Results of the Sixth Annual Fall Bird Count in White County, Tennessee—3 October 2009

 

The sixth annual Fall Bird Count (FBC) in White County took place October 3, 2009, with nine field observers and one feederwatcher taking part in this effort to monitor the bird populations in the county.  These observers tallied 7309 individuals of 112 species during the course of this day-long event.

    Some public sites that were included in the coverage of the county undertaken last Saturday were the Bridgestone/Firestone Centennial Wilderness and the north side of Rock Island State Park.  Many miles of public roadsides were also covered by observers on count day.

    Results of this count are not only compiled locally, but they are also incorporated into a  state-wide database as a means of assisting land managers in making long-term decisions that might affect bird populations.

    Four Loggerhead Shrikes were found during the count , a good sign that this predatory songbird is maintaining a small population in the county.  Clearing of hedgerows and roadsides has probably been a major factor in the decrease of this species in many areas of the UCR.

    Observers included Doug Downs (compiler), George T. Elrod (feederwatcher), Nancy S. Layzer, Ed LeGrand, Peter Li, Mike O'Rourke, Tom Saya, Barb Stedman, Steve Stedman, and Winston Walden.

    To see a table of results for all fall counts conducted in the Upper Cumberland Region during 2009 or a table with results of all FBCs conducted in White County, click on one of the following links:

 

Table 1. Results of Fall Bird Count in White County—3 October 2009.

Location NW SW NE SE E Heri- tage FW Total
Party Leaders WAW SJS BHS DAD EKL DAD GTE
Party Members TMS PL NSL SJS
MPO
Number of Field Parties 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 4-5
Number of Field Observers 3 2 1 2 1 2 0 9
Number of Feederwatchers 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
Start CDT 0630 0400 0545 0500 0500 1645 0400
End CDT 1530 1600 1830 1630 1845 1830 1845
     Hours by Car 9 7 10 9.5 8 0 0 43.5
     Hours on Foot 0 2.5 2 0 4.5 1.75 0 10.75
Total Daylight Hours in Field 9 9.5 12 9.5 12.5 1.75 0 54.25
     Miles by Car 82 146 96 90 100 0 0 514
     Miles on Foot 0 1 2 0 1.5 1 0 5.5
Total Daylight Miles in Field 82 147 98 90 101.5 1 0 519.5
Hours Feederwatching 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2
Owling Hours 0 2.25 0.75 1.25 1.25 0 0 5.5
Owling Miles 0 30 13 20 10 0 0 73
Low Temperature (F) 46
High Temperature (F) 72
Sky A.M. clear
Sky P.M. clear
Precipitation A.M. none
Precipitation P.M. none
Wind A.M. (mph) 0–10
Wind P.M. (mph) 0–10
Moon full
Species
Canada Goose 8 13 29 50 31 0 0 131
Wood Duck 2 22 24 4 10 0 0 62
American Black Duck 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Mallard 5 3 6 0 6 0 0 20
Blue-winged Teal 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 4
Green-winged Teal 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 5
Wild Turkey 0 4 7 16 2 0 0 29
Pied-billed Grebe 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Double-crested Cormorant 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2
Great Blue Heron 5 4 4 0 1 0 0 14
Great Egret 1 4 1 1 0 0 0 7
Green Heron 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2
Black Vulture 50 5 8 4 0 0 0 67
Turkey Vulture 19 15 17 71 20 0 1 143
Northern Harrier 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2
Cooper's Hawk 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 3
Red-shouldered Hawk 1 0 5 1 1 0 0 8
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Red-tailed Hawk 5 1 6 6 1 0 0 19
American Kestrel 10 8 17 11 6 0 0 52
Sora 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2
Semipalmated Plover 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2
Killdeer 27 40 55 24 11 0 0 157
Spotted Sandpiper 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Solitary Sandpiper 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2
Least Sandpiper 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
     Peep sp. 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Wilson's Snipe 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 3
Rock Pigeon 27 0 8 62 0 0 0 97
Eurasian Collared-Dove 0 0 4 15 0 0 0 19
Mourning Dove 20 50 110 29 23 3 9 244
Eastern Screech-Owl 1 2 12 11 3 0 0 29
Great Horned Owl 0 5 2 3 0 0 0 10
Barred Owl 0 0 2 5 0 0 0 7
Chimney Swift 2 0 14 20 10 0 0 46
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 0 0 2 0 1 1 2 6
Belted Kingfisher 1 1 5 1 2 0 0 10
Red-headed Woodpecker 0 2 2 0 0 0 1 5
Red-bellied Woodpecker 20 15 16 20 8 1 0 80
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Downy Woodpecker 5 2 9 4 4 0 0 24
Hairy Woodpecker 1 0 2 0 3 0 0 6
Northern Flicker 9 3 14 10 14 2 0 52
Pileated Woodpecker 7 2 4 3 8 0 0 24
Eastern Wood-Pewee 3 2 1 10 2 1 1 20
Empidonax sp. 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Eastern Phoebe 9 5 23 7 10 0 0 54
Great Crested Flycatcher 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Loggerhead Shrike 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 4
White-eyed Vireo 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2
Yellow-throated Vireo 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 2
Blue-headed Vireo 0 0 1 0 4 0 0 5
Red-eyed Vireo 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Blue Jay 181 45 160 117 260 3 4 770
American Crow 85 20 220 209 170 2 7 713
Horned Lark 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Tree Swallow 0 0 75 0 8 0 0 83
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2
Carolina Chickadee 22 15 38 19 18 2 1 115
Tufted Titmouse 21 8 48 36 56 2 2 173
White-breasted Nuthatch 1 2 19 7 4 0 3 36
Carolina Wren 35 9 35 32 16 1 1 129
House Wren 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
Sedge Wren 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Marsh Wren 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 3
Eastern Bluebird 86 30 145 68 26 0 0 355
Gray-cheeked Thrush 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 4
Swainson's Thrush 0 0 2 0 7 0 0 9
Wood Thrush 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2
American Robin 2 4 26 6 47 0 1 86
Gray Catbird 1 0 0 2 8 0 0 11
Northern Mockingbird 49 30 26 23 10 2 2 142
Brown Thrasher 1 2 3 5 7 0 0 18
European Starling 170 90 1520 400 21 0 4 2205
Cedar Waxwing 0 2 3 0 0 0 0 5
Ovenbird 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Northern Waterthrush 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2
Black-and-white Warbler 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2
Tennessee Warbler 0 1 3 2 4 1 0 11
Orange-crowned Warbler 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
Common Yellowthroat 1 2 5 0 10 10 0 28
Hooded Warbler 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
American Redstart 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2
Magnolia Warbler 1 1 12 0 1 0 0 15
Chestnut-sided Warbler 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2
Palm Warbler 3 0 2 5 2 0 0 12
Pine Warbler 1 1 2 3 7 0 0 14
Yellow-rumped Warbler 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 4
Yellow-throated Warbler 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2
Black-thr. Green Warbler 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 4
Eastern Towhee 0 0 14 4 3 1 0 22
Chipping Sparrow 13 25 16 28 28 0 0 110
Field Sparrow 0 1 25 3 6 3 0 38
Savannah Sparrow 0 5 2 2 0 0 0 9
Song Sparrow 3 4 22 3 7 3 3 45
Swamp Sparrow 0 0 1 0 1 6 0 8
White-throated Sparrow 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Summer Tanager 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 4
Scarlet Tanager 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 3
Northern Cardinal 37 30 55 13 23 2 6 166
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 20 2 2 0 9 0 1 34
Blue Grosbeak 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 3
Indigo Bunting 31 9 16 0 10 5 0 71
Red-winged Blackbird 0 0 2 17 1 6 0 26
Eastern Meadowlark 34 8 55 29 14 0 0 140
Common Grackle 2 0 23 0 3 0 0 28
Brown-headed Cowbird 0 0 15 4 1 0 0 20
House Finch 5 2 11 5 1 0 3 27
American Goldfinch 15 8 6 1 6 0 0 36
House Sparrow 5 2 25 24 0 0 0 56
Total Individuals 1073 584 3091 1462 987 60 52 7,309
Total Species 57 63 94 57 64 22 18 112

 

Key to Observers:

DAD Douglas A. Downs, compiler
GTE George T. Elrod (FW—Feederwatcher)
NSL Nancy S. Layzer
EKL Edward K. LeGrand
PL Peter Li
MPO Michael P. O'Rourke
TMS Thomas M. Saya
BHS Barbara H. Stedman
SJS Stephen J. Stedman
WAW Winston A. Walden

 

Comments:

American Black Duck—1 found at Randolph Pond.
Green-winged Teal—5 found at Randolph Pond.
Pied-billed Grebe—1 found at Randolph Pond.
Double-crested Cormorant—1 found at Randolph Pond; 1 at Boiling Pond.
Great Egret—4 found at Boiling Pond; 1 at Macedonia Pond; 1 at Randolph Pond; and 1 at Hickory Valley Pond.  
Sora—2 found in a sedge pond on Judge Austin Rd.
Semipalmated Plover—2 found at Randolph Pond.
Solitary Sandpiper—2 found at Randolph Pond.
Spotted Sandpiper—1 found at Randolph Pond.
Least Sandpiper—1 found at Boiling Pond.
Wilson's Snipe—3 found at Randolph Pond.
Great Crested Flycatcher—1 found on Can Town Rd. near the Calfkiller River.
Loggerhead Shrike—1 found at Hill's Acres; 1 at Central View; 1 at Hickory Valley Pond; and 1 on Charley Hickey Rd.
Sedge Wren—1 found at Randolph Pond.
Marsh Wren—2 found in Heritage Marsh.

 

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