Results of the Third Annual Fall Bird Count in Putnam County, Tennessee—21 September 2002
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| A "Great White Heron," the white form of Great Blue Heron, photographed 27 September 2002 in western Putnam Co., Tennessee. Note the light legs on this heron, one feature that separates it from Great Egret, which has black legs. Photo by S. J. Stedman |
The highlight of the 3rd annual Fall Bird Count in Putnam County, Tennessee—held September 21, 2002—was undoubtedly the discovery of a "Great White Heron" (the white form of Great Blue Heron) in western Putnam County by Carol Denson Williams. There are few records of this color form away from Florida and the adjacent Gulf and Atlantic coasts, though the species has a tendency to wander in the post-breeding season and has shown up far from its usual range. This individual was photographed a few days following the count to verify its identity.
The species total for the Fall Bird Count this year was 107, a few more than the totals in 2001 (103) and 2000 (97). The total of individuals counted was nearly 7000, the highest total among the three years that a Fall Bird Count has been conducted in the county. The most abundant species on the count was the European Starling, with nearly 2500 counted.
Some unusual species found during the count besides the Great White Heron included Gadwall at two sites, Barn Owl, and Brown-headed Nuthatch. Some late-lingering breeding species were noted on the count, including Acadian Flycatcher, Great Crested Flycatcher, Yellow Warbler, and Kentucky Warbler. A Semipalmated Sandpiper was found by Barb Stedman, and it occurred earlier than any other fall record for that species in the county. A couple of high counts were established also: 15 Eastern Screech-Owls and 7 Great Horned Owls were counted, so far the highest totals known for the county (but each could be increased by a determined effort to count nocturnal birds).
Participants on this year's Fall Bird Count were Ken and Louann Gum, Steve Hayslette, Jane Herrin, Mike O'Rourke, Richard Simmers, Barb and Steve Stedman, Winston Walden, and Carol Williams.
Results of bird counts are used to obtain data about the timing of bird migration, as well as to monitor the population level of many species. Full results of this year's count in Putnam County may be viewed below (Table 1).
To view a table containing a summary of data for Fall Bird Counts conducted in Putnam County, go to this website:
Table 1. Results of Putnam County Fall Bird Count, Conducted 21 September 2011.
| Party Leaders | BHS | SJS | WAW | RWS | SEH | JH |
Total |
| Party Members | CDW | MPO | |||||
| LIG | |||||||
| KG | |||||||
| Number of Observers | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| Start CDT | 0510 | 0430 | 0630 | 0520 | 0600 | 0700 | 0430 |
| End CDT | 1845 | 1730 | 1800 | 1215 | 0800 | 1600 | 1845 |
| Total Daylight Hours in Field | 12 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 4.25 | -- | -- | 39.25 |
| Hours by Car | 12 | 9 | 5.5 | 1.25 | -- | -- | 27.75 |
| Hours on Foot | 0 | 2.5 | 6 | 3 | -- | -- | 11.5 |
| Total Daylight Miles in Field | 99 | 106.5 | 69 | 17 | -- | -- | 291.5 |
| Miles by Car | 99 | 105 | 65 | 16 | -- | -- | 285 |
| Miles on Foot | 0 | 1.5 | 4 | 1 | -- | -- | 6.5 |
| Owling Hours | 1.25 | 1.5 | 0.25 | 0.25 | -- | -- | 3.25 |
| Owling Miles | 34 | 30 | 0 | 0 | -- | -- | 64 |
| Feederwatching Hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Low Temperature F | 62 | ||||||
| High Temperature F | 80 | ||||||
| Sky AM | fog; overcast | ||||||
| Sky PM | mostly cloudy | ||||||
| Precipitation AM | intermittent drizzle | ||||||
| Precipitation PM | occasional misting | ||||||
| Wind AM (mph) | 0-5 | ||||||
| Wind PM (mph) | 0-10 | ||||||
| Moon | full | ||||||
| Species | |||||||
| Canada Goose | 29 | 50 | 26 | -- | 20 | -- | 125 |
| Wood Duck | 15 | 11 | 13 | -- | -- | -- | 39 |
| Gadwall | 1 | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- | 3 |
| Mallard | 6 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 6 |
| Blue-winged Teal | 16 | 13 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 29 |
| Wild Turkey | -- | 5 | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 6 |
| Pied-billed Grebe | 2 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4 |
| Double-crested Cormorant | 1 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 5 |
| Great Blue Heron, blue form | 4 | 7 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | 13 |
| Great Blue Heron, white form | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Green Heron | 1 | 2 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | 5 |
| Black Vulture | 2 | 32 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 34 |
| Turkey Vulture | 27 | 20 | 20 | -- | 1 | -- | 68 |
