Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

 

American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)

American Restart [lateral view of adult male]: Photograph Credit: Rickey Shive; Pulliam Hollow, Metcalfe County, Kentucky; 7 September 2019.

 

Abundance: Uncommon during late spring, summer, and early fall; recorded in all Regional counties (Map of UCR Distribution); data from the Regional bird-monitoring efforts are too few to reliably determine a trend in the breeding population but suggest a stable trend in the migratory population (see also Regional Bird Monitoring Plan).

Status: Summer Resident; Visitor during winter (2 records); specimen (9 June 1938; Monticello, Wayne County, Kentucky; W. M. Perrygo; Wetmore 1940).

Regional High Count: 94 (20 May 2012; western Putnam County, Tennessee; Stephen J. Stedman); SBC/SBB High Count: 68 (8 May 2004; Putnam County, Tennessee [SBC]; m. ob.); FBC/FBB High Count: 42 (15 September 2007; Putnam County, Tennessee [FBC]; m. ob.).

Out-of-Season (Winter) Records:

1 January 1980 (1second-year male) Kendall Recreation Area, Wolf Creek Dam, Lake Cumberland, Russell County, Kentucky (Jackie B. Elmore, Sr.; Elmore 1980b; Stamm 1980b).

5 December 20159 January 2016 (1 immature) Science Hill, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton photo), includes a Somerset CBC record.

Regional Extreme Dates:

    Early Spring: x (

    Late Fall: x (

    Note: Spring arrival usually widespread by 25 April; fall departure largely complete by 30 September.  Regional dates of earliest reported spring arrival and latest reported fall departure for the years 20022011 follow:

Year Early Spring Arrival Late Fall Departure
2002 13 April 13 October
2003 14 April 15 October
2004 16 April 20 October
2005 13 April 5 October
2006 13 April 8 October
2007 17 April 9 October
2008 12 April 4 October
2009 24 April 14 October
2010 13 April 2 October
2011 12 April 10 October

Breeding: Confirmed (Recent).   

Habitat: x

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: Registered on 13 (of 125 possible) monthly check-lists during 2003 and on 17 (of 206) check-lists during 2004, leading to a YardWatch frequency classification of Uncommon during each year; the YardWatch frequency classification for this warbler conforms to the overall Regional abundance classification quite well.

Foray Results: A summary of data from UCR Forays follows (to view a map displaying foray data for a county or a sub-Region for this species, click on the name of an underlined county or state below):

County Dates when Foray Conducted Total Blocks
in County *
Total Blocks in which
American Redstart
Recorded
Total Individuals
Recorded
         
Adair 816 June 2014 46 0 0
Barren 1–6 June 2013 54 0 0
Clinton 12–14 June 2009 24 0 0
Cumberland 1620 June 2014 35 1 4
McCreary 30 May5 Jun 2011 51 16 51
Metcalfe 812 June 2013 32 0 0
Monroe 1–12 June 2015 35 0 0
Pulaski 511 June 2010 72 11 15
Russell 1316, 2629 June 2012 31 0 0
Wayne 28 May3 June 2012 54 5 9
         
Kentucky   434 (408) 33 (7.6%) 79
         
Bledsoe 1824 June 2012 48 1 3
Clay 12–15 June 2010 30 5 18
Cumberland 29 May4 June 2010 75 5 29
DeKalb 2326 May 2008 40 8 14
Fentress 1117 June 2012 55 1 2
Jackson 29 May1 Jun 2009 40 16 33
Macon 1722 June 2013 32 2 2
Morgan 1–8 June 2014 58 8 45
Overton 2329 May 2011 47 3 3
Pickett 2225 May 2009 24 2 2
Putnam 6–12 June 2011 46 8 40
Scott 924 June 2016 62 24 87
Smith 1525 June 2015 37 1 2
Van Buren 13–15 June 2011 33 2 2
Warren 1–10 June 2016 47 1 1
White 1–6 June 2015 50 0 0
         
Tennessee   724 (651) 87 (12.0%) 283
         
Region   1158 (c. 1059) 120 (10.4%) 362

* Because some foray blocks fall into two or three counties, the total of blocks in the Kentucky or Tennessee portions of the Region is less than the sum of the blocks in the counties of each portion of the Region; similarly, because some blocks fall into both states, the total of blocks for the Region is less than the sum of the blocks in the two states.

Remarksprobably breeds in most Regional counties, but breeding density highly variable from county to county (see also Foray Results [above]).

    Probably the site with the highest known population density of redstarts in the Region is Frozen Head State Natural Area, Morgan County, Tennessee, where counts of 3886 redstarts were accumulated along a 16-km (10-mi) walking transect conducted 19942008; most redstarts were counted at mid-elevation (600800 m [20002600 ft]) in the part of the park that is covered by the transect.  Another site where a moderately high population density of redstarts may be found is the escarpment lying between the Central Basin and Highland Rim in western Putnam County where counts of 3081 redstarts have been made along an 82-km (51-mi) driving transect conducted 2004–2011.

Check-lists of Birds for the Counties of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of each county of the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed by clicking on the links below. For each county, there are two check-lists: one list that shows the species that have been observed and where possible documented in the county within the larger list for the entire Region; and one list that includes only the species observed in the county with annotations for the date and observers for at least one sighting (the ultimate goal of the latter list will be to include annotations for the very first known Regional observation of each species in that county; this goal is probably one that will take many years to complete, if completion is even a possibility). To see if the species discussed in this species account has been observed in a county, click below or click on the link for the Map of UCR Distribution near the top of the page.

Barren Metcalfe Adair Russell Pulaski
Monroe Cumberland Clinton Wayne McCreary
Macon Clay Pickett Fentress Scott
Smith Jackson Overton Putnam Morgan
DeKalb White Cumberland
Warren Van Buren Bledsoe

Check-lists of Birds for Some Public Access Birding Sites of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of some public access birding sites within the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed via the links below. To see if the species dealt with in this species account has been observed within any of these sites, click on the appropriate link below. See the pages for each county within the Gazetteer for links to additional smaller public access birding sites with check-lists in progress.

Burgess Falls SP, Putnam/White Counties, TN Barren River Lake SP, Barren County, KY
Cumberland Mountain SP, Cumberland County, TN General Burnside Island SP, Pulaski County, KY
Edgar Evins SP, DeKalb County, TN  
Fall Creek Falls SP, Bledsoe/Van Buren Counties, TN Pulaski County Park, Pulaski County, KY
Frozen Head SNA, Morgan County, TN Waitsboro Recreation Area, Pulaski County, KY
Rock Island SP, Warren/White Counties, TN  
Standing Stone SP, Overton County, TN Big South Fork NRRA, KY and TN
   
Cane Creek Park, Putnam County, TN  
Roaring River Recreation Area, Jackson County, TN  

Literature Cited