TENNESSEE & KENTUCKY 
Cited contributors (subregional editors in 
boldface): Ryan Ankeny, Michael Autin, Tim 
Baker, Wanda Bartholomai, Danna Baxley 
(DBa), Ben Britton, David Brown (DBr-KY), 
David Brown (DBr-TN), John Brunjes, Kevin 
Calhoon (se. Tennessee), Nonnie Campbell, 
Hap Chambers, Charlie Crawford, Glen 
Criswell, Phillip Casteel (middle Tennessee), 
Phyllis Deal, Roseanna Denton, Glen Eller, 
Harry Farthing, Clayton Ferrell, Scott Freid- 
hof, Jonathan Frodge, Jack Gentile, Michael 
Griffith, Erin Harper (EHa), Ron Harrington 
(RHa), David Haskell (DHa), John Hender- 
son, Doug Hennig (DHe), Kate Heyden, Emi- 
ly Hockman (EHo), Rick Houlk (RHo), Eddie 
Huber (EHu), Daniel Jacobson, Ginny King- 
solver, Wendell Kingsolver, Rick Knight (ne. 
Tennessee), Andrew Laughlin, Ben Leffew, Ed 
LeGrand, Bill Lisowsky (BLi), Paula Lisowsky, 
Bob Lloyd (BLl), Merrill Lynch, Amy Martin, 
Joseph Mast, Larry McDaniel, Tom McNeil, 
Don Miller (DMi), Nancy Moore, Mike Mor- 
ton, Daniel Moss (DMo), Elizabeth Oakley, 
Brainard Palmer-Ball, Jr. (BPa), Laura Patton, 
Don Pelly, Dick Preston (w. Tennessee), Bill 
Pulliam (BPu), Frank Renfrow, David Roemer, 
Joan Roemer, Ron Rogers, Tommie Rogers, 
Betty Samara, Harold Sharp, Jan K. Shaw, 
Michael Sledjeski, Chris Sloan, Scott Somer- 
shoe, Jacob Stewart (JSt), Dan Stoelb (DSt), 
Dale Swant (DSw), Jeannie Swant OSw), Mike 
Todd, Shawchyi Vorisek, Stan Wallace (SWa), 
Jimmy & Cynthia Wilkerson (JSscCW), Jim 
Williams QWi), Shane Williams (SWi),Jeff R. 
Wilson, Ben Yandell, Mary Yandell. ^ 
Chris Sloan, 224 Hicks Road 
Nashville, Tennessee 37221, (chris.sloan@comcast.net) 
Brainard Palmer-Ball, Jr. 
Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission 
801 Schenkel Lane, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601 
(brainard.palmer-ball@ky.gov) 
I Alabama & Mississippi 
Florence Wheeler 
Waterloo 
Huntsville 
^mWheelerNWR 
Decatur 
Bankhead NF Guntersville " 
OklibbehaCoanlyl T *1 , •Birmingham 
.Harpersville 
ALABAMA 
.. • Auburn* 
I Montgomery . 
MISSISSIPPI 
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Miss. Sandhill 
Crane NWR 
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• Jackson 
Mobile/Tensaw Delta 
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Gulf Is. Natl. 
Seashore (MS) 
LEHERED ALABAMA 
GULF COAST SITES: 
A = Gulf Shores 
B = Ft, Morgan 
C = Dauphin I, 
D = Bayou La Batre 
GULF OF MEXICO 
Steven W. McConnell 
D eep South birders found this season’s 
climate generally warmer and dryer 
than normal in June but cooler and 
wetter later in July, especially in the northern 
portion of our Region. No tropical systems 
threatened to cloud our horizons this season. 
Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks continued to 
make news with an apparent first nesting in 
Alabama. Two Kelp Gull x Herring Gull hy- 
brids furnished a first Alabama record. Sooty 
Terns returned to the Alabama coast to nest 
again for only the second time. A Gulf of 
Mexico pelagic trip in June found mostly 
brown water but also good views of Band- 
rumped and Wilson’s Storm-Petrels. 
Abbreviations: Dauphin (Dauphin 1., Mobile, 
AL); Delta (Mississippi R. delta of nw. and w.- 
cen. Mississippi); Ft. Morgan (Ft. Morgan 
State Historical Park, Baldwin, AL); Grand 
Bay (Grand Bay National Estuarine Research 
Preserve, Jackson, MS); M.R. (Mountain Re- 
gion of n. Alabama); Noxubee (Noxubee 
N.W.R., Noxubee/Oktibbeha/Winston, MS); 
Ross Barnett (Ross Barnett Res., Rankin/Madi- 
son, MS); Seaman (Seaman Road lagoons, 
Jackson, MS); T.V (Tennessee Valley Region of 
n. Alabama); Wheeler (Wheeler N.W.R. , 
Limestone/Morgan/Madison, AL); Yazoo (Ya- 
zoo N.W.R., Washington, MS). 
WATERFOWL THROUGH EGRETS 
Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks managed to 
maintain a presence at several locations in the 
Region this season, on the heels of an active 
spring season. Four reports of up to 4 ducks 
were collected from Mississippi 3-10 Jun, 
mostly from Delta or coastal counties (m.ob.). 
Up to 7 birds, including juvs., continued 13 
Jun-29 Jul at Blakeley L, Mobile, AL, presum- 
ably furnishing a first state breeding record 
(CH, SWM). Summer waterfowl reports 
seemed especially numerous, with 18 records 
accumulated comprising 11 species. Most 
noteworthy of these were a male Canvasback 
10 Jun at Guntersville, Marshall, AL that fur- 
nished only the 2nd summer T.V. record (KH); 
an injured male Greater Scaup 23-24 Jul at a 
catfish pond near Moorhead, Sunflower, MS, 
where very few previous summer records exist 
(tDB); five Ruddy Duck reports, including the 
possibility of breeding at a catfish pond in 
Sunflower, MS, where 18 ad. drakes and hens 
were noted 23 Jul (DB); and 2 Surf Scoters on 
Dauphin 6 Jim (HEH, T6a:JS), representing 
only the 2nd Alabama Jun record. 
A Gulf of Mexico pelagic trip 20 Jun suc- 
cessfully reached a point 135 km s. of Orange 
Beach, Baldwin, AL into waters around 1300 
m deep. Despite the lack of clear, blue water. 
fish oil chum attracted 8 storm-petrels into 
view, including 5 Band-rumped and a Wil- 
son’s (ph. KH, m.ob.). Two large flocks of 
American White Pelicans were noted this 
summer, a season when the species is fre- 
quently absent. A count of 62 was made at 
Blakeley L, Mobile, AL 12 Jul (CH), and 60 
were found at Noxubee 1 Jun (DR). A lone 
Brown Pelican was observed at Ross Barnett 
29 Jun (ph. SP), where several have been 
present since fall 2005. Least Bittern is a 
rarely detected breeder, making the two re- 
ports received noteworthy. The first was at a 
small wetland in Madison, AL 7-1 1 Jul, where 
2 birds were found last spring (DRC), and the 
other was at Noxubee 5 Jun (D&JP). Snowy 
Egrets made a significant post-breeding dis- 
persal into n. Alabama, where the species is 
typically hard to find in summer. Leading the 
pack were the 5 in Lauderdale 26 Jul (S’WM), 
providing an impressive total compared to re- 
cent years’ totals. Black-crowned Night- 
Herons are not unusual to find during sum- 
mer; however, the 25 counted at Neely Henry 
Dam, St. Clair/Calhoim, AL 10 Jun (MSh) es- 
tablished a new maximum for the M.R. 
IBIS THROUGH SHOREBIRDS 
Imm. White Ibis staged a noteworthy late- 
summer movement 15-31 Jul into the T.V, 
where the species is rarely found. Maximum 
counts were 5 in Colbert 22 Jul (DJS) and 8 at 
Wheeler 18 Jul (m.ob.). White-faced Ibis con- 
tinue to be found into the summer season at 
Yazoo, where Mississippi’s first breeding 
record was established the previous spring 
(DL). Three Roseate Spoonbills at St. Cather- 
ine Creek N.W.R., Adams, MS 19 Jun (BS) 
made the only report. An excellent count of 
60 Clapper Rails came from Grand Bay 10 Jul 
608 
NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS 
