Results of Spring Bird Counts and Spring BirdBlitzes Conducted in the Upper Cumberland Region of Kentucky and Tennessee—April and May 2013
During the Regional Spring Bird Counts (SBC) and Spring BirdBlitzes (SBB) conducted this spring, 173 species were detected, over half (54.4%) of the all-time species (318) recorded in the Region.
The count in Cumberland County was conducted on an earlier date than has been typical for Regional SBCs and SBBs for the last couple of decades. A number of lingering winter residents were recorded on this count; these species would not usually be among the species being detected during the SBCs and SBBs in the Region.
The count in White County was conducted just one day later than was the case during the 2011 count in that county; rain occurred on both dates but with rather different results. In 2011, the count in White County resulted in the highest species total (142) ever recorded Regionally on a spring bird-counting event; however, the count in White County during 2013 resulted in a much lower species total (117). Exactly why this difference took place is hard to explain; the latter count was conducted when rainfall was perhaps more intense and longer lasting than was the case during 2011, and these factors may have caused this difference.
The count in Pulaski County, Kentucky was the 14th consecutively to be conducted in that county, while the count in Putnam County, Tennessee, became the 22nd consecutively conducted there and the 40th overall.
The spring birdblitz in Russell County, Kentucky, was the first of its kind to be conducted in that county, while the spring birdblitz in DeKalb County was the second to take place in that county, where it is hoped that this event can become annual.
To go to the BirdPage, to the SBC Central Node, or to results for one of the counties where a SBC or SBB was conducted this spring, click on the appropriate active (i.e., underlined) link below:
To see a map (Figure 1) depicting the location of counties in which a SBC or SBB was conducted this spring, click on the link below:
Table 1. Results of 2013 Spring Bird Counts (SBC) and Spring BirdBlitzes (SBB) in the Upper Cumberland Region.
| County | Cumberland, TN | White, TN | Russell, KY | DeKalb, TN | Pulaski, KY |
Putnam, TN |
| Type of Count ** | SBC | SBC | SBB | SBB | SBC | SBC |
| Date (April/May) | 20 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 11 |
| Number Field Observers * | 10 | 10 | 2 | 13 | 6 | 13 |
| Number Field Parties | 5 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 7 |
| Number Feederwatchers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Start CDT/EDT | 0400 | 0430 | 0506 | 0430 | 0608 | 0440 |
| End CDT/EDT | 2030 | 1330 | 1630 | 1800 | 2101 | 1755 |
| Hours on Foot | 16.5 | 4.5 | 1 | 12 | 10 | 11.75 |
| Hours by Auto | 39 | 25.75 | 21.25 | 61.5 | 38.5 | 61.75 |
| Total Party Hours | 55.5 | 30.25 | 22.25 | 73.5 | 48.5 | 73.5 |
| Miles on Foot | 5 | 3 | 1 | 7.5 | 5 | 7 |
| Miles by Car | 452 | 259.5 | 223 | 489.5 | 382 | 578 |
| Total Party Miles | 457 | 262.5 | 224 | 497 | 387 | 585 |
| Owling Hours | 4 | 1.5 | 0.25 | 2.25 | 0.5 | 0.75 |
| Owling Miles | 36 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 17 |
| Feeder-watching Hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Low Temperature (F) | 29 | 46 | 46 | 52 | 56 | 58 |
| High Temperature (F) | 56 | 60 | c. 68 | 82 | 80 | 67 |
| Wind Direction | NNW | NA | Var. | NA | NA | Var. |
| Wind Speed (mph) | 0–14 | 0–10 | 0–5 | 0–5 | NA | 0–5 |
| Sky AM | Clear | Overcast | Fog/PClo | Clear | NA | Fog/Over |
| Sky PM | Clear | Overcast | PClo | PClo | NA | Clo |
| Precipitation AM | None | Rain | None | None | NA | Brief Rain |
| Precipitation PM | None | Rain | None | None | NA | None |
| Moon Phase | 1st Quart | nearing new | near new | near new | near new | near new |
| Compiler * | EKL | DAD | SJS | JCF | RMD | SJS |
| Total Species | 132 | 117 | 115 | 132 | 123 | 136 |
| County | Cumberland, TN | White, TN | Russell, KY | DeKalb, TN | Pulaski, KY |
Putnam, TN |
| Snow Goose | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Canada Goose | 76 | 53 | -- | 55 | 52 | 185 |
| Mute Swan | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Wood Duck | 29 | 24 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 7 |