| Osprey | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 1 | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | 2 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 3 | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- | 5 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | -- | -- | 27 | -- | -- | -- | 27 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 2 | -- | 1 | 1 | -- | -- | 4 |
| Buteo sp. | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| American Kestrel | 8 | 5 | 3 | 1 | -- | -- | 17 |
| Killdeer | 36 | 98 | 3 | -- | -- | -- | 137 |
| Spotted Sandpiper | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Semipalmated Sandpiper | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Rock Pigeon | 101 | 18 | -- | -- | 2 | -- | 121 |
| Mourning Dove | 172 | 93 | 28 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 310 |
| Barn Owl | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Eastern Screech-Owl | 10 | 5 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 15 |
| Great Horned Owl | 5 | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- | 7 |
| Barred Owl | 1 | 2 | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 4 |
| Common Nighthawk | -- | 145 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 145 |
| Chimney Swift | 22 | 45 | 27 | 1 | -- | -- | 95 |
| Ruby-throated Hummingbird | 19 | 4 | 11 | 2 | -- | 1 | 37 |
| Belted Kingfisher | 5 | 7 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | 13 |
| Red-headed Woodpecker | 1 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2 |
| Red-bellied Woodpecker | 21 | 20 | 12 | 1 | -- | -- | 54 |
| Downy Woodpecker | 17 | 7 | 7 | 2 | -- | 1 | 34 |
| Hairy Woodpecker | 7 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | -- | 18 |
| Northern Flicker | 12 | 2 | 13 | 1 | -- | -- | 28 |
| Pileated Woodpecker | 11 | 7 | 2 | 1 | -- | -- | 21 |
| Eastern Wood-Pewee | 9 | 5 | 4 | 1 | -- | 1 | 20 |
| Acadian Flycatcher | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Empidonax sp. | 5 | 4 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | 10 |
| Eastern Phoebe | 19 | 12 | 4 | 1 | -- | -- | 36 |
| Great Crested Flycatcher | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Loggerhead Shrike | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| White-eyed Vireo | 12 | 19 | 3 | 4 | -- | -- | 38 |
| Yellow-throated Vireo | 1 | 4 | -- | 3 | -- | -- | 8 |
| Blue-headed Vireo | 3 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3 |
| Red-eyed Vireo | 1 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2 |
| Blue Jay | 163 | 44 | 49 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 279 |
| American Crow | 96 | 75 | 69 | 16 | 10 | -- | 266 |
| Horned Lark | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2 |
| Barn Swallow | -- | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4 |
| Carolina Chickadee | 53 | 32 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 106 |
| Tufted Titmouse | 51 | 38 | 6 | 4 | -- | 2 | 101 |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | 37 | 12 | 4 | 2 | -- | 1 | 56 |
| Brown-headed Nuthatch | -- | -- | 5 | -- | -- | -- | 5 |
| Carolina Wren | 66 | 43 | 18 | 14 | -- | -- | 141 |
| House Wren | 3 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3 |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | 7 | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | 8 |
| Eastern Bluebird | 147 | 20 | 30 | 1 | 20 | -- | 218 |
| Veery | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 1 |
| Swainson's Thrush | 1 | 2 | -- | 4 | -- | -- | 7 |
| Wood Thrush | 2 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3 |
| American Robin | 82 | 1 | 19 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 114 |
| Gray Catbird | 4 | 3 | 10 | -- | 2 | 1 | 20 |
| Northern Mockingbird | 17 | 16 | 11 | -- | 2 | 1 | 47 |
| Brown Thrasher | 18 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 24 |
| European Starling | 1724 | 425 | 106 | 19 | 200 | 1 | 2475 |
| Cedar Waxwing | 17 | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | 18 |
| Ovenbird | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Northern Waterthrush | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Blue-winged Warbler | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Black-and-white Warbler | 1 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3 |
| Tennessee Warbler | 9 | 6 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 15 |
| Nashville Warbler | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Kentucky Warbler | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Common Yellowthroat | 10 | 15 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | 29 |
| Hooded Warbler | 7 | 2 | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 10 |
| American Redstart | 4 | 5 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 9 |
| Northern Parula | -- | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4 |
| Magnolia Warbler | 13 | 22 | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 36 |
| Bay-breasted Warbler | 1 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3 |
