wayward scissor-tail

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Congratulations to my friend Kathy Bivens, Secretary of the Knoxville Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society (KTOS), who located a scissor-tailed flycatcher at UT’s research and education center farm at Rockford late in the afternoon last Friday.

The flycatcher with the kite-like tail was a long, long, long way from its Texas/Oklahoma summer home range.

Tom Howe, also of KTOS, verified the bird on Saturday and reportedly took some photos. (The picture above is a file photo, not the actual bird Kathy and Tom saw.)

Perhaps illustrating the pure evanescence of the natural world, Kathy says the magnificent bird has not been seen since. Poof! Here one day, gone the next. But the farm is a big place and she is going to continue to look. I spent an hour walking the gravel road of the open pasture land late yesterday myself, hoping to find the wayward Tyrannus but alas, it wasn't meant to be.

The airport is very near the farm, perhaps the vagabond caught a ride home.

(As a p.s., I spoke to Karen Hiller, sister of Ijam's Park Manager Ed Yost, who is visiting from Pennsylvania. She found a scissor-tail in her state about eight to ten years ago, so the birds do occasionally become long-distance travelers. )

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