Results of the Third Annual Fall Bird Count in White County, Tennessee—23 September 2006
The third annual Fall Bird Count (FBC) in White County took place September 23, 2006, with 6 field observers taking part in this effort to monitor the bird populations in the county. Despite some inclement weather, including intermittent rain in the morning, high wind in mid-afternoon, and steady, hard rain in the late afternoon, these observers tallied 6104 individuals of 109 species during the course of this event.
Some public sites that were included in the coverage of the county undertaken last Saturday were the Bridgestone/Firestone Centennial Wilderness and Rock Island State Park. Many miles of public roadsides were also covered by observers on count day.
Results of this count are not only compiled locally, but they are also incorporated into a state-wide database as a means of assisting land managers in making long-term decisions that might affect bird populations.
Some species of interest encountered during the day included Great Egret, an adult Bald Eagle, a Northern Harrier, 12 Eurasian Collared-Doves (all-time high count for White County), Philadelphia Vireo, and a singing Grasshopper Sparrow.
Three Loggerhead Shrikes were found during the count , a sign that this predatory songbird is maintaining a small population in the county. One of the shrikes was found on Horton Rd. and the other two at the Randolph Pond. Clearing of hedgerows and roadsides (especially the removal of 10-15 foot tall cedars from these sites) has probably been a major factor in the decline and disappearance of this species in many other areas.
Observers included Douglas Downs (compiler), Michael O'Rourke, Tom Saya, Barbara Stedman, Stephen Stedman, and Winston Walden.
To see a table of results for all fall counts conducted in the Upper Cumberland Region during 2006 or a table with results of all FBCs conducted in White County, click on one of the following links:
| Party Leaders | MPO | SJS | BHS | DAD |
Total |
| Party Members | WAW | ||||
| TMS | |||||
| Number of Field Observers | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Start CDT | 0645 | 0500 | 0550 | 0415 | 0415 |
| End CDT | 1630 | 1615 | 1820 | 1715 | 1820 |
| Total Daylight Hours in Field | 9.75 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 42.75 |
| Hours by Car | 9.75 | 8 | 10.5 | 10 | 38.25 |
| Hours on Foot | 0 | 2 | 1.5 | 1 | 4.5 |
| Total Daylight Miles in Field | 65.75 | 129 | 111 | 94 | 399.75 |
| Miles by Car | 65.75 | 128 | 110 | 92 | 395.75 |
| Miles on Foot | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Owling Hours | 0 | 1.25 | 0.5 | 2 | 3.75 |
| Owling Miles | 0 | 20 | 3 | 33 | 56 |
| Low Temperature (F) | 67 | ||||
| High Temperature (F) | 86 | ||||
| Sky A.M. | overcast | ||||
| Sky P.M. | overcast | ||||
| Precipitation A.M. | scattered showers | ||||
| Precipitation P.M. | scattered showers; hard rain late | ||||
| Wind A.M. (mph) | 5–20 | ||||
| Wind P.M. (mph) | 5–20 | ||||
| Moon | first quarter | ||||
| Species | |||||
| Canada Goose | 42 | 38 | 4 | 8 | 92 |
| Wood Duck | 24 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 50 |
| Mallard | 2 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 21 |
| Blue-winged Teal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Pied-billed Grebe | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Great Blue Heron | 6 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 18 |
| Great Egret | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Green Heron | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Black Vulture | 12 | 3 | 5 | 33 | 56 |
| Turkey Vulture | 35 | 20 | 12 | 33 | 100 |
| Osprey | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| Buteo sp. | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| American Kestrel | 6 | 3 | 21 | 5 | 35 |
| Killdeer | 33 | 16 | 43 | 37 | 129 |
| Spotted Sandpiper | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Solitary Sandpiper | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Lesser Yellowlegs | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Least Sandpiper | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Pectoral Sandpiper | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Wilson's Snipe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Rock Pigeon | 42 | 5 | 62 | 11 | 120 |
| Eurasian Collared-Dove | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Mourning Dove | 118 | 28 | 125 | 105 | 376 |
| Eastern Screech-Owl | 0 | 3 | 11 | 6 | 20 |
| Great Horned Owl | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Barred Owl | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Common Nighthawk | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Chimney Swift | 8 | 5 | 0 | 33 | 46 |
| Ruby-throated Hummingbird | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 8 |
| Belted Kingfisher | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 9 |
| Red-headed Woodpecker | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| Red-bellied Woodpecker | 16 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 61 |
| Downy Woodpecker | 8 | 3 | 24 | 17 | 52 |
