Date:         Sat, 30 Jun 2007 14:54:33 -0700
Reply-To:     Bert Harris <helmitherosharris@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Georgia Birders Online <GABO-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Bert Harris <helmitherosharris@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      no luck with South Polar Skua
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

Dear GA birders,

     I just got back in town from three weeks out west and I saw the skua post.  I arrived at the lake yesterday at 3 pm and inquired in the marina office.  The people were very helpful and there indeed are plans for tee shirts.  They informed me that the bird was seen at Doll Mountain Rec Area on Thursday.  They think the bird is spooked by the incessant boat traffic and is keeping to the coves.  I scanned the water from the marina (a good vantage) and then proceeded to Doll Mtn.  Nothing there but the Common Loon.  I decided that the Woodring Rec Area might be a good place because it’s a narrow spot in the lake where birds must pass when moving from one end of the lake to the other.  I walked all the way to the end of the spit where there is a large field of view.  I waited there for the rest of the afternoon until 9 pm.  I saw nothing but the beautiful Horned Grebe.  The bass fishermen kept the boat traffic to a maximum all the way until dark.
     I camped there and started at 630 am today.  The boat traffic was even heavier today.  Nothing from Woodring.  I then went to Doll Mountain, Harris Branch, and the marina.  From these points I could see most of the lake but the northeast end was largely hidden.  I explored this part of the lake, starting from Doll Mtn, by kayak. I quit today around 1 pm.
     I wonder if the bird is still around!  I feel that I searched the lake pretty thoroughly but of course the bird would have blended in very well with the mud and rocks on the bank if it were perched there.  It was also impossible to cover all the shoreline by kayak.  In addition, the folks at the marina said that it has invariably been seen with a Laughing Gull, a bird I did not find.  Perhaps they are holed up in some small cove.
     I am very interested in trying again if there are any more sightings.  The pontoon boats are $75 per hour, minimum of two hours.  I believe the boat would be the ideal method to find the bird by searching all the shoreline.  Let me know if you are interested.
     I hope someone else can provide better news!

  -Bert Harris, Huntsville, AL



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