 30
Great Egret 1
Black Vulture 1
Turkey Vulture 4
Bald Eagle 6
N. Harrier 4
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Am. Kestrel 1
Am. Coot several hundred
Killdeer 11
Bonaparte's Gull 6
Ring-billed Gull 90
Herring Gull 15

Mourning Dove 1
Red-headed Woodpecker 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2
Downey Woodpecker 1
N. Flicker 3
Loggerhead Shrike 1
Blue Jay 2
Am. Crow 50
Horned Lark 9
Carolina Chickadee 3
Tufted Titmouse 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
E. Bluebird 6
Am. Robin 3
Am Pipit 1 calling and flyover
E. Towhee 2
Field Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 3
White-throated Sparrow 3
Dark-eyed Junco 6
N. Cardinal 4
E. Meadowlark 2
Am. Goldfinch 4

Frank Fekel
Nashville TOS Field Trip leader

Radnor Lake Sate Natural Area
Nashville-Davidson Co, TN
19 October 2011
 
Eleven birders braved the raw weather (breezy, low gray ceiling, and temperatures in the mid 40's) to attend the last Radnor Lake Wednesday Walk for Fall 2011. Although we did not travel as far or stay as long as we normally do, we did pick up a species we had not previously seen this fall: an AMERICAN WIGEON was spotted among a small group of WOOD DUCKS on the lake. We ran into several flocks of YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, which would have been our only Warbler species had it not been for one briefly-seen COMMON YELLOWTHROAT.

Thanks to all who participated this Fall, providing their assistance in spotting and identifying the 77 species that we observed on the six walks.

Here's a recap of today's observations:

19 species

Canada Goose  6
Wood Duck  10
American Wigeon  1
Belted Kingfisher  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  3
Downy Woodpecker  4
Northern Flicker  2
Pileated Woodpecker  2
Blue Jay  2
Carolina Chickadee  11
Tufted Titmouse  6
Carolina Wren  7
Eastern Bluebird  1
Gray Catbird  1
Common Yellowthroat  1
Yellow-rumped Warbler  16
White-throated Sparrow  3
Northern Cardinal  9
Indigo Bunting  1