Birding in East Tennessee

This past weekend - June 7-9, 2008 - Tom McNeil and myself ventured to West Tennessee to bird the Memphis area and Reelfoot Lake.  On Saturday (June 7) , in the Memphis area we visited the Ensley Bottoms area. Not having visited the area before, we basically hunted and pecked the area but still found some good birds.  The list that follows includes T.O. Fuller State Park:

E = Ensley Bottoms (Earth Complex)
TO - T.O. Fuller State Park

Canada Goose - E
Mallard - E
Blue-winged Teal - E
Northern Bobwhite - E
Double-crested Cormorant - E
Great Blue Heron - E
Great Egret - E
Cattle Egrete - E
Turkey Vulture - E
Mississippi Kite (5) - TO
American Kestrel - E
Killdeer - E
Black-necked Stilt (w/chicks) - E
Pectoral Sandpiper - E
Mourning Dove - E
Yellow-billed Cuckoo - E
Chimney Swift - E
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - E
Red-bellied Woodpecker - E
Northern Flicker - E
Pileated Woodpecker - E
Eastern Wood-Pewee - TO
Acadian Flycatcher - TO
Great-crested Flycatcher - E
Eastern Kingbird - E
White-eyed Vireo - E
Red-eyed Vireo - E
Horned Lark - E
Barn Swallow - E
C. Chickadee - TO
Tufted Titmouse - TO
Carolina Wren - TO
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - E, TO
Wood Thrush - TO
American Robin - TO
Northern Mockingbird - E
Starling - TO, E
Northern Parula - TO, E
Prothonotary Warbler - TO
Kentucky Warbler - TO
Common Yellowthroat - E
Hooded Warbler - TO
Yellow-breasted Chat - E
Summer Tanager - E
Indigo Bunting - E
Painted Bunting - female seen , male heard - E
Dickcissel - E
Red-winged Blackbird - E
Eastern Meadowlark - E
Western Meadowlark - E
Common Grackle - E
Brown-headed Cowbird - E
Orchard Oriole - E
Baltimore Oriole - E

From there we ventured over to Shelby Farms where we found Allan Trently finishing up with the volunteers on National Trails Day.  Here we found:

Mississippi Kites (24)
Horned Larks
White-eyed Vireos
Pileated Woodpeckers

and howling Coyotes responding to the many air sirens performing their noon day tests...

From here we travelled farther north of Memphis to the Shelby Forest Area / Park where we added:

Wood Duck
Wild Turkey
Black Vulture
More - Mississippi Kites (13)
Barred Owl
Downy Woodpecker
Yellow-throated Vireo
Fish Crow
Black and White Warbler
Cerulean Warbler

Also along the Mississippi River we had Least Terns.

We stayed in Jackson and after dark we had Common Nighthawks and early mornings we had Purple Martins.

On Sunday June 8 - Tom McNeil and I  travelled to Northwest Tennessee to Reelfoot Lake.  Here is our list:

Mallard
Wild Turkey
Anhinga (flying over the swamp at the Walnut Grove area)
Great Blue Heron
Snowy Egret (Black Bayou Waterfowl Management area)
Little Blue Heron (Black Bayou Waterfowl Management area)
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Mississippi Kite (5)
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Killdeer
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Barred Owl
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Red-headed Woodpecker (Lake Isom)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Eastern-wood Pewee
Acadian Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great-crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Loggerhead Shrike (4)
White-eyed Vireo
Blue jay
American Crow
Horned Lark
Purple Martin
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Yellow-throated Warbler
Black and White Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Kentucky Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Summer Tanager
Field Sparrow (Lake Isom)
Grasshopper Sparrow (Lake Isom)
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Dickcissel
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow