Eighteen participants took part in the NTOS field trip to Shelby Bottoms in Nashville last Saturday: starting in Phase 3 of the bottoms, we enjoyed a leisurely stroll along the paved path, abiding the ebbs and flows of bird activity that is so often the case during fall migration. We encountered three widely spaced mixed songbird flocks that demanded most of our attention, but which were strung together by a smattering of birds along the entire length of our walk. Highlights included brief views of a flyover Merlin, a Barred Owl perched directly over the trail (oblivious to the joggers and cyclists passing directly beneath it), and 9 species of warbler. We encountered 51 species in all during this part of the trip.
We then made the short drive to Cornelia Fort to check out the now sizeable wetland at the former airport property. The cacophony of Killdeer was continuous, as they were seemingly unafraid of the 4 raptor species that we encountered. A flock of 40 Blue-winged teal were the main migrants present here amongst the 26 species tallied.
It was nice to see old friends and make some new ones as well, thanks to all who participated!
Mike Smith
Hendersonville, TN
