Results of the 50th Cookeville, Tennessee, Christmas Bird Count, Conducted 17 December 2011

Some of the ten Greater White-fronted Geese, including an adult (speckled breast) and an immature, found during the 2011 Cookeville CBC. Photo Stephen J. Stedman (18 December 2011).

 

The 50th Cookeville Christmas Bird Count (CBC) was conducted 17 December 2011. The total of species recorde—84—was a bit below average for the past decade.  No species new to the Cookeville CBC was observed during this count.  The most unusual species was Greater White-fronted Goose, ten of which were found at the Lexus Pond by Mike Hawkins and party.

    To view a summary of Cookeville Christmas Bird Count (CBC) data during the past quarter century (1987–present), go to each of these pages:

    To see the annual results of the Cookeville CBCs for 2000–2010, click on the appropriate item below:

    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 Cookeville, Tennessee, CBC, Conducted 17 December 2011.

Location W NW N NE SE SW White FW Total
                   
Party Leader BHS MJH GKE EKL SJS DLC WB/SB    
Party Members   JuF JaF BLB SEP DAD SJS+ RWS  
    PH NSL       DLC+    
      LH            
                   
Number of Field Parties 1 1 1–3 1 1 1 1–2 0 7–9
Number of Field Observers 1 3 4 2 2 2 0 0 14
Number of Feederwatchers 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 3
                   
   Hours by Car 7 8.5 9.25 5.25 7.25 5 3.75 0 46
   Hours by Golf Cart 0 0 0.75 0 0 0 0 0 0.75
   Hours on Foot 3 0.5 2.5 5 0.25 4 4 0 19.25
Total Party Hours 10 9 12.5 10.25 7.5 9 7.75 0 66
   Miles by Car 74 50 75 60 60 55 40 0 414
   Miles by Golf Cart 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
   Miles on Foot 3 0.5 3 2.5 0.25 2 1 0 12.25
Total Party Miles 77 50.5 79 62.5 60.25 57 41 0 427.25
Hours Owling 0.75 0 1.5 0 1.25 0.5 0.75 0 4.75
Miles Owling 9 0 19.5 0 16 8 0.25 0 52.75
Hours at Feeders 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.75 3.75
                   
Start CST 0555 0650 0510 0615 0502 0600 0530   0502
End CST 1615 1640 1700 1630 1642 1630 1500   1700
Low Temperature F 34 35 33   33   34   33
High Temperature F 45   39   43   44   45
Wind Speed (mph) 0–30       0–5       0–30; mainly 0–5
Wind Direction N               N
Sky AM pclo pclo pclo   pclo   pclo   Partly Cloudy
Sky PM cle   cle   cle       Clear
Precipitation AM none none none   none       None
Precipitation PM none none none   none       None
Moon Phase         last quart   last quart   Last Quarter
                   
Greater White-fronted Goose   10             10**
Canada Goose 339 65 78 42 140 75 70   809** (739)
Wood Duck 1           4   5
Northern Shoveler 1 22             23*
Gadwall       13 30 7 2   52
Mallard 21 19 15 20 42 22 27   166
Green-winged Teal 2               2
Ring-necked Duck 5     17 2       24
Bufflehead 5 3         2   10
Hooded Merganser 3   14 4 21 1 9   52
Ruddy Duck 4 1             5
Northern Bobwhite           9 1   10
Wild Turkey 1 6 31       8   46
Rock Pigeon 63   27 1 8 1 28   128
Eurasian Collared-Dove 8               8
Mourning Dove 174 97 68 63 17 79 43   541
Pied-billed Grebe 9     1 6 3     19*
Horned Grebe 3               3
American Coot 37         1     38
Sandhill Crane   60 2 1200 335 85 167 27 1876
Killdeer 4 80   77 2   1   164*
American Woodcock 1               1
Wilson's Snipe       18         18*
Great Blue Heron 5   2 1 1 3 3   15
Black Vulture 2 21   12 250 9 2   296
Turkey Vulture 8 18 30 28 170 16 8   278
Northern Harrier           1     1
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 2   1   1     5** (tie)
Cooper's Hawk 2 1   1 1 1 1   7
Red-shouldered Hawk 3 6 9 1 3 4 5   31** (26)
Red-tailed Hawk 8 7 9 7 6 3 2   42
Eastern Screech-Owl 5   1   3       9
Great Horned Owl 5   2   1   1   9* (tie)
Barred Owl 2       1       3
Belted Kingfisher 2 1   2 1 2 1   9
Red-headed Woodpecker 2       1   1   4
Red-bellied Woodpecker 14 14 13 6 10 6 8 1 72
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 3   1 1 1   1   7
Downy Woodpecker 9 1 3 5 4 4 3 2 31
Hairy Woodpecker 2   3 1 3   2 1 12
Northern Flicker 4 4 8 4 9 2 4 2 37
Pileated Woodpecker 4 1 4 7 8 4 2   30
American Kestrel 10 2 8 3 5 4 5 1 38
Eastern Phoebe 1 1 3 1 2 2 1   11
Loggerhead Shrike     1           1
Blue Jay 62 56 27 17 13 25 22 3 225
American Crow 285 62 217 44 37 47 49 10 751
Carolina Chickadee 31 21 25 21 17 16 19 6 156
Tufted Titmouse 32 32 36 26 25 23 29 2 205
Red-breasted Nuthatch           1     1
White-breasted Nuthatch 8 11 11 8 11 8 2 2 61
Brown-headed Nuthatch       8         8
Brown Creeper 1 2   1 1   2   7
Winter Wren 1   1 2 1   1 1 7
Carolina Wren 39 22 10 19 20 18 15 4 147
Golden-crowned Kinglet 9 1 4 5 4 1     24
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3   1 3 1 1   1 10
Eastern Bluebird 126 38 88 64 43 18 11 7 395
Hermit Thrush 6 1 1 6 2 3 1 1 21
American Robin 158 65 75 11 6 19 8   342
Brown Thrasher 3 1     1 2 1   8
Northern Mockingbird 58 47 44 24 22 16 7 1 219*
European Starling 567 280 1272 290 426 11000 459   14294
Cedar Waxwing     15   1   21   37
House Sparrow 109 8 1   2 6 4   130
American Pipit   cw             cw
House Finch 40 5 2 49 22 7 8   133
Purple Finch 2               2
American Goldfinch 130 7 14 17 10 15 19 1 213
Eastern Towhee 31 7 10 7 7 14 7 1 84
Chipping Sparrow 5 40 17 5     2   69*
Field Sparrow 135 50 33 7 69 40 21   355** (334)
Savannah Sparrow 3       1 2 15   21
Fox Sparrow 2     4 1 7     14** (tie)
Song Sparrow 66 14 15 42 34 32 10 1 214
Swamp Sparrow 2 1   17 1 8 6   35
White-throated Sparrow 91 56 14 44 52 35 39 7 338
White-crowned Sparrow 1   1     7     9
Dark-eyed Junco 12 29 9 26 6   23   105
Eastern Meadowlark 40 14 8 15 4 1 36   118
Red-winged Blackbird   4   2 6   7   19
Common Grackle 1               1
Palm Warbler       1         1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 6 7 3 21 23 10 9 4 83
Northern Cardinal 218 79 37 31 27 35 50 2 479*
                   
Total Individuals 3056 1402 2323 2374 1979 11762 1315 88 24299
                   
Total Species 72 51 50 57 61 54 60 23 84

 

Key to Observer Initials (FW = Feederwatcher):

Initials Observer's Name
BLB Brad L. Beatty
SB Sharon Brines
WB Wally Brines
DLC Daniel L. Combs
DAD Douglas A. Downs
GKE Ginger K. Ensor
JaF Janie C. Finch
JuF Judy C. Fuson
MJH Michael J. Hawkins
LH Linda Henderson
PH Peggy Huffstetler
NSL Nancy S. Layzer
EKL Edmund K. LeGrand
SEP Sue E. Pirolo
RWS Richard W. Simmers, Jr. (FW)
BHS Barbara H. Stedman
SJS Stephen J. Stedman, compiler

 

Comments:

cw = observed some time during count week (December 14–16 & 18–20) only.

* = new Cookeville CBC high count (7 species plus 1 tie).

** = new Cookeville CBC high count and Putnam County high count (4 species plus 2 ties—Putnam County high count in parentheses if different from CBC high count; the Putnam County high count may be lower than the CBC high count because part of the CBC circle is in White County; any birds seen in that county may be counted as part of the Cookeville CBC high count, but not as part of the Putnam County all-time high count).

The Greater White-fronted Geese were found on Lexus Pond near the intersection of Clemmons Rd. and Lexus Place (MJH, JuF, PH), providing the 2nd Cookeville CBC record and the 4th Putnam County record.

The Loggerhead Shrike was found on Foster Circle (GKE, NSL, JaF, LH), one of the few remaining sites where this decreasing species can still be found in Putnam County.

 

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