| Gadwall | 2 | -- | -- | -- | 2 | -- |
| Mallard | 37 | 19 | -- | 14 | 13 | 31 |
| Blue-winged Teal | 21 | 2 | -- | 4 | 4 | 9 |
| Northern Shoveler | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Ring-necked Duck | 7 | -- | -- | 1 | 2 | -- |
| Lesser Scaup | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Bufflehead | 8 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Hooded Merganser | -- | 3 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Ruddy Duck | 15 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Northern Bobwhite | 11 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 6 | 8 |
| Wild Turkey | 5 | 27 | 10 | 35 | 8 | 28 |
| Common Loon | 2 | -- | -- | 9 | -- | 2 |
| Pied-billed Grebe | 6 | -- | -- | 1 | -- | 3 |
| Double-crested Cormorant | -- | -- | -- | 19 | -- | -- |
| Great Blue Heron | 7 | 15 | 4 | 16 | 12 | 30 |
| Great Egret | 1 | -- | -- | 3 | -- | 1 |
| Green Heron | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 18 |
| County | Cumberland, TN | White, TN | Russell, KY | DeKalb, TN | Pulaski, KY |
Putnam, TN |
| Black Vulture | 1 | 2 | 58 | 61 | 14 | 31 |
| Turkey Vulture | 47 | 41 | 48 | 128 | 57 | 91 |
| Osprey | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Bald Eagle | 2 ad | 1 | -- | 1 ad | -- | -- |
| Northern Harrier | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | -- | -- | -- | 2 | -- | -- |
| Cooper's Hawk | 4 | 3 | -- | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 13 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 11 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 15 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 5 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 11 | 4 | 3 | 13 | 5 | 21 |
| Sora | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2 |
| American Coot | 29 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | 5 |
| Semipalmated Plover | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 21 |
| Killdeer | 24 | 38 | 24 | 55 | 39 | 56 |
| Spotted Sandpiper | 3 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 17 |
| Solitary Sandpiper | 1 | 14 | 8 | 9 | 3 | 8 |
| Greater Yellowlegs | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3 |
| Lesser Yellowlegs | 4 | -- | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Semipalmated Sandpiper | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 7 |
| Least Sandpiper | -- | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 20 |
| Pectoral Sandpiper | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4 |
| Wilson's Snipe | 8 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| American Woodcock | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| County | Cumberland, TN | White, TN | Russell, KY | DeKalb, TN | Pulaski, KY |
Putnam, TN |
| Rock Pigeon | 17 | 4 | 2 | 14 | 2 | 62 |
| Eurasian Collared-Dove | -- | 7 | 2 | 10 | -- | 4 |
| Mourning Dove | 100 | 152 | 57 | 221 | 121 | 448 |
| Yellow-billed Cuckoo | -- | 1 | 5 | 12 | 3 | 1 |
| Barn Owl | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4 y |
| Eastern Screech-Owl | -- | -- | -- | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Great Horned Owl | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Barred Owl | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 4 |
| Common Nighthawk | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2 | -- |
| Chuck-will's-widow | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| Eastern Whip-poor-will | 25 | 5 | 2 | -- | 1 | -- |
| Chimney Swift | 6 | 17 | 17 | 47 | 42 | 104 |
| Ruby-throated Hummingbird | 5 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 3 | 8 |
| Belted Kingfisher | 2 | -- | 2 | 3 | -- | 5 |
| Red-headed Woodpecker | 31 | 12 | 3 | 26 | 8 | 14 |
| Red-bellied Woodpecker | 46 | 23 | 42 | 111 | 34 | 92 |
| Downy Woodpecker | 16 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 11 | 15 |
| Hairy Woodpecker | 4 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| Northern Flicker | 21 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 25 |
| Pileated Woodpecker | 24 | 11 | 11 | 31 | 11 | 35 |
| American Kestrel | 14 | 13 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 12 |
| Merlin | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| County | Cumberland, TN | White, TN | Russell, KY | DeKalb, TN | Pulaski, KY |
Putnam, TN |
