Wheeler Wildlife Refuge
Decatur, Alabama
November 8, 2014


Seven NTOS members ventured to the refuge in Decatur, Alabama for our November field trip. We were met at the Visitor’s Center by Refuge Project Manager and longtime friend Dwight Cooley. It was a beautiful sunny morning and no sooner did we step out of our cars when the delightful song of Sandhill Cranes filled the air and treated us to great looks as they flew directly overhead. Our first stop was the observation tower at the Visitor’s Center. Highlights there included PINE WARBLER, SANDHILL CRANES, WOOD DUCKS, GADWALLS and AMERICAN WIGEON. Then it was onto Beaver Dam. Highlights here were HORNED LARKS, NORTHERN HARRIER, and a VESPERS SPARROW. Limestone Bay was our next stop where we were treated to GREATER YELLOWLEGS, 700+ WHITE PELICANS, LEAST and PECTORAL SANDPIPERS and a REDHEADED WOODPECKER. From there we enjoyed a delicious lunch at Greenbrier Barbacue…the hush puppies were plentiful and oh so yummy. After lunch we went to the opposite side of Limestone Bay where we found about 250 SNOW GEESE and about 4 ROSS’S GEESE among the group. Onward to White Springs Dike next where highlights included NORTHERN SHOVELER, GREAT EGRETS, a GREAT HORNED OWL, AMERICAN PIPITS and another 400 WHITE PELICANS. We ended our day back at the Visitor’s Center where we were treated to fantastic views of 3 adult WHOOPING CRANES right outside the observation tower. A wonderful ending to a great day. All tolled we had 69 species. The complete list can be viewed below.

Many thanks to go out to Dwight for a delightful bird filled day.

Complete trip list:

Snow Goose Ross’ Goose Canada Goose Wood Duck Gadwall American Wigeon Mallard Northern Shoveler Green-winged Teal Ring-necked Duck Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe American White Pelican Double-crested Cormorants Great Blue Heron Great Egrets Turkey Vulture Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Red-tailed Hawk American Kestrel American Coot Sandhill Cranes Whooping Cranes Killdeer Least Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Ring-billed Gull Mourning Dove Rock Pigeon Great Horned Owl Belted Kingfisher Red-headed Woodpecker Red-bellied Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Eastern Phoebe Blue Jay American Crow Horned Larks Carolina Chickadee Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch Carolina Wren Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Eastern Bluebird Hermit Thrush American Robin Northern Mockingbird Brown Thrasher American Pipet Cedar Waxwings Yellow-rumped Warbler Pine Warbler Eastern Towhee Field Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Song Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Northern Cardinal Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle House Finch American Goldfinch House Sparrow

Cyndi Routledge

Bells Bend Park, Davison County
Oct. 18, 2014

Fourteen birders attended today's walk at Bells Bend. Although it was quite chilly and a bit foggy to start, the weather was perfect by the time we finished. One of the first birds we saw this morning was a Marsh Wren at the second intersection in the paths. A little further down, we flushed a fairly large group of House Finches, and among them was one leucistic/albino bird. Likely the biggest surprise of the day were 20+ Pine Siskins in multiple groups throughout the Bend. Finally, four Bald Eagles put on a fantastic display, calling and soaring overhead. Thank you to all who participated! A checklist is below.

51 species

Canada Goose - x (heard) Mallard - 44 Black Vulture - 10 Turkey Vulture - 3 Bald Eagle - 4 Cooper's Hawk - 1 Broad-winged Hawk - 1 Red-tailed Hawk - 2 American Kestrel - 1 Killdeer - 7 Mourning Dove - 2 Belted Kingfisher - 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker - 8 Downy Woodpecker - 3 Hairy Woodpecker - 2 Northern Flicker - 15 Blue Jay - 30 American Crow - 2 Carolina Chickadee - 9 Tufted Titmouse - 1 Carolina Wren - 5 Marsh Wren - 1 Ruby -crowned Kinglet - 2 Eastern Bluebird - 8 American Robin - 75 Gray Catbird - 3

Northern Mockingbird - 11 Brown Thrasher - 9 European Starling - 20 Tennessee Warbler - 5 Common Yellowthroat - 7 Magnolia Warbler - 1 Palm Warbler - 4 Yellow-rumped Warbler - 8 Black-throated Green Warbler - 1 Eastern Towhee - 18 Field Sparrow - 13 Fox Sparrow - 3 Song Sparrow - 10 Swamp Sparrow - 18 White-throated Sparrow - 9 White-crowned Sparrow - 3 Dark-eyed Junco - 1 Northern Cardinal - 12 Indigo Bunting - 1 Red-winged Blackbird - 15 Eastern Meadowlark - 4 Brown-headed Cowbird - 4 House Finch - 35 Pine Siskin - 20+ American Goldfinch - 10

Chloe Walker
NTOS Field Trip Corrdinator

Radnor Lake State Natural Area
Oct. 8, 2014

The storms that moved through the Nashville area overnight had cleared by morning resulting in some good birding for the NTOS Wednesday morning walk.

We totaled 42 species, including 13 warbler species. The unexpected warbler species present were: WILSON'S WARBLER, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER and OVENBIRD. The group also got good looks at a male SUMMER TANAGER.

There was a group of ducks on the late, but the distance and the lighting made a positive identification difficult.

Species observed:

Canada Goose  20 Wood Duck  6 Wild Turkey  8 Pied-billed Grebe  7 Great Blue Heron  3 Cooper's Hawk  1 Red-tailed Hawk  1 Chimney Swift  100 Red-bellied Woodpecker  6 Downy Woodpecker  4 Pileated Woodpecker  1 Eastern Wood-Pewee  2 Eastern Phoebe  2 White-eyed Vireo  1 Blue Jay  6 American Crow  1 Carolina Chickadee  8 Tufted Titmouse  12 White-breasted Nuthatch  3 Carolina Wren  10 Eastern Bluebird  1

Swainson's Thrush  2 American Robin  7 Gray Catbird  1 Cedar Waxwing  14 Ovenbird  1 Black-and-white Warbler  2 Tennessee Warbler  6 Orange-crowned Warbler  1 American Redstart  4 Northern Parula  3 Magnolia Warbler  19 Bay-breasted Warbler  3 Chestnut-sided Warbler  3 Palm Warbler  2 Yellow-rumped Warbler  16 Black-throated Green Warbler  10 Wilson's Warbler 1 Summer Tanager  1 Northern Cardinal  10 Rose-breasted Grosbeak  1 American Goldfinch  4

Kevin Bowden

Radnor Lake State Natural Area
Oct. 1, 2014

21 birders enjoyed the fourth Radnor Walk of Fall 2014 on a beautiful day. Highlights of the 35 species seen and heard were male Black-throated Blue Warbler and Solitary Sandpiper. Magnolia Warbler continued to be the most numerous Warbler species.

Leader: Danny Shelton

Wood Duck 8 Wild Turkey 13 Pied-billed Grebe 1 Great Blue Heron 2 Black Vulture 5 Solitary Sandpiper 1 Chimney Swift 50+ Red-bellied Woodpecker 6 Downy Woodpecker 6 Hairy Woodpecker 1 Northern Flicker 2 Pileated Woodpecker 1 Eastern Phoebe 2 White-eyed Vireo 1 Philadelphia Vireo 1 Blue Jay 5 American Crow 4 Carolina Chickadee 8

Tufted Titmouse 7 White-breasted Nuthatch 2 Carolina Wren 5 Eastern Bluebird 1 American Robin 3 Cedar Waxwing 40+ Black and White Warber 2 Tennessee Warber 2 Common Yellowthroat 1 Northern Parula 1 Magnolia Warbler 14+ Bay-breasted Warbler 1 Black-throated Blue Warbler 1 Palm Warbler 1 Black-throated Green Warbler 1 Northern Cardinal 10+ Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1

Kevin Bowden

Radnor Lake State Natural Area
Sep. 24, 2014

32 birders enjoyed a gorgeous morning birding Radnor Lake today. 46 species and one taxa including 14 warblers were seen. Among the highlights : the elusive Black-throated Blue, one Hooded Warbler, several Magnolia Warblers, a lone sighting of an Orange-crowned warbler, and several American Redstarts. Below is the cumulative list:

Wood Duck - 12 Mallard - 1 Blue-winged Teal - 3 Wild Turkey -10 Great Blue Heron -2 Green Heron -1 Barred Owl-1 Chimney Swift -42 (conservative) Ruby-throated Hummingbird -2 Belted Kingfisher -1 Red-bellied Woodpecker-7 Downy Woodpecker-6 Northern Flicker-1 Pileated Woodpecker-1 Eastern Wood Pewee-8 Empidonax species -1 White-eyed Vireo-2 Red-eyed Vireo-1 Blue Jay-15 American Crow -10 Carolina Chickadee -15 Tufted Titmouse -9 White-breasted Nuthatch -4 Carolina Wren -9

Swainson's Thrush -1 Wood Thrush -1 American Robin -9 Cedar Waxwing - 47 Northern Waterthrush -1 Blue-winged Warbler -1 Black and White Warbler -2 Tennessee Warbler -9 Orange-crowned Warbler -1 Nashvile Warbler -4 Hooded Warbler -1 American Redstart -23 Northern Parula -3 Magnolia Warbler-17 Bay-breasted Warbler -3 Yellow Warbler -2 Chestnut-sided Warbler -1 Black-throated Blue Warbler -1 Black-throated Green Warbler -8 Summer Tanager -3 Northern Cardinal -11 Rose-breasted Grosbeak -3 American Goldfinch -3

Steve Routledge

Shelby Park, Davidson County
9/20/2014

Today's field trip to Shelby Park and Bottoms was pleasant, with wonderful weather and nice birding. Fourteen birders participated in the walk, and we observed forty-one species. Magnolia Warblers and American Redstarts were extremely abundant, seeming to be at nearly every corner. A Least Flycatcher perched briefly on a low branch provided the first empidonax challenge of the day. Finally, we had simply fantastic looks at a Philadelphia Vireo (a great spot by Joshua Stevenson!) at Mission Hill. A huge thank you to NTOS member Frank Fekel for leading the trip! A complete species list is below:

41 species (+1 taxa.)

Mallard - x Turkey Vulture - 3 Killdeer - 1 Mourning Dove - 4 Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 1 Chimney Swift - x Ruby-throated Hummingbird = 4 Red-bellied Woodpecker - 2 Northern Flicker - 2 Hairy Woodpecker - 1 Downy Woodpecker - 2 Eastern Wood-Pewee - 3 Acadian Flycatcher - 1 Least Flycatcher - 1 Empidonax sp. - 1 White-eyed Vireo - 5 Philadelphia Vireo - 1 American Crow - 3 Blue Jay - 3 Carolina Chickadee - 14 Tufted Titmouse - 8

White-breasted Nuthatch - 1 House Wren - 1 Carolina Wren - 6 Eastern Bluebird - 7 American Robin - 100+ Swainson's Thrush - 1 Gray Catbird - 3 Brown Thrasher - 12 Northern Mockingbird - 4 European Starling - 175+ Yellow Warbler - 1 Common Yellowthroat - 1 American Redstart - 13 Magnolia Warbler - 15 Wilson's Warbler - 2 Eastern Towhee - 1 Northern Cardinal - 6 Indigo Bunting - 5 Common Grackle - 14 House Finch - 4 American Goldfinch - 8

Chloe Walker
NTOS Field Trip Coordinator

Radnor Lake State Natural Area
Sep 10, 2014

Slow birding this morning for the first NTOS Wednesday bird walk for this fall, with just 6 species of warblers tallied. Sixteen people enjoyed the breezy conditions, and what birds were around. Our best small flock was in the big timber along the lake trail between the old lake platform and the long bridge. The Wilson's warbler was seen at the point by the spillway.

34 species

Double-crested Cormorant  1 Great Blue Heron  2 Green Heron  1 Turkey Vulture  6 Cooper's Hawk  1 Red-tailed Hawk  1 Chimney Swift  1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird  2 Red-bellied Woodpecker  4 Downy Woodpecker  4 Pileated Woodpecker  1 Eastern Wood-Pewee  4 Acadian Flycatcher  1 Empidonax sp.  1 Eastern Phoebe  1 White-eyed Vireo  1 Red-eyed Vireo  1 Blue Jay  1

American Crow  8 Carolina Chickadee  8 Tufted Titmouse  2 White-breasted Nuthatch  1 Carolina Wren  10 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  2 Swainson's Thrush  1 American Robin  8 Cedar Waxwing  20 Black-and-white Warbler  1 American Redstart  1 Northern Parula  1 Magnolia Warbler  1 Black-throated Green Warbler  2 Wilson's Warbler  1 Northern Cardinal  6 American Goldfinch  3

Richard Connors