Results of 29th Putnam County, Tennessee, Spring Bird Count—11 May 2002

 

A Great Egret perched on a snag at Cane Creek Park, Putnam Co., TN, 12 May 2002; probably the same bird was seen a day earlier by Ginger Ensor, Ken Morgan, and Ann Davis at the park during the Spring Bird Count; photo SJS.

 

The Putnam County Spring Bird Count (SBC) was conducted 11 May 2002 by fourteen observers in the field and one feederwatcher.  These observers counted 135 species, the second highest total ever amassed on a SBC in the county.  Observers in six parties were in the field a total of  66.75 hours during the count.

    Four species of birds were noted this year that had not been recorded on any of the previous 28 SBCs conducted in the county.  These included Long-tailed Duck, Forster's Tern, Olive-sided Flycatcher, and Brown-headed Nuthatch.  Other notable species that have seldom been observed on SBCs in the past were Great Egret, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, American Wigeon, Osprey, American Coot, Barn Owl, Willow Flycatcher, and Pine Siskin.

    The Long-tailed Duck and Forster's Tern were counted at Cane Creek Park, which was also the site where the Great Egret, American Coot, and Willow Flycatcher were found.  Cane Creek continues to provide good habitat for a number of migrating and breeding species.  The Olive-sided Flycatcher, only the fifth ever recorded in Putnam County, was found on Shady Lane.

    The Brown-headed Nuthatches seen on the count constitute the only known population of this small permanent resident bird in Tennessee north of I-40 and west of the Cumberland Plateau.  The population is small, probably involving only two or three pairs, but it appears to be doing well at the present time.

    Some noteworthy species totals were accumulated for many species of birds, including 191 Chimney Swifts, 40 House Wrens, 30 Yellow-throated Warblers, 131 Prairie Warblers, 130 Hooded Warblers, 161 Eastern Towhees, 174 Field Sparrows, and 96 House Finches.  On the negative side, no Loggerhead Shrikes were counted; this species continues to decline in the county and throughout much of the surrounding Region.

    Observers who took part in the SBC were Dan Combs, Ann Davis, Ginger Ensor, Louann Gum, Jane Herrin, Graham Kash, Nancy Layzer, Ken Morgan, Mike O'Rourke, John Owens, Tom Roberts, Richard Simmers, Barb Stedman, Steve Stedman, and Winston Walden.

 

Location W NW NNE NE SE SW Feeder  
                 
Party Leader SJS GKE WAW RWS BHS DLC JEBH Total 
Party Members LIG KLM MPO     TR    
  NSL DAD GSK          
      JCO          
                 
Number Field Observers 3 3 4 1 1 2 0  14
Number Field Parties 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 6
Number Feederwatcher 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
                 
Start CDT               0315
End CDT               2015
Hours on Foot 1 6 4 3.75 0 1 0  15.75
Hours by Car 13.5 6 7.25 4.25 13 7 0  51
Total Party Hours 14.5 12 11.25 8 13 8 0  66.75
Miles on Foot 1 4 4 3 0 0 0  12
Miles by Car 140 65 80 71 127 50 0  533
Total Party Miles 141 69 84 74 127 50 0  545
Owling Hours 1.5 0 0 0 1.5 0 0  3
Owling Miles 15 0 0 0 33 0 0  48
Feeder-watching Hours 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.75 0.75
                 
Low Temperature (F)               55
High Temperature (F)               75
Wind Direction               East
Wind AM (mph)               0–10
Wind PM (mph)               0–15
Sky AM               clear
Sky PM               mostly clear
Precipitation AM               none
Precipitation PM               none
Moon Phase               new
                 
Total Species 90 86 72 71 115 73 16 135
                 
Location W NW NNE NE SE SW Feeder  
                 
Canada Goose 2 31 38 3 15 2   91
Wood Duck 2   2   30 1   35
American Wigeon     1         1
Mallard   2 5   3     10
Long-tailed Duck   1           *1
Northern Bobwhite 2 2 3   8 3   18
Wild Turkey 3             3
Pied-billed Grebe   1           1
Double-crested Cormorant         1        1
Great Blue Heron 3 1     2 2   8
Great Egret   1           1
Green Heron 1 3 3   1     8
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 1             1
Black Vulture 2 3     2 11   18
Turkey Vulture 7 10 15 3 8 12   55
Osprey         1     1
Cooper's Hawk   1     1     2
Accipiter sp.   1           1
Red-shouldered Hawk 2   2 2 4 1   11
Broad-winged Hawk 1       3     4
Red-tailed Hawk 2 1 2   3     8
                 
Location W NW NNE NE SE SW Feeder  
                 
American Coot   1           1
Killdeer   15 2 1 11     29
Spotted Sandpiper   2     2     4
Solitary Sandpiper   4     1     5
Greater Yellowlegs         1     1
American Woodcock         1     1
sandpiper sp.   6   2       8
Forster's Tern   1           *1
Rock Pigeon 6 10   2 42 5   65
Mourning Dove 49 50 26 5 87 50 2 269
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 3       2     5
Barn Owl           1   1
Eastern Screech-Owl 1       3     4
Great Horned Owl         2     2
Barred Owl 1 1           2
Common Nighthawk   3 1   2 1   7
Chuck-will's-widow 1       2     3
Eastern Whip-poor-will 5       3     8
Chimney Swift 25 53 23 11 75 4   *191
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 5 2     4 4   15
Belted Kingfisher 2 3     4     9
                 
Location W NW NNE NE SE SW Feeder  
                 
Red-headed Woodpecker   2 3   2     7
Red-bellied Woodpecker 13 17 6 2 11 10 1 60
Downy Woodpecker 4 2 5 1 8 7   27
Hairy Woodpecker 2 1     1     4
Northern Flicker 1 2 4 2 10 3   22
Pileated Woodpecker 8 3 2 2 11 3   29
American Kestrel   3     3 8   14
Olive-sided Flycatcher         1     *1
Eastern Wood-Pewee 28 7 7 6 26 7   81
Acadian Flycatcher 42     3 14 3   62
Willow Flycatcher   1           1
Eastern Phoebe 22 1 2 9 21 3   58
Great Crested Flycatcher 7 18 8   5 3   41
Eastern Kingbird 9 23 10 1 17 11   71
White-eyed Vireo 82 5 15 14 24 6   146
Yellow-throated Vireo 12 3   3 13 3   34
Blue-headed Vireo       6 2     8
Red-eyed Vireo 257 16 16 55 180 32   556
                 
Location W NW NNE NE SE SW Feeder  
                 
Blue Jay 10 52 15 4 52 17   150
American Crow 31 81 36 7 95 31 3 284
Horned Lark         7     7
Purple Martin 5 27     27 30   89
Tree Swallow   2 4   14     20
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 6 30 8   18 6   68
Cliff Swallow 4             4
Barn Swallow 25 23 16 12 78 45   199
Carolina Chickadee 19 17 11 11 37 6 1 102
Tufted Titmouse 31 18 13 15 31 14 1 123
White-breasted Nuthatch 1 6   1 8     16
Brown-headed Nuthatch     5         *5
House Wren 2 5 8   16 9   **40
Carolina Wren 67 17 26 21 61 20   212
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 69 7 5 5 44 25   155
Ruby-crowned Kinglet         1     1
Eastern Bluebird 20 45 47 5 80 46 1 244
Veery     1         1
Swainson's Thrush   1   4 3     8
Wood Thrush 43 4 7 14 44 6   118
American Robin 70 85 50 21 90 64 4 384
Gray Catbird 10 3 6   18     37
Northern Mockingbird 21 32 24 6 27 36 2 148
Brown Thrasher 8 8 18 3 31 10 1 79
European Starling 70 456 53 58 215 196 2 1050
Cedar Waxwing 4 20   2 7 15   48
                 
Location W NW NNE NE SE SW Feeder  
                 
Ovenbird 2 4 3 29 95     133
Worm-eating Warbler 4     3 16 2   25
Louisiana Waterthrush 15       3     18
Blue-winged Warbler 22             22
Black-and-white Warbler 2 3   6 93 4   108
Prothonotary Warbler 2             2
Tennessee Warbler 9       1 2   12
Kentucky Warbler 37     6 5 5   53
Common Yellowthroat 82 12 26 13 75 23   231
Hooded Warbler 31   3 25 67 4   **130
American Redstart 33   3 4 11     51
Cape May Warbler         2 1   3
Cerulean Warbler 28     1 2 3   34
Northern Parula 30     2 3 1   36
Magnolia Warbler     1   1     2
Bay-breasted Warbler       2       2
Blackburnian Warbler         1     1
Yellow Warbler 21 4 5   8     38
Chestnut-sided Warbler         1     1
Blackpoll Warbler         3 3   6
Palm Warbler   4 1         5
Pine Warbler   5 4 8 17     34
Yellow-rumped Warbler   7     4     11
Yellow-throated Warbler 5   2 6 16 1   **30
Prairie Warbler 48 2 2 8 67 4   **131
Black-throated Green Warbler       4 1     5
Canada Warbler       1       1
Wilson's Warbler         1     1
Yellow-breasted Chat 66 4 5 2 27 8   112
                 
Location W NW NNE NE SE SW Feeder  
                 
Eastern Towhee 60 17 19 17 38 10   **161
Chipping Sparrow 26 18 21 11 110 15   201
Field Sparrow 55 9 4 7 77 22   **174
Grasshopper Sparrow         1 5   6
Song Sparrow 24 32 30 37 87 26 1 237
White-throated Sparrow       1       1
Summer Tanager 28 9 2 8 8 8   63
Scarlet Tanager 25 1 1 9 18 8   62
Northern Cardinal 84 62 39 25 95 43 4 352
Rose-breasted Grosbeak     1 1 3     5
Blue Grosbeak 3   1 2 22 2   30
Indigo Bunting 262 28 44 52 185 61   632
Red-winged Blackbird 30 46 46 20 185 35   362
Eastern Meadowlark 22 58 24 15 105 64   288
Common Grackle 40 37 16 17 77 19 3 209
Brown-headed Cowbird 25 12 18 6 79 12   152
Orchard Oriole 32 2 2 4 23 8   71
Baltimore Oriole 1       1     2
House Finch 2 22 14 7 46   5 *96
Pine Siskin       1       1
American Goldfinch 13 18 22 9 81 6 8 157
House Sparrow 15 5 4 16 82 31 3 156
                 
Total Individuals 2313 1673 917 707 3520 1208 42 10380
                 
Total Species 90 86 72 71 115 73 16 135
                 
Party Location W N NNE NE SE SW FW Total

Participants:

DLC Daniel L. Combs
DAD D. Ann Davis
GKE Ginger K. Ensor
LIG Louann I. Gum
JEBH Jane E. B. Herrin
GSK Graham S. Kash
NSL Nancy S. Layzer
KM Ken Morgan
MPO Michael P. O'Rourke
JCO John C. Owens
TR Tom Roberts
RWS Richard W. Simmers, Jr.
BHS Barbara H. Stedman
SJS Stephen J. Stedman, compiler
WAW Winston A. Walden

Notes, including remarks about uncommon or rare species:

Bold-faced species (4) are new to the Spring Bird Count in Putnam County. Species totals with an asterisk (*) next to them are highest ever totals for the Spring Bird Count in Putnam County; species totals with two asterisks (**) are all-time high counts for the county as well as highest-ever totals for Spring Bird Count in Putnam County.

The Great Egret was noted at Cane Creek Park; probably the same bird was also present at that site12 May 2002 (SJS photo; see above).

The Yellow-crowned Night-Heron was incubating on a nest near Burgess Falls State Natural Area (SJS photo).

The American Wigeon was noted 9 May 2002 at the Cookeville Golf Course (SJS, WAW) and stayed there until count day.

The Long-tailed Duck was first noted at Cane Creek Park 8 May 2002 (SJS photo, SHF, MPO) and stayed until count day; it became the 193rd species to be observed on a Putnam County SBC; it was the second of this species to be noted in Putnam County and was perhaps the latest spring Long-tailed Duck ever noted in Tennessee.

The Forster's Tern was noted count day at Cane Creek Park; it became the 194th species to be observed on a Putnam County SBC.

The Barn Owl was observed at the same site where one was present last year; at least three young were also noted count day; several young were photographed at the same site 27 April 2002 (Carol D. Williams photo).

The Olive-sided Flycatcher was noted on Shady Lane; it became the 195th species to be observed on a Putnam County Spring Bird Count (and provided the 5th county record).

The Willow Flycatcher was noted at Cane Creek Park, where it has been present during breeding season for four consecutive years.

The Brown-headed Nuthatches were noted at the Cookeville Golf Course; at least two, and probably three, pairs are nesting at this site; these birds became the 196th species to be recorded on a Putnam County SBC.

The Veery, heard only, was noted at the Cookeville Golf Course.

The Pine Siskin, also heard only, was east of Monterey on Rt. 62 near Meadow Creek.

Female Yellow Warbler at Cane Creek Park 15 May 2002; photo SJS.

 

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