We called him Ol' Coot

   Jeff R. Wilson passed away on February 11, 2013. Here is the obituary from the local newspaper.

"Known to many in the birding community as Ol' Coot, Jeff spent much of his time outdoors searching for rare birds, conducting Christmas bird counts or leading groups on birding expeditions all over the world. He was a member of The Audubon Society and American Ornithological Society. Jeff was also a member of the Tennessee Watercolor Society. His artwork has been shown at the Brooks Museum of Art."

   I must add a favorite Ol-Coot story at this point. He and I met down at the Ensley Bottoms off Riverport Road. He was studying the shorebirds in the tailing ponds of the waste treatment plant. I was very new to birding then. He showed me this bird and talked about that bird; I was impressed with the massive experience he had.

   He took me down the small path, behind the treatment plant itself. The small forked path leading down to the tail end of McKellar Lake, where the out-flow pipe empties fresh water back into the Mississippi River. We stood next to a line of bushes and Jeff whispered, "There is a Yellow Billed Cuckoo in here." My eyes got big.

   Ol' Coot cupped both hands together and started making a low steady cooing call. I could not believe it when a Yellow Billed Cuckoo hopped out of the bushes and looked down at us. Ol' Coot had called a wild Yellow Billed Cuckoo and it came when he called. Amazing !

   Here is a link to Jeff Wilson's excellent pbase database of bird photos.

   Jeff Wilson will be missed. Our condolences to his loved ones. After the passing of Caroline Bullock two years ago, and now Jeff Wilson, Memphis has lost its greatest birders.

Robert and Berry

photos courtesy of jwilson, dspeiser

Day Trip to Reelfoot

  Berry and I would like to say we jumped out of bed, but it was more like a cringing crawl at first. We packed the car with our birding stuff, binoculars, spotting scope, field guide and a pad to make our list of birds. We drove 200 miles north to Reelfoot Lake, making only one stop to purchase cold weather gear that Robert had forgotten to bring.

Eastern Phoebe

   We went to Reelfoot to monitor the comeback of the Bald Eagles. But as experienced birders, we quickly focused in on the less newsworthy birds. One of my favorites is the Eastern Phoebe(Sayornis phoebe), the only flycatcher which winters in the southeastern United States. This is a drab gray and olive flycatcher with a slightly darker head. If you were not looking, you would not have noticed it.

   The Eastern Phoebe feeds on insects while there are insects in the summer, but eats berries in the wintertime. I noticed this bird when it dipped its tail and started making quick circles with it. This phenomenon is diagnostic, as no other bird does this, drawing circles with its tail.

• American Kestrel
• Red Tailed Hawk
• Northern Cardinal
• White Throated Sparrow
• English Sparrow
• Carolina Chickadee
• Common Grackle
• Pine Warbler
• House Finch
• Darkeyed Slate Colored Junco
• Bald Eagle
• Carolina Wren
• Eastern Phoebe
• Tufted Titmouse
• Red Bellied Woodpecker
• Ruddy Duck
• Horned Grebe
• Yellow Shafted Northern Flicker
• American Crow
• Red Bellied Woodpecker
• Yellow Rumped Warbler
• Snow Goose
• Bluejay
• Turkey Vulture
• Savannah Sparrow
• Downy Woodpecker
• Northern Mockingbird
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Northern Shoveler
• Ring Billed Gull
• Horned Lark
• Green Winged Teal
• American Coot
• Ground Dove

  We stopped around 1pm to eat lunch. I had catfish steaks, onion rings and cinnamon apples. Berry had the potato soup to warm up from the blustery winter winds. At one point, I pulled out my work computer to answer email, but mainly we chatted about birding hot spots and our exceeding good fortune. When it was time to go home, both of us agreed that our Nikon spotting scope is invaluable. And hot coffee does warm you up.

Robert

photo courtesy of 910mmman