Results of the Adair County, Kentucky, Spring BirdBlitz—6 May 2008
The first spring bird count to be conducted in Adair County, this birdblitz was quite a success. Some factors that led to its success were the addition of twelve new species to the county's bird list (listed in red in the table below), bringing the all-time list of species occurring in the county to 190, and the acquisition of sufficient data to allow the relative abundance of various species in the county to be compared with their relative abundance elsewhere Regionally.
Seven observers (see key to observers after the table below) took part in this inaugural spring bird count in the county, finding 126 species of birds. See the table below and the notes below it for details about the results of the count.
Table 1. Results of the 2008 Adair County, Kentucky, Spring BirdBlitz.
| Location | NW | SW | NE | SE | Pelly | |
| Farm | ||||||
| Party Leaders | BHS | SJS | RMD | CGH | DP | Total |
| Party Members | TMS | AMM | ||||
| DP | ||||||
| Number Field Observers | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | (1) | 7 |
| Number Field Parties | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4–5 |
| Number Feederwatchers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Start CDT | 0400 | 0452 | 0530 | 0733 | 0600 | 0400 |
| End CDT | 1530 | 1545 | 1813 | 1530 | 0800 | 1813 |
| Hours on Foot | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1.75 | 0.5 | 3.25 |
| Hours by Car | 9.5 | 9.25 | 7.5 | 7 | 1.5 | 34.75 |
| Hours by Kayak | 0 | 0 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 |
| Total Party Hours | 9.5 | 9.25 | 10 | 8.75 | 2 | 39.5 |
| Miles on Foot | 0 | 0 | 0.25 | 1 | 0.5 | 1.75 |
| Miles by Car | 75 | 114 | 75 | 89 | 0.5 | 353.5 |
| Miles by Kayak | 0 | 0 | 0.75 | 0 | 0 | 0.75 |
| Total Party Miles | 75 | 114 | 76 | 90 | 1 | 356 |
| Owling Hours | 1.25 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 2.25 |
| Owling Miles | 24 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 37 |
| Feeder-watching Hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Low Temperature (F) | 45 | 46 | 45 | |||
| High Temperature (F) | 80 | 81 | 81 | |||
| Wind AM (Beaufort) | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | |||
| Wind PM (Beaufort) | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | |||
| Sky AM | clear | clear | clear | |||
| Sky PM | clear | clear | clear | |||
| Precipitation AM | none | none | none | |||
| Precipitation PM | none | none | none | |||
| Moon Phase | near new | |||||
| Total Species | 111 | 90 | 96 | 62 | 41 | 126 |
| Location | NW | SW | NE | SE | Pelly | |
| Farm | ||||||
| Canada Goose | 6 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 13 |
| Wood Duck | 4 | -- | 6 | -- | -- | 10 |
| Mallard | 2 | -- | 2 | -- | -- | 4 |
| Northern Bobwhite | 9 | 3 | -- | 1 | 2 | 15 |
| Wild Turkey | 6 | 10 | 4 | -- | -- | 20 |
| Rock Pigeon | 11 | -- | 3 | 7 | -- | 21 |
| Mourning Dove | 55 | 43 | 28 | 22 | 2 | 150 |
| Yellow-billed Cuckoo | -- | 2 | 2 | -- | -- | 4 |
| Chuck-will's-widow | 2 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | 6 |
| Eastern Whip-poor-will | 4 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | 8 |
| Chimney Swift | 12 | 22 | 10 | 1 | -- | 45 |
| Ruby-throated Hummingbird | 4 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | 5 |
| Sandhill Crane | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 1 |
| Killdeer | 4 | 4 | 11 | 5 | -- | 24 |
| Least Sandpiper | -- | -- | 11 | -- | -- | 11 |
| American Woodcock | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Spotted Sandpiper | -- | -- | 5 | -- | -- | 5 |
| Solitary Sandpiper | 1 | -- | 6 | -- | -- | 7 |
| Lesser Yellowlegs | 2 | -- | 2 | -- | -- | 4 |
| Great Blue Heron | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | -- | 8 |
| Great Egret | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 1 |
| Green Heron | 3 | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 4 |
| Black Vulture | 54 | -- | 3 | 2 | -- | 59 |
| Turkey Vulture | 46 | 29 | 21 | 8 | -- | 104 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 1 | -- | -- | 1 | -- | 2 |
