Results of a Fall Bird Count and Fall BirdBlitzes Conducted in the Upper Cumberland Region during 2012
Data for xxx species of birds were obtained during collective efforts—including one Fall Bird Count (FBC) and two Fall BirdBlitzes (FBB)—to monitor the birdlife of the Region this fall.
The FBC conducted in White County, TN, was the 9th consecutively there; and the FBBs in Barren County, KY, and in Fentress County, TN, were the first ever in those counties. To see a map of the Region highlighting counties where the FBC and the FBBs were conducted, click on the following link:
Loggerhead Shrikes were tallied only on the Barren County FBB this season, another indication that this species is slowly and seemingly inexorably disappearing from the Regional bird scene and joining two other formerly fairly common and one formerly rare species now absent or almost absent from the Regional avifauna: Red-cockaded Woodpecker (formerly rare), Bewick's Wren (formerly fairly common), and Bachman's Sparrow (formerly fairly common). Of course, the disappearance of these species from the Region was preceded by the Regional extirpation (and range-wide extinction) of the Carolina Parakeet, the Passenger Pigeon, and possibly the Ivory-billed Woodpecker.
The Regional fall survey data for 2012, like data from all previous years when such data have been collected, are too few and thus too coarse-grained to allow us much of a glimpse of the migratory patterns for most species that occur in the Region as other than permanent residents. By viewing the fall survey data below as a means of gauging the waning numbers of summer residents over the three-week period of time covered by the fall surveys or as a means of gauging the waxing numbers of winter residents over the same period of time, we obtain in most cases a somewhat obscured picture of these migratory events. To bring clarity to this picture, the Region's FBCs and FBBs will probably need to increase to about ten well spaced out events each fall. With data from that number of surveys in hand, the migratory "pulse" for each species will be much more evident than it is in the data below. Despite the coarse-grained nature of the following data, a rough image of the migratory pattern of some species can be discerned. By scanning the data below for other migrants, you can judge how well the 2012 fall data reflect what we currently know about each species' migratory pattern during fall. In some cases the data are moderately accurate, but in others they just do not tell us much about the species' migratory pattern.
For greater detail about the results of the FBC in White County, Tennessee, and the FBBs* in Barren County, Kentucky, and Fentress County, Tennessee, or to return to the central node for FBCs or to the BirdPage, click on one of the following links, provided they are active (i.e., underlined):
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County |
Barren, KY | Fentress, TN | White, TN |
| Type of Count | FBB | FBB | FBC |
| Compiler | RMD | EKL | DAD |
| Date (Sep) | 21 | 30 | 15 |
| Number Field Observers | -- | 2 | 8 |
| Number of Parties | -- | 2 | 5 |
| Party Hours | -- | 17.5 | 48 |
| Party Miles | -- | 183.25 | 416 |
| Owling Hours | -- | 1.25 | 4 |
| Owling Miles | -- | 12 | 39 |
| Start CDT | -- | 0445 | 0430 |