| Blackburnian Warbler | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Yellow Warbler | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Chestnut-sided Warbler | 1 | 2 | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 4 |
| Pine Warbler | 5 | -- | 7 | -- | -- | -- | 12 |
| Prairie Warbler | 4 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 5 |
| Black-thr. Green Warbler | 3 | -- | -- | 2 | -- | -- | 5 |
| Wilson's Warbler | 1 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2 |
| Yellow-breasted Chat | -- | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- | 2 |
| warbler sp. | -- | -- | -- | 20 | -- | -- | 20 |
| Eastern Towhee | 26 | 8 | 9 | -- | -- | -- | 43 |
| Chipping Sparrow | 63 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 5 | -- | 77 |
| Field Sparrow | 28 | 3 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | 33 |
| Song Sparrow | 73 | 4 | 6 | -- | 2 | 1 | 86 |
| Lincoln's Sparrow | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Summer Tanager | 4 | 11 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | 16 |
| Scarlet Tanager | 9 | 3 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 12 |
| Northern Cardinal | 182 | 56 | 50 | 47 | -- | 8 | 343 |
| Rose-breasted Grosbeak | -- | 3 | 3 | 1 | -- | 1 | 8 |
| Blue Grosbeak | 2 | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | 3 |
| Indigo Bunting | 103 | 28 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | 133 |
| Bobolink | -- | 12 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 12 |
| Red-winged Blackbird | 1 | 3 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | 5 |
| Eastern Meadowlark | 27 | 9 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | 38 |
| Common Grackle | 4 | 2 | -- | 2 | -- | -- | 8 |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | 37 | 140 | -- | -- | 6 | -- | 183 |
| House Finch | 59 | 1 | 21 | 5 | 10 | 8 | 104 |
| American Goldfinch | 42 | 10 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 77 |
| House Sparrow | 133 | 3 | 1 | -- | -- | 9 | 146 |
| Total Individuals | 3956 | 1738 | 688 | 201 | 310 | 53 | 6951 |
| Total Species | 88 | 82 | 56 | 38 | 21 | 19 | 107 |
Key to Observers:
| KG | Ken Gum |
| LIG | Louann I. Gum |
| SEH | Steven E. Hayslette |
| JH | Jane Herrin |
| MPO | Michael P. O'Rourke |
| RWS | Richard W. Simmers, Jr. |
| BHS | Barbara H. Stedman |
| SJS | Stephen J. Stedman, compiler |
| WAW | Winston A. Walden |
| CDW | Carol D. Williams |
Comments:
The species total of 107 is the highest in three years of Fall Bird Counts in the county, surpassing the 97 species recorded in 2000 and the 103 species recorded in 2001. The total of individuals is also higher (6951) than the totals for either 2001 (5925) or 2000 (4004). These totals were achieved despite a slightly lower number of observers on the count in 2002 (10) than on the 2000 (14) and 2001 (13) counts. Total party hours accumulated in 2002 (39.25) fell between the totals for 2000 (34.5) and 2001 (43); total party miles in 2002 (291.5) came in lower than the total party miles in either 2000 (305.5) or 2001 (338).
The white form of the Great Blue Heron was found in western Putnam County. It was photographed 27 September 2002 (SJS; see above and below).
The Semipalmated Sandpiper set a new early fall arrival date for the county and provided one of very few fall records for this species in the county.
The Eastern Screech-Owls established a new high count for the county; three were detected during pre-dawn owling effort; but the remaining twelve were noted during daylight hours when they responded to taped screech-owl calls used to attract songbirds.
The Great Horned Owls established a new high count for the county.
The Common Nighthawks were found in two flocks, 120 at Shipley Farm and 25 at Cane Creek Park, both noted during the late afternoon hours.
The Acadian Flycatcher tied the late fall departure date for the county; it was identified by call note.
The Great Crested Flycatcher set a new late fall departure date for the county.
The lone Loggerhead Shrike was found at Shipley Farm, one of few sites remaining in the county where this declining species can be located.
The Brown-headed Nuthatches were found in the general vicinity of the Cookeville Golf Course, currently the only site in the county where the species has been located.
The Yellow Warbler set a new late fall departure date for the county.
The Kentucky Warbler set a new late fall departure date for the county.
Species seen feeding young on the day of the count included Eastern Wood-Pewee. Species heard singing included White-eyed Vireo, Yellow-throated Vireo, Common Yellowthroat, and Indigo Bunting.
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| Close up of the head and neck of the "Great White Heron," photographed in western Putnam Co., Tennessee, 27 September 2002; photo S. J. Stedman. | Close up of head and neck of Great Egret, photographed 12 November 2002 at Cane Creek Park; photo S. J. Stedman |
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