| Olive-sided Flycatcher | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- |
| Eastern Wood-Pewee | -- | 6 | 41 | 68 | 39 | 73 |
| Acadian Flycatcher | -- | 1 | 8 | 35 | 14 | 49 |
| Empidonax sp. | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3 |
| Eastern Phoebe | 40 | 29 | 33 | 76 | 21 | 88 |
| Great Crested Flycatcher | 3 | 11 | 24 | 56 | 17 | 59 |
| Eastern Kingbird | 30 | 48 | 24 | 82 | 30 | 121 |
| Loggerhead Shrike | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | 2 |
| White-eyed Vireo | 41 | 23 | 44 | 149 | 52 | 118 |
| Yellow-throated Vireo | 12 | 5 | 7 | 50 | 12 | 40 |
| Blue-headed Vireo | 14 | 3 | -- | 1 | 7 | 2 |
| Warbling Vireo | -- | 2 | -- | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Red-eyed Vireo | 80 | 38 | 91 | 418 | 169 | 328 |
| Blue Jay | 98 | 32 | 28 | 86 | 70 | 187 |
| American Crow | 217 | 165 | 58 | 202 | 71 | 405 |
| Horned Lark | 3 | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- |
| Purple Martin | 30 | 47 | 6 | 164 | 86 | 79 |
| Tree Swallow | 118 | 84 | 11 | 16 | 5 | 41 |
| Northern Rough-winged Swallow | 42 | 66 | 56 | 96 | 28 | 31 |
| Bank Swallow | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Cliff Swallow | 3 | 5 | 17 | 65 | 2 | 33 |
| Barn Swallow | 155 | 117 | 48 | 237 | 147 | 210 |
| County | Cumberland, TN | White, TN | Russell, KY | DeKalb, TN | Pulaski, KY |
Putnam, TN |
| Carolina Chickadee | 85 | 25 | 27 | 76 | 23 | 90 |
| Tufted Titmouse | 169 | 55 | 123 | 189 | 84 | 270 |
| Red-breasted Nuthatch | 4 | 2 | 1 | -- | 1 | -- |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | 24 | 5 | 12 | 37 | 6 | 25 |
| Brown-headed Nuthatch | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2 |
| Brown Creeper | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| House Wren | 11 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 20 |
| Winter Wren | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Carolina Wren | 77 | 81 | 91 | 200 | 62 | 249 |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | 96 | 42 | 86 | 165 | 42 | 117 |
| Golden-crowned Kinglet | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 10 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Eastern Bluebird | 129 | 103 | 42 | 233 | 88 | 255 |
| Veery | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | 2 |
| Gray-cheeked Thrush | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- |
| Swainson's Thrush | -- | 2 | 4 | 5 | 3 | -8 |
| Hermit Thrush | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Wood Thrush | 20 | 17 | 13 | 88 | 42 | 75 |
| American Robin | 341 | 113 | 180 | 309 | 338 | 613 |
| Gray Catbird | 2 | 3 | 11 | 20 | 7 | 16 |
| Northern Mockingbird | 52 | 91 | 46 | 234 | 79 | 296 |
| Brown Thrasher | 35 | 33 | 26 | 44 | 37 | 77 |
| European Starling | 404 | 545 | 294 | 721 | 472 | 1093 |
| Cedar Waxwing | 40 | 62 | 3 | 14 | 4 | 71 |
| County | Cumberland, TN | White, TN | Russell, KY | DeKalb, TN | Pulaski, KY |
Putnam, TN |
| Ovenbird | 23 | 16 | 21 | 22 | 27 | 33 |
| Worm-eating Warbler | 7 | 4 | 11 | 7 | 11 | 10 |
| Louisiana Waterthrush | 4 | 7 | 18 | 14 | 2 | 20 |
| Northern Waterthrush | 1 | -- | 2 | 1 | -- | 1 |
| Blue-winged Warbler | 2 | -- | 5 | 15 | 2 | 30 |
| Black-and-white Warbler | 35 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 29 | 30 |
| Prothonotary Warbler | -- | 1 | -- | 2 | -- | 7 |
| Swainson's Warbler | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- |
| Tennessee Warbler | -- | -- | 8 | 37 | 2 | 26 |
| Nashville Warbler | -- | -- | 1 | 3 | 1 | -- |
| Kentucky Warbler | 5 | 10 | 33 | 85 | 18 | 90 |
| Common Yellowthroat | 20 | 50 | 112 | 173 | 123 | 177 |
| Hooded Warbler | 56 | 11 | 18 | 81 | 89 | 65 |
| American Redstart | 12 | 1 | 1 | 37 | 1 | 45 |
| Cape May Warbler | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -- | 5 |
| Cerulean Warbler | 2 | -- | -- | 50 | 2 | 33 |
| Northern Parula | 20 | 8 | 37 | 95 | 16 | 74 |
| Magnolia Warbler | -- | -- | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| Bay-breasted Warbler | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | 3 |
| Blackburnian Warbler | -- | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -- |
| Yellow Warbler | -- | 1 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 30 |
| Chestnut-sided Warbler | -- | -- | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Blackpoll Warbler | -- | -- | 14 | 10 | 4 | 16 |
| Palm Warbler | 5 | -- | -- | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Pine Warbler | 26 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 15 | 15 |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | 19 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 20 |
| Yellow-throated Warbler | 27 | 17 | 24 | 45 | 14 | 44 |
| Prairie Warbler | 55 | 11 | 42 | 78 | 61 | 47 |
| Black-throated Green Warbler | 4 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 20 | 10 |
| Yellow-breasted Chat | 6 | 13 | 46 | 108 | 64 | 56 |
| County | Cumberland, TN | White, TN | Russell, KY | DeKalb, TN | Pulaski, KY |
Putnam, TN |
| Eastern Towhee | 88 | 35 | 48 | 135 | 57 | 200 |
| Chipping Sparrow | 100 | 65 | 74 | 167 | 62 | 198 |
| Field Sparrow | 67 | 62 | 86 | 134 | 70 | 147 |
| Vesper Sparrow | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Savannah Sparrow | 5 | 6 | 2 | 3 | -- | 1 |
| Grasshopper Sparrow | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Henslow's Sparrow | -- | 2 | -- | -- | 3 | -- |
| Song Sparrow | 106 | 42 | 115 | 70 | 80 | 178 |
| Swamp Sparrow | 3 | 1 | 1 | -- | -- | 1 |
| White-throated Sparrow | 38 | 1 | -- | -- | 3 | 1 |
| White-crowned Sparrow | 6 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Dark-eyed Junco | 1 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Summer Tanager | 1 | 1 | 39 | 101 | 16 | 88 |
| Scarlet Tanager | 11 | 8 | 12 | 46 | 34 | 21 |
| Northern Cardinal | 197 | 133 | 165 | 368 | 229 | 438 |
| Rose-breasted Grosbeak | 8 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 18 |
| Blue Grosbeak | 3 | 38 | 27 | 29 | 5 | 37 |
| Indigo Bunting | 10 | 72 | 233 | 540 | 193 | 429 |
| Dickcissel | -- | -- | -- | 36 | 2 | -- |
| Bobolink | -- | -- | 1 | 3 | 6 | 19 |
| Red-winged Blackbird | 162 | 207 | 154 | 118 | 304 | 401 |
| Eastern Meadowlark | 133 | 204 | 121 | 211 | 92 | 200 |
| Common Grackle | 70 | 74 | 44 | 213 | 127 | 288 |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | 55 | 41 | 36 | 101 | 57 | 134 |
| Orchard Oriole | 1 | 18 | 38 | 69 | 12 | 64 |
| Baltimore Oriole | -- | 2 | 1 | 7 | 12 | 3 |
| Purple Finch | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| House Finch | 45 | 14 | 10 | 33 | 15 | 57 |
| Red Crossbill | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 2 | -- |
| Pine Siskin | 4 | -- | 4 | 2 | 5 | -- |
| American Goldfinch | 146 | 54 | 123 | 122 | 137 | 80 |
| House Sparrow | 29 | 52 | 76 | 49 | 53 | 135 |
| Total Individuals | 4724 | 3714 | 3649 | 8647 | 4673 | 10678 |
| Total Species | 132 | 117 | 115 | 132 | 123 | 136 |
| County | Cumberland, TN | White, TN | Russell, KY | DeKalb, TN | Pulaski, KY |
Putnam, TN |
* Observers on the Cumberland Co., TN, Spring Bird Count:
| Bruce F. Anderson |
| Nan E. Beesley |
| Janet Dowlen |
| Douglas A. Downs |
| Annell S. Fields |
| Edmund K. LeGrand (EKL), compiler |
| Michael P. O'Rourke |
| Thomas M. Saya |
| Stephen J. Stedman |
| Winston A. Walden |
* Observers on the White County, TN, Spring Bird Count:
| Douglas A. Downs (DAD), compiler |
| Judy C. Fuson |
| Michael J. Hawkins |
| Nancy S. Layzer |
| Edmund K. LeGrand |
| Michael P. O'Rourke |
| Thomas M. Saya |
| Stephen J. Stedman |
| Winston A. Walden |
| Carol D. Williams |
* Observers on the Russell Co., KY, Spring BirdBlitz:
| Roseanna M. Denton |
| Stephen J. Stedman (SJS), compiler |
* Observers on the DeKalb Co., TN, Spring BirdBlitz:
| Nadeen R. Carder |
| Douglas A. Downs |
| Judy C. Fuson (JCF), compiler |
| Michael J. Hawkins |
| Peggy J. Huffstetler |
| Nancy S. Layzer |
| Michael P. O'Rourke |
| Thomas M. Saya |
| Stephen J. Stedman |
| Holly Taylor |
| Mark Taylor |
| Winston A. Walden |
| Carol D. Williams |
* Observers on the Pulaski County, KY, Spring Bird Count:
| Granville Cox |
| Thelma Cox |
| Roseanna M. Denton (RMD), compiler |
| C. Gay Hodges |
| Laura Kamperman |
| Arlene M. Morton |
* Observers on the Putnam County, TN, Spring Bird Count:
| John Barthelme |
| Douglas A. Downs |
| Ginger K. Ensor |
| Janie C. Finch |
| Judy C. Fuson |
| Michael J. Hawkins |
| Linda Henderson |
| Nancy S. Layzer |
| Edmund K. LeGrand |
| Michael P. O'Rourke |
| Thomas M. Saya |
| Stephen J. Stedman (SJS), compiler |
| Carol D. Williams |
** Type of Count
Quick links to other sections of this website: