Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

Black-throated Blue Warbler (Setophaga caerulescens)

Abundance: Very Uncommon during spring and fall; Very Uncommon to Rare during Summer; at least 46 records in 15 Regional counties, 4 in Kentucky and 11 in Tennessee (Map of UCR Distribution); data from the Regional bird-monitoring efforts are too few to determine a trend in the small population migrating through the Region, while data from the one small breeding population in the Region suggest it is probably stable (see also Regional Bird-Monitoring Plan).

Status: Transient during spring (25 records) and fall (15 records) throughout the Region; Summer Resident (at least 5 records plus many others by SJS) at higher elevations of Frozen Head State Natural Area, Morgan County, Tennessee; Visitor during winter (1 record); photograph.

Regional High Count: 11 (9 June 1986; Morgan County, Tennessee; Charles P. Nicholson; Nicholson 1987a); Next Highest Counts: 8 (11 May 1986/3 June 2001/6 June 2004; Morgan County, Tennessee; Charles P. Nicholson [first date] and Stephen J. Stedman [last two dates]; Nicholson 1987a).

Information on Records: 

5/6 May 1962 (present) Cumberland County, Tennessee (TOS members; Anonymous 1962a).

5 May 1966 (present) Cookeville, Putnam County, Tennessee (observer unknown; White 1966).

30 May 1976 (1—singing) 8 km east of Center Hill Dam, DeKalb County, Tennessee (William J. Jones; Williams 1976f).

25 September 1976 (2) DeKalb County, Tennessee (Mary C. Wood; Williams 1977).

16 May 1978 (1) Warren County, Tennessee (George R. Mayfield, Jr.; Bierly 1978c).

22 August 1978 (1) Warren County, Tennessee (George R. Mayfield, Jr.; Bierly 1979a).

30 April 1980 (1—male [JBE notes]) Somerset, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Jackie B. Elmore, Sr.; Stamm 1980c).

4 October 1981 (1) Barnes Hollow, Putnam County, Tennessee (Richard W. Simmers, Jr.; Stedman 1993).

3 June 1982 (1) North Old Mac Trail, Frozen Head State Natural Area, Morgan County, Tennessee (Louise F. Fuller; Nicholson 1987a).

8 August 1983 (1—male) Bird Mountain, Frozen Head State Natural Area, Morgan County, Tennessee (Edward H. Schell; Nicholson 1987a).

21/22 October 1983 (1—tower kill) WGRB tower 6.5 km north of Columbia, Adair County, Kentucky (Jackie B. Elmore, Sr.; Elmore and Palmer-Ball 1991; Palmer-Ball 2003; Stamm 1984a).

4 July 1985 (6) Frozen Head State Natural Area, Morgan County, Tennessee (Charles P. Nicholson; Nicholson 1987a).

11 May 1986 (8) Frozen Head State Natural Area, Morgan County, Tennessee (Charles P. Nicholson; Nicholson 1987a).

9 June 1986 (several—pairs; one pair with fledged young) Frozen Head State Natural Area, Morgan County, Tennessee (Charles P. Nicholson; Dubke and Dubke 1986d), first Regional breeding record—and first for Cumberland Mountains of Tennessee.

2 May 1989 (1) City Lake, Putnam County, Tennessee (Barbara H. Stedman; Stedman 1993).

9 May 1990 (1) Barnes Hollow, Putnam County, Tennessee (Richard W. Simmers, Jr.; Vogt 1990c; Stedman 1993).

14 May 1992 (1—singing male) Icy Cove, Putnam County, Tennessee (Barbara H. Stedman, Stephen J. Stedman, David Hume; Stedman 1993).

2 June 1992 (1) City Lake, Putnam County, Tennessee (Barbara H. Stedman; Stedman 1993).

14 May 1994 (1) Putnam County, Tennessee (observer?), a Spring Bird Count record.

3 September 1994 (2) Middle Creek Trail, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Fentress County, Tennessee (Barbara H. Stedman, Stephen J. Stedman; Stedman and Stedman 2002); only one in Fentress; the other in Pickett or Scott county.

22 April 1996 (1) Putnam County, Tennessee (Richard W. Simmers, Jr.; Stedman 2006).

9 May 1996 (2) Putnam County, Tennessee (observer?), a Spring Bird Count record.

29 September 1996 (1) Laurel Fork, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Scott County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman; Stedman and Stedman 2002).

5 October 1997 (1) John Muir Trail south of bridge over Laurel Fork, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Scott County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman, Robert G. Emmott; Stedman and Stedman 2002).

11 October 1997 (1) Maud's Crack, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Scott County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman; Stedman and Stedman 2002).

1 June 1998 (1) Lilly Bluff area, Obed Wild and Scenic River, Morgan County, Tennessee (Barbara H. Stedman; Stedman and Stedman 2002).

3 September 1998 (1) Putnam County, Tennessee (Richard W. Simmers, Jr.; Stedman 2006).

2 May 1999 (1) Norris Tract, Obed Wild and Scenic River, Morgan County, Tennessee (Barbara H. Stedman; Stedman and Stedman 2002).

18 September 1999 (1) McCreary County, Kentucky (Lynda M. Mills).

8 October 1999 (1) Twin Arches Trail, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Scott/Pickett/Fentress counties, Tennessee (Nell Moore; Stedman and Stedman 2002).

13 May 2000 (1) Putnam County, Tennessee (observer?), a Spring Bird Count record.

21 October 2000 (1) Long Branch Rd. near No Business Creek, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Scott County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman, Robert G. Emmott; Stedman and Stedman 2002).

28 April 2002 (1) Putnam County, Tennessee (Richard W. Simmers, Jr.; Casteel 2002c).

8 May 2004 (1) Morgan County, Tennessee (David J. Trently; Hoff 2004c), a Spring Bird Count record.

31 May 2005 (1) Pulaski County, Kentucky (Laura Obiso; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2005c).

18 October 2005 (1) Cathy Crockett Trail, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2006a).

29 April 2006 (1—singing male) Hinch Rd., Cumberland County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman), a Spring Bird Count record.

1 May 2007 (1—singing male) Hinch Rd., Cumberland County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman), a Spring Bird Count record.

7 May 2007 (1—singing male) Barren River Lake State Resort Park, Barren County, Kentucky (Stephen J. Stedman; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2007c).

12 May 2007 (1—male) Cumberland Cove, Putnam County, Tennessee (Joseph E. Mast photo), a Spring Bird Count record.

3 May 2008 (1—singing) Hinch Rd., Cumberland County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman), a Spring Bird Count record.

6 May 2008 (1—singing male [also seen]) Greenbriar Rd., Adair County, Kentucky (Stephen J. Stedman, Thomas M. Saya), a Spring BirdBlitz record.

3 September 2008 (1—male) Barnes Hollow, Putnam County, Tennessee (Richard W. Simmers, Jr.).

4 October 2008 (1—male) near but not in Rock Island State Park, White County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman).

5 September 2009 (1—female) Alpine Recreation Area, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton photo).

10 June 2011 (1—female) Cane Creek Park, Cookeville, Putnam County, Tennessee (Janie C. Finch), a Putnam County Foray record.

Out-of-Season (Winter) Records: 

3 December 1996 (1—male) City Lake, Putnam County, Tennessee (Barbara H. Stedman, Stephen J. Stedman; Fekel 1997a; Stedman 2006b).

Regional Extreme Dates:

    Spring: 22 April 1996 (Putnam County, Tennessee; Richard W. Simmers, Jr.; Stedman 2006)–10  June 2011 (Putnam County, Tennessee; Janie C. Finch); next latest: 2 June 1992 (Putnam County, Tennessee; Barbara H. Stedman; Stedman 1993).

    Fall: 22 August 1978 (Warren County, Tennessee; George R. Mayfield, Jr.; Bierly 1979a)–21/22 October 1983 (Adair County, Kentucky; Jackie B. Elmore, Sr.; Elmore and Palmer-Ball 1991; Palmer-Ball 2003; found on the latter day but may have been killed either in the late PM of the previous day or the AM of the latter day) and 21 October 2000 (Scott County, Tennessee; Stephen J. Stedman, Robert G. Emmott; Stedman and Stedman 2002).

    Note: Regional Extreme Dates are provided as for Transients, but the late spring departure and early fall arrival dates are not applicable at the lone Regional breeding site at Frozen Head State Natural Area, Morgan County, Tennessee, where the species is a Summer Resident, not a Transient.

Breeding: Confirmed (Recent).  Since 1982 (Nicholson 1987a), and probably previously for many years, present in small numbers during the breeding season above 760 m (2500 ft) along the North Old Mac Trail and less commonly along other high elevation trails in Frozen Head State Natural Area, Morgan County, Tennessee; breeding evidence (adults with fledged young) first confirmed at that site in 1986, establishing the first breeding record for the Region and the first breeding record for the Cumberland Mountains in Tennessee, the first breeding record for the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee having come during late May 1922 when a nest with egg was discovered to the south of the Region in Grundy County (Ganier 1923).

Habitat: Thick understory, usually  with a large component of great laurel (Rhododendron maximum), in mature deciduous forest at high elevation (760–1000 m [2500–3300 ft]) in the Cumberland Mountains of the eastern portion of the Region, currently a habitat known to be present and occupied only in Frozen Head State Natural Area, Morgan County, Tennessee.

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: No registrations, further confirming this warbler as no more than Very Uncommon throughout the Region.

Foray Results:The following summary of data from UCR Forays includes information about a late spring migrant (Putnam County) and breeding individuals (Morgan County) (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):

* 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.

** Transient individual, so not included in total number of blocks where found breeding.

Remarks: A record from Clay County, Tennessee, 12 April 1969 by Roy T. Hinds (Parmer 1969b) is remarkably early; it is here considered hypothetical.

    Results of 16-km hiking transects, undertaken during early June from 1993 to 2008 mostly at the upper elevations of Frozen Head State Natural Area, Morgan County, Tennessee, led to counts of 1 to 8 Blues, mostly singing males (Stephen J. Stedman, pers. data), indicating a fairly small but stable population at that site.

    Given the occurrence of a historical breeding record on the Cumberland Plateau to the south of the Region (Ganier 1923), as well as the long-standing, and seemingly stable, breeding population in the small part of the Cumberland Mountains that penetrates the Region's far eastern edge, Black-throated Blue Warbler should be sought during breeding season at other high-elevation sites within the UCR.  One site where searches have already been conducted, so far without success, is Dorton Knob at the southern end of Brady Mountain in Cumberland County, Tennessee.

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.

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.

Literature Cited