| Accipiter sp. | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 1 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 1 | -- | 2 | 1 | -- | 4 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 2 | 2 | 1 | -- | -- | 5 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | -- | 1 | 1 | -- | -- | 2 |
| Eastern Screech-Owl | 2 | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 3 |
| Great Horned Owl | 3 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3 |
| Barred Owl | 6 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 6 |
| Location | NW | SW | NE | SE | Pelly | |
| Farm | ||||||
| Belted Kingfisher | 1 | -- | 3 | -- | -- | 4 |
| Red-headed Woodpecker | 6 | 2 | -- | 3 | -- | 11 |
| Red-bellied Woodpecker | 6 | 10 | 15 | 9 | 2 | 42 |
| Downy Woodpecker | 6 | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 7 |
| Hairy Woodpecker | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2 |
| Northern Flicker | 7 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 15 |
| Pileated Woodpecker | 2 | 5 | 4 | -- | 1 | 12 |
| American Kestrel | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | -- | 13 |
| Great Crested Flycatcher | 7 | 10 | 3 | 10 | -- | 30 |
| Eastern Kingbird | 20 | 15 | 11 | 8 | -- | 54 |
| Eastern Wood-Pewee | 1 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 25 |
| Acadian Flycatcher | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| Least Flycatcher | 1 | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 2 |
| Eastern Phoebe | 23 | 22 | 7 | 15 | -- | 67 |
| White-eyed Vireo | 11 | 62 | 38 | 7 | -- | 118 |
| Yellow-throated Vireo | 1 | 9 | 7 | -- | -- | 17 |
| Blue-headed Vireo | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2 |
| Warbling Vireo | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- | 2 |
| Red-eyed Vireo | 60 | 108 | 64 | 3 | -- | 235 |
| Blue Jay | 40 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 4 | 89 |
| American Crow | 45 | 34 | 26 | 4 | 2 | 111 |
| Purple Martin | 80 | 7 | 38 | 92 | -- | 217 |
| Tree Swallow | 4 | 1 | 5 | 4 | -- | 14 |
| Northern Rough-winged Swallow | 8 | 5 | 9 | -- | -- | 22 |
| Cliff Swallow | 23 | -- | 55 | 48 | -- | 126 |
| Barn Swallow | 95 | 25 | 28 | 16 | 1 | 165 |
| Carolina Chickadee | 12 | 17 | 15 | 1 | -- | 45 |
| Tufted Titmouse | 35 | 56 | 35 | 6 | 2 | 134 |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | 11 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 19 |
| Location | NW | SW | NE | SE | Pelly | |
| Farm | ||||||
| House Wren | 3 | 5 | -- | -- | -- | 8 |
| Carolina Wren | 22 | 32 | 24 | 2 | 3 | 83 |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | 29 | 60 | 47 | 9 | 1 | 146 |
| Eastern Bluebird | 30 | 32 | 14 | 8 | 1 | 85 |
| Veery | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- | 2 |
| Swainson's Thrush | 1 | 2 | 2 | -- | -- | 5 |
| Wood Thrush | 11 | 31 | 19 | 8 | 1 | 70 |
| American Robin | 105 | 32 | 34 | 38 | 18 | 227 |
| Gray Catbird | 1 | 2 | 6 | -- | -- | 9 |
| Brown Thrasher | 16 | 13 | 5 | 5 | -- | 39 |
| Northern Mockingbird | 18 | 25 | 15 | 16 | 3 | 77 |
| European Starling | 450 | 90 | 71 | 46 | 5 | 662 |
| Cedar Waxwing | 3 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3 |
| House Sparrow | 105 | 32 | 44 | 13 | 1 | 195 |
| House Finch | 7 | -- | -- | -- | 1 | 8 |
| American Goldfinch | 35 | 27 | 11 | 6 | -- | 79 |
| Eastern Towhee | 23 | 36 | 18 | 5 | -- | 82 |
| Chipping Sparrow | 30 | 75 | 29 | 3 | 2 | 141 |
| Field Sparrow | 35 | 66 | 22 | 11 | 4 | 138 |
| Savannah Sparrow | 9 | -- | 1 | -- | 2 | 12 |
| Grasshopper Sparrow | 7 | 5 | -- | 1 | 2 | 15 |
| Henslow's Sparrow | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4 |
| Song Sparrow | 33 | 19 | 37 | 7 | 12 | 108 |
| White-throated Sparrow | 2 | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 3 |
| White-crowned Sparrow | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | 1 |
| Yellow-breasted Chat | 22 | 41 | 15 | 2 | -- | 80 |
| Bobolink | 2 | -- | -- | -- | 32 | 34 |
| Eastern Meadowlark | 95 | 58 | 33 | 30 | 11 | 227 |
| Orchard Oriole | 9 | 19 | 6 | 2 | -- | 36 |
| Baltimore Oriole | -- | -- | 4 | -- | 1 | 5 |
| Red-winged Blackbird | 140 | 73 | 43 | 58 | 23 | 337 |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | 35 | 19 | 6 | 3 | -- | 63 |
| Common Grackle | 37 | 8 | 19 | 18 | 14 | 96 |