| Hairy Woodpecker | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| Northern Flicker | 6 | 1 | 14 | 4 | 26 |
| Pileated Woodpecker | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 14 |
| Eastern Wood-Pewee | 13 | 5 | 19 | 3 | 40 |
| Acadian Flycatcher | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Empidonax sp. | 4 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 18 |
| Eastern Phoebe | 11 | 2 | 62 | 15 | 90 |
| Eastern Kingbird | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Loggerhead Shrike | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| White-eyed Vireo | 2 | 3 | 24 | 1 | 30 |
| Yellow-throated Vireo | 2 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 15 |
| Blue-headed Vireo | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Philadelphia Vireo | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Red-eyed Vireo | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 9 |
| Blue Jay | 25 | 48 | 130 | 38 | 241 |
| American Crow | 50 | 51 | 140 | 48 | 289 |
| Purple Martin | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Tree Swallow | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 20 |
| Northern Rough-winged Swallow | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Barn Swallow | 0 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 22 |
| Carolina Chickadee | 10 | 29 | 85 | 31 | 155 |
| Tufted Titmouse | 20 | 19 | 75 | 38 | 152 |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | 5 | 11 | 39 | 12 | 67 |
| Carolina Wren | 28 | 26 | 58 | 31 | 143 |
| House Wren | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Eastern Bluebird | 42 | 48 | 205 | 61 | 356 |
| Swainson's Thrush | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| Wood Thrush | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| American Robin | 20 | 18 | 34 | 0 | 72 |
| Gray Catbird | 2 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 16 |
| Northern Mockingbird | 14 | 5 | 30 | 13 | 62 |
| Brown Thrasher | 6 | 0 | 16 | 3 | 26 |
| European Starling | 220 | 41 | 1040 | 550 | 1851 |
| Cedar Waxwing | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Ovenbird | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Northern Waterthrush | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Black-and-white Warbler | 2 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 18 |
| Tennessee Warbler | 4 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| Common Yellowthroat | 1 | 8 | 21 | 0 | 30 |
| Hooded Warbler | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| American Redstart | 2 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 14 |
| Cape May Warbler | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Northern Parula | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Magnolia Warbler | 3 | 4 | 53 | 17 | 77 |
| Bay-breasted Warbler | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Blackburnian Warbler | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Yellow Warbler | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Chestnut-sided Warbler | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Pine Warbler | 1 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 12 |
| Yellow-throated Warbler | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Prairie Warbler | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Black-throated Green Warbler | 0 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 12 |
| Canada Warbler | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Eastern Towhee | 2 | 5 | 23 | 1 | 31 |
| Chipping Sparrow | 4 | 25 | 20 | 25 | 74 |
| Field Sparrow | 2 | 2 | 43 | 5 | 52 |
| Grasshopper Sparrow | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Song Sparrow | 2 | 8 | 40 | 2 | 52 |
| Summer Tanager | 9 | 1 | 22 | 10 | 42 |
| Scarlet Tanager | 0 | 1 | 24 | 0 | 25 |
| Northern Cardinal | 21 | 55 | 150 | 20 | 246 |
| Rose-breasted Grosbeak | 2 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 23 |
| Blue Grosbeak | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| Indigo Bunting | 11 | 3 | 42 | 4 | 60 |
| Red-winged Blackbird | 0 | 0 | 65 | 1 | 66 |
| Eastern Meadowlark | 0 | 9 | 72 | 2 | 83 |
| Common Grackle | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 11 |
| House Finch | 1 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 15 |
| American Goldfinch | 2 | 15 | 23 | 10 | 50 |
| House Sparrow | 0 | 0 | 30 | 4 | 34 |
| Total Individuals | 940 | 654 | 3116 | 1394 | 6104 |
| Total Species | 67 | 66 | 89 | 72 | 109 |
Key to Observers:
| DAD | Douglas A. Downs, compiler |
| MPO | Michael P. O'Rourke |
| TMS | Thomas M. Saya |
| BHS | Barbara H. Stedman |
| SJS | Stephen J. Stedman |
| WAW | Winston A. Walden |
Comments:
The Blue-winged Teal and Great Egret were located at Boiling Pond.
The Bald Eagle, an adult, was noted over England Cove near the Calfkiller River.
The Northern Harrier was found at the Gum Springs Baptist Church on Gum Springs Rd.
The Eurasian Collared-Doves, all found in Sparta, provided an all-time high count for White County.
The Philadelphia Vireo was found on Mac Floyd Rd.
The Grasshopper Sparrow was singing before dawn on Lofton Rd.
Quick links to other sections of this website: