Results of the 42nd Cookeville, Tennessee, Christmas Bird Count, Conducted 20 December 2003

Bobolink photographed at Ironwood Golf Course 25 December 2003 but originally found at the same site 20 December 2003 by members of the party covering the NW part of the CBC circle; photo credit: Stephen J. Stedman.

 

The 42nd Cookeville Christmas Bird Count (CBC) was conducted 20 December 2003.  A record total of 89 species of birds was recorded on this count, far surpassing the previous high count of 80 species set in 1998.  Sixteen field observers and 7 feederwatchers took part in this bird-monitoring event.

    Like the 2002 CBC, this one occurred on a day when many migrant Sandhill Cranes were passing southward on their way to Hiwassee Refuge near Chattanooga, Tennessee, and eventually to Florida.  However, the number of cranes observed this year, over 2400, considerably surpassed the number counted last year when about 350 were tabulated.

    Three species—Rufous Hummingbird, Ovenbird, and Bobolink—were new to the Cookeville CBC, bringing the all-time Cookeville CBC species total to 129.  One of the Rufous Hummingbirds was located at the home of Mary and Grover Bennett on Cowan Rd. southwest of Cookeville; it had been present since early October 2003 and was banded during November. The other Rufous Hummingbird was located at the home of Stan Hood on Aspen Dr. in west-central Putnam County; it was banded and identified 31 January 2004 and had been present since the late fall. The Ovenbird was found near the Southern Hills Golf Course southwest of Cookeville.  The Bobolink was carefully studied at Ironwood Golf Course northwest of Cookeville.

    The Long-tailed Duck was registered for just the second time on a Cookeville CBC (and just the third time in county history); it was found at Cane Creek Park.  A Harlan's form of Red-tailed Hawk was also counted for just the second time on this CBC; it was found on Walnut Grove Rd. in the part of the CBC circle that extends southward into White County.  The Brown-headed Nuthatches were present at the Cookeville Golf Course, a site where they have been present for several years or more.  The Barn Owl was noted at a site south of Cookeville where it has become regular in appearance.

    Six species were recorded in higher numbers than on any previous Cookeville CBC: Gadwall, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, American Coot, Sandhill Crane, and Pileated Woodpecker.  Two species were noted in highest ever Cookeville CBC numbers and highest ever numbers in Putnam County: Turkey Vulture and Yellow-rumped Warbler.

    Some species whose populations are declining regionally or continentally were not sighted during this Cookeville CBC.  These include Northern Bobwhite and Loggerhead Shrike.  In addition, some species were recorded in lower numbers than the numbers in which they have often been recorded on the Cookeville CBC.  Among these species were the American Kestrel and the Eastern Bluebird.

    To view a summary of Cookeville CBC data 1987–2016, go to these pages:

    For a summary of high counts for each species registered on the Cookeville CBC, click below:

    For CBC guidelines in Cookeville, click below:

 

Table 1. Results of the 20 December 2003 CBC in Cookeville, Tennessee.

Territory Location W SE SW NW N NE FW Total
Party Leader BHS SJS DLC GKE WAW RWS
Field Observers and DAD KB MJH MPO   JCF
    Feederwatchers  JCF KLM JCO   JEBH
   MH     DH
   NSL        

SH
CDW PK
MR
DR
                 
Hours by Car 7.25 8.75 8 8.25 7.5 2 0 41.75
Hours on Foot 3 2 1 4 3 2.5 0 15.5
Total Party Hours 10.25 10.75 9 12.25 10.5 4.5 0 57.25
Miles by Car 56 72 36.5 62 50 28 0 304.5
Miles on Foot 1.5 1.5 0.5 2 4 0.5 0 10
Total Party Miles 57.5 73.5 37 64 54 28.5 0 314.5
Hours Owling 0.75 1.75 0 0.5 0 0 0 3
Miles Owling 9 16 0 0 0 0 0 25
Hours at Feeders 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 8
Number Field Parties 1 1 1 1–3 1 1 0 6-8
Number Field Observers 1 6 2 3 3 1 0 16
Number Feederwatchers 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 7
               
Start CST               0430
End CST               1700
Low Temperature (F)               16
High Temperature (F)               25
Wind Speed (mph)               0-5
Wind Direction               Var.
Sky AM               Clear
Sky PM               Clear
Precipitation AM               None
Precipitation PM               None
Moon Phase               waning crescent
                 
Snow Goose, white morph 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
Canada Goose 75 47 25 4 2 0 0 153
Wood Duck 0 2 4 0 5 0 0 11
Northern Shoveler 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 5*
Gadwall 3 10 20 0 8 0 0 41*
Mallard 32 40 33 7 4 0 0 116
American Black Duck 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 5
Green-winged Teal 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 5*
Canvasback 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
Redhead 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Ring-necked Duck 14 3 0 0 0 0 0 17
Lesser Scaup 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Long-tailed Duck 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Bufflehead 7 0 1 0 0 0 0 8
Hooded Merganser 9 6 0 0 6 0 0 21
Ruddy Duck 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Pied-billed Grebe 9 1 0 0 0 0 0 10
Rock Pigeon 118 40 51 3 0 25 0 237
Mourning Dove 55 48 4 51 31 3 57 249
Rufous Hummingbird 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2
American Coot 32 0 0 0 0 0 0 32*
Sandhill Crane 266 656 62 305 699 250 190 2428*
Killdeer 4 14 6 10 15 0 0 49
     Ring-billed Gull               cw
     Bonaparte's Gull               cw
Great Blue Heron 2 6 2 0 2 0 0 12
Black Vulture 0 150 1 5 0 0 1 157
Turkey Vulture 7 200 15 8 41 1 17 289 (286) **
Northern Harrier 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
Cooper's Hawk 1 2 2 0 1 0 1 7
Red-shouldered Hawk 1 2 2 1 2 0 0 8
Red-tailed Hawk 7 3 2 8 13 1 0 34
     Harlan's Hawk 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
     Buteo sp. 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
Barn Owl 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Eastern Screech-Owl 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 6
Great Horned Owl 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 5
Barred Owl 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 3
Belted Kingfisher 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 5
Red-headed Woodpecker 1 0 0 5 2 0 0 8
Red-bellied Woodpecker 12 9 8 17 19 2 2 69
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 4 2 4 3 3 0 0 16
Downy Woodpecker 13 7 2 4 2 1 4 33
Hairy Woodpecker 1 0 1 1 2 0 0 5
Northern Flicker 18 8 6 5 5 4 0 44
Pileated Woodpecker 3 5 2 3 5 5 1 24*
American Kestrel 9 7 3 5 4 4 0 32
Eastern Phoebe 1 1 1 2 0 2 1 8
Blue Jay 55 42 25 51 33 12 9 227
American Crow 65 43 52 47 24 11 17 259
Carolina Chickadee 45 15 6 19 2 7 6 100
Tufted Titmouse 43 10 9 6 16 3 10 97
White-breasted Nuthatch 12 4 8 15 9 2 1 51
Brown-headed Nuthatch 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2
Brown Creeper 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2
House Wren 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
Winter Wren 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2
Carolina Wren 47 12 6 28 11 4 3 111
Golden-crowned Kinglet 17 1 0 6 1 0 0 25
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 0 1 0 1 4 1 1 8
Eastern Bluebird 23 20 23 28 38 3 8 143
Hermit Thrush 4 5 0 0 0 5 1 15
American Robin 3 51 29 77 19 25 3 207
Brown Thrasher 7 3 2 2 0 1 1 16
Northern Mockingbird 48 15 10 21 10 3 3 110
European Starling 1200 51000 295 365 572 56 39 53527
Cedar Waxwing 8 64 10 71 35 1 33 222
House Sparrow 130 25 0 5 2 0 2 164
American Pipit  0 1 0 9 28 0  0 38
Purple Finch 0 4 6 2 2 3 0 17
House Finch 75 8 5 17 8 7 22 142
American Goldfinch 70 12 13 19 5 6 12 137
Eastern Towhee 26 16 4 13 10 6 4 79
Chipping Sparrow 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 7
Field Sparrow 57 27 5 9 6 10 5 119
Savannah Sparrow 0 3 4 0 0 0 0 7
Fox Sparrow 1 0 1 0 0 4 0 6
Song Sparrow 110 29 62 34 24 2 4 265
Swamp Sparrow 33 8 9 3 10 0 1 64
White-throated Sparrow 105 40 0 26 10 6 2 189
White-crowned Sparrow 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 4
Dark-eyed Junco 28 2 20 47 10 16 9 132
Bobolink 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
Eastern Meadowlark 28 7 10 54 13 1 0 113
Red-winged Blackbird 1 4 1 0 0 0 0 6
Brown-headed Cowbird 61 0 1 0 0 0 0 62
Rusty Blackbird 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 5
Common Grackle 0 2000 5 20 0 0 0 2025
     Blackbird sp. 0 0 220 100 2000 0 0 2320
Ovenbird 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Palm Warbler 0 1 0 0 3 0 0 4
Yellow-rumped Warbler 142 61 17 26 41 12 5 304 (303) **
Northern Cardinal 125 29 26 30 26 16 20 272
               
Total Individuals  3309 54852  1144  1606 3850 522  496 65779
                 
Total Species 69 66 52 52 52 38 34 89

 

Key to Observers:

Initials Observer's Name
KB Kris Bolin
DLC Daniel L. Combs
DAD Douglas A. Downs
GKE Ginger K. Ensor
JCF Janie C. Finch (FW)
MJH Michael J. Hawkins
JEBH Jane E. B. Herrin (FW)
MH Margo Hinkle
SH Stan Hood (FW)
DH David Hume (FW)
PK Peggy Kilgore (FW)
NSL Nancy S. Layzer
KLM Kenneth L. Morgan
MPO Michael P. O'Rourke
JCO John C. Owens
DR Dena Russell (FW)
MR Michele Ramsey (FW)
RWS Richard W. Simmers, Jr.
BHS Barbara H. Stedman
SJS Stephen J. Stedman, compiler
WAW Winston A. Walden
CDW Carol D. Williams

 

Notes

cw = observed count week (i.e., 17–19 and 21–23 December 2003) but not on count day.

In Table 1 an asterisk (*) indicates species (6) reported in all-time high numbers on the Cookeville CBC.  Two asterisks (**) indicate species (2) reported in all-time high numbers on the Cookeville CBC and in Putnam County; numbers in parentheses represent the Putnam County high count, which is lower than the CBC total because numbers of birds counted in the White County part of the CBC circle were deducted from the CBC total.

Long-tailed Duck photographed at Cane Creek Park 25 December 2003 but originally found at same site 20 December 2003 by Barbara H. Stedman; photo credit: Stephen J. Stedman.

 

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