| Location | NW | SW | NE | SE | Pelly | |
| Farm | ||||||
| Ovenbird | 3 | 31 | 6 | -- | -- | 40 |
| Worm-eating Warbler | 1 | 14 | 1 | -- | -- | 16 |
| Louisiana Waterthrush | 1 | 7 | 2 | 3 | -- | 13 |
| Blue-winged Warbler | 2 | 12 | 1 | -- | -- | 15 |
| Black-and-white Warbler | 2 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | 6 |
| Prothonotary Warbler | 1 | -- | 6 | ---- | -- | 7 |
| Tennessee Warbler | 4 | 2 | 1 | -- | -- | 7 |
| Nashville Warbler | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Kentucky Warbler | 2 | 20 | 14 | 1 | -- | 37 |
| Common Yellowthroat | 41 | 67 | 52 | 23 | 1 | 184 |
| Hooded Warbler | 2 | 13 | 4 | -- | -- | 19 |
| American Redstart | 1 | -- | 1 | -- | 1 | 3 |
| Cape May Warbler | 1 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | 2 |
| Northern Parula | 3 | 4 | 16 | -- | 2 | 25 |
| Magnolia Warbler | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Blackburnian Warbler | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Yellow Warbler | 12 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 21 |
| Chestnut-sided Warbler | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Blackpoll Warbler | 2 | 8 | 2 | -- | -- | 12 |
| Black-throated Blue Warbler | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Palm Warbler | -- | 5 | 5 | -- | -- | 10 |
| Pine Warbler | 6 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | 10 |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | -- | 8 | -- | -- | -- | 8 |
| Yellow-throated Warbler | 3 | 12 | 3 | -- | -- | 18 |
| Prairie Warbler | 23 | 62 | 19 | 5 | -- | 109 |
| Black-throated Green Warbler | -- | 3 | -- | -- | -- | 3 |
| Summer Tanager | 9 | 45 | 11 | 4 | -- | 69 |
| Scarlet Tanager | 2 | 22 | 4 | 1 | -- | 29 |
| Northern Cardinal | 95 | 62 | 35 | 12 | 10 | 214 |
| Rose-breasted Grosbeak | 1 | 5 | 3 | -- | -- | 9 |
| Blue Grosbeak | 6 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 25 |
| Indigo Bunting | 120 | 190 | 71 | 37 | 9 | 427 |
| Dickcissel | 1 | 1 | -- | -- | 15 | 17 |
| Total Individuals | 2424 | 1989 | 1307 | 685 | 206 | 6603 |
| Total Species | 111 | 90 | 96 | 62 | 41 | 126 |
| Location | NW | SW | NE | SE | Pelly | |
| Farm |
Key to Observers:
| Initials/Code | Name |
| RMD | Roseanna M. Denton, compiler |
| CGH | C. Gay Hodges |
| AMM | Arlene M. Morton |
| DP | Don Pelly |
| TMS | Thomas M. Saya |
| BHS | Barbara H. Stedman |
| SJS | Stephen J. Stedman |
Notes:
The county was divided into the following territories for this birdblitz:
Northeast (RMD)—bounded on the west by Green River Lake and Rts. 551 and 55; bounded on the south by the Cumberland Parkway; also, DP covered the Pelly Farm on Rt. 901 for two hours in the morning.
Southeast (CGH, AMM)—Bounded on the north by the Cumberland Parkway and on the west by Rts. 55 and 704.
Southwest (SJS, TMS, DP [0940–1540])—south of the Cumberland Parkway and west of Rts. 55 and 704.
Northwest (BHS)—bounded on the south by the Cumberland Parkway and on the east by Rts. 551 and 55, as well as the south shore of Green River Lake.
The Sandhill Crane was on the ground near Snake Creek (RMD).
The Great Egret was found in the northeast part of the county (RMD).
The Least Flycatchers were found in the northeast part of the county: one on the north side of the Rt. 551 bridge over Green River Lake (RMD); the other at 1749 Holmes Bend Rd. (BHS).
The Warbling Vireos were noted in the southwest quadrant: one singing and seen at the intersection of Charlie Morrison Rd. and Rt. 1952 (SJS, TMS) and the other heard singing on Bliss Rd. (SJS, TMS, DP).
The Veeries were singing at dawn on Greenbriar Rd. (SJS, TMS).
The Henslow's Sparrows were found just before dawn on Holmes Bend Rd. (3) and West Egypt Rd. (1) (BHS).
The Black-throated Blue Warbler was a male heard singing and then seen on Greenbriar Rd. in the southwest quadrant (SJS, TMS).
A flock of 32 Bobolinks was noted at the Pelly Farm on Rt. 901 (DP, SJS, TMS).
Dickcissels were plentiful at the Pelly Farm on Rt. 901 (DP); the others were singles, one found in the northwest quadrant at the intersection of Holmes Bend Rd. and Rt. 682 (BHS) and the other along Bliss Rd. in the southwest quadrant (SJS, TMS, DP).
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