| End CDT | -- | 1630 | 1702 |
| Total Species | 119 | 88 | 108 |
| Canada Goose | 18 | -- | 232 |
| Wood Duck | 66 | -- | 14 |
| Mallard | 10 | 9 | 15 |
| Blue-winged Teal | 30 | 3 | 29 |
| Green-winged Teal | -- | -- | -- |
| Northern Bobwhite | -- | -- | -- |
| Wild Turkey | 6 | 1 | 37 |
| Pied-billed Grebe | -- | 5 | 6 |
| Double-crested Cormorant | 18 | -- | -- |
| Great Blue Heron | 24 | 6 | 10 |
| Great Egret | -- | -- | -- |
| Little Blue Heron | -- | -- | 1 |
| Green Heron | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Black-crowned Night-Heron | -- | -- | -- |
County |
Barren, KY | Fentress, TN | White, TN |
| Black Vulture | 58 | 5 | 72 |
| Turkey Vulture | 212 | 43 | 121 |
| Osprey | -- | -- | -- |
| Bald Eagle | -- | -- | -- |
| Northern Harrier | -- | -- | -- |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | -- | 3 | 2 |
| Cooper's Hawk | -- | -- | 4 |
| Accipiter sp. | -- | -- | 1 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 3 | 4 | 9 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | -- | 7 | 2 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 18 | 3 | 9 |
| Sora | -- | -- | -- |
| American Coot | -- | -- | 1 |
| Killdeer | 68 | 11 | 115 |
| Spotted Sandpiper | 2 | -- | 1 |
| Solitary Sandpiper | -- | -- | 2 |
| Lesser Yellowlegs | -- | -- | 1 |
| Least Sandpiper | -- | -- | 3 |
| Peep sp. | -- | -- | -- |
| Pectoral Sandpiper | -- | -- | -- |
| Wilson's Snipe | -- | -- | -- |
| American Woodcock | -- | -- | -- |
| Sandpiper sp. | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | -- | -- | |
| -- | -- | -- | |
| Ring-billed Gull | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | -- | -- | |
| -- | -- | -- | |
| -- | -- | -- | |
| -- | -- | -- | |
County |
Barren, KY | Fentress, TN | White, TN |
| Rock Pigeon | 36 | 30 | 36 |
| Eurasian Collared-Dove | -- | -- | 5 |
| Mourning Dove | 261 | 58 | 381 |
| Yellow-billed Cuckoo | -- | -- | -- |
| Barn Owl | -- | -- | 1 |
| Eastern Screech-Owl | 2 | 12 | 11 |
| Great Horned Owl | 2 | 4 | 5 |
| Barred Owl | 3 | -- | 4 |
| Eastern Whip-poor-will | -- | -- | 1 |
| Chimney Swift | 43 | 2 | 8 |
| Ruby-throated Hummingbird | 3 | -- | 20 |
| Belted Kingfisher | 7 | 3 | 5 |
| Red-headed Woodpecker | 6 | -- | 13 |
| Red-bellied Woodpecker | 62 | 22 | 39 |
| Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | -- | 6 | -- |
| Downy Woodpecker | 20 | 24 | 43 |
| Hairy Woodpecker | 9 | 11 | 11 |
| Northern Flicker | 26 | 21 | 6 |
| Pileated Woodpecker | 14 | 12 | 38 |
| American Kestrel | 43 | 12 | 31 |
| Merlin | -- | -- | -- |
County |
Barren, KY | Fentress, TN | White, TN |
| Olive-sided Flycatcher | -- | -- | 1 |
| Eastern Wood-Pewee | -- | 6 | 16 |
| Acadian Flycatcher | -- | -- | -- |
| Empidonax sp. | -- | -- | 2 |
| Eastern Phoebe | 29 | 37 | 26 |
| Great Crested Flycatcher | -- | -- | -- |
| Eastern Kingbird | -- | -- | -- |
| Loggerhead Shrike | -- | -- | -- |
| White-eyed Vireo | -- | 1 | 31 |
| Yellow-throated Vireo | -- | -- | 12 |
| Blue-headed Vireo | -- | 3 | 8 |
| Warbling Vireo | -- | -- | -- |
| Philadelphia Vireo | -- | -- | 1 |
| Red-eyed Vireo | -- | 1 | 10 |
| Blue Jay | 239 | 45 | 175 |
| American Crow | 132 | 108 | 249 |
| Tree Swallow | -- | -- | -- |
| Northern Rough-winged Swallow | -- | -- | -- |
| Bank Swallow | -- | -- | 1 |
| Barn Swallow | -- | -- | 4 |
| Carolina Chickadee | 75 | 44 | 113 |
| Tufted Titmouse | 78 | 45 | 147 |
| Red-breasted Nuthatch | -- | 2 | 3 |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | 34 | 35 | 42 |
| Brown-headed Nuthatch | -- | -- | 4 |
County |
Barren, KY | Fentress, TN | White, TN |
| House Wren | -- | 2 | 1 |
| Winter Wren | -- | -- | -- |
| Sedge Wren | -- | -- | -- |
| Carolina Wren | 76 | 62 | 141 |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | -- | 4 | -- |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | -- | -- | 3 |
| Eastern Bluebird | 126 | 45 | 179 |
| Gray-cheeked Thrush | -- | 6 | 4 |
| Swainson's Thrush | -- | 29 | 41 |
| Wood Thrush | -- | 6 | 7 |
| American Robin | 123 | 25 | 101 |
| Gray Catbird | -- | 5 | 13 |
| Northern Mockingbird | 103 | 19 | 68 |
| Brown Thrasher | -- | 7 | 8 |
| European Starling | 2259 | 220 | 1150 |
| Cedar Waxwing | -- | 6 | 82 |
County |
Barren, KY | Fentress, TN | White, TN |
| Ovenbird | -- | 1 | 1 |
| Northern Waterthrush | -- | -- | 1 |
| Golden-winged Warbler | -- | -- | -- |
| Blue-winged Warbler | -- | -- | 2 |
| Black-and-white Warbler | 16 | 2 | 11 |
| Tennessee Warbler | 26 | 28 | 28 |
| Nashville Warbler | -- | -- | -- |
| Kentucky Warbler | -- | -- | 1 |
| Common Yellowthroat | -- | 11 | 26 |
| Hooded Warbler | -- | 3 | 6 |
| American Redstart | -- | 2 | 22 |
| Cape May Warbler | -- | 2 | 1 |
| Northern Parula | -- | -- | -- |
| Magnolia Warbler | -- | 15 | 34 |
| Bay-breasted Warbler | -- | 2 | -- |
| Blackburnian Warbler | -- | 1 | 1 |
| Yellow Warbler | -- | -- | 4 |
| Chestnut-sided Warbler | -- | 6 | 9 |
| Palm Warbler | -- | 26 | 4 |
| Pine Warbler | -- | 9 | 25 |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | -- | 7 | -- |
| Yellow-throated Warbler | -- | -- | 2 |
| Prairie Warbler | -- | 1 | 2 |
| Black-throated Green Warbler | -- | 9 | 2 |
| Canada Warbler | -- | -- | -- |
| Wilson's Warbler | -- | -- | -- |
| Yellow-breasted Chat | -- | -- | -- |
County |
Barren, KY | Fentress, TN | White, TN |
| Eastern Towhee | 7 | 17 | 20 |
| Chipping Sparrow | 93 | 55 | 53 |
| Field Sparrow | 6 | 8 | 11 |
| Savannah Sparrow | -- | 8 | -- |
| Song Sparrow | 7 | 12 | 23 |
| Swamp Sparrow | -- | 1 | -- |
| White-throated Sparrow | -- | 1 | -- |
| Summer Tanager | 25 | 2 | 29 |
| Scarlet Tanager | 3 | 5 | 10 |
| Northern Cardinal | 117 | 39 | 103 |
| Rose-breasted Grosbeak | -- | 51 | 1 |
| Blue Grosbeak | -- | 1 | 10 |
| Indigo Bunting | -- | 22 | 95 |
| Dickcissel | -- | -- | -- |
| Bobolink | -- | 3 | 1 |
| Red-winged Blackbird | 132 | 2 | 15 |
| Eastern Meadowlark | 90 | 31 | 72 |
| Common Grackle | 65 | 20 | 13 |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | 655 | -- | 10 |
| Baltimore Oriole | -- | -- | -- |
| House Finch | 14 | 3 | 2 |
| Pine Siskin | -- | 1 | -- |
| American Goldfinch | 35 | 14 | 55 |
| House Sparrow | 71 | 9 | 25 |
| Total Individuals | 6341 | 1515 | 4723 |
| Total Species | 119 | 88 | 108 |
County |
Barren, KY | Fentress, TN | White, TN |
Key to compilers: RMD = Roseanna M. Denton; DAD = Douglas A. Downs; and EKL = Edmund K. LeGrand.
* A Fall BirdBlitz (FBB) differs from a Fall Bird Count (FBC) only in that the former is not an annually repeated count, while the latter is.
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