Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi)

Olive-sided Flycatcher [ventral view of adult]. Photograph Credit: David L. Roemer; Dry Creek Unit, Barren River Reservoir, Barren County, Kentucky; 26 May 2006.

Abundance:  Very Uncommon; at least 34 Regional records in 13 counties, 5 Kentucky and 8 Tennessee (Map of UCR Distribution); data from the Regional bird-monitoring efforts are too few to determine a trend in the population migrating through the Region (see also Regional Bird-Monitoring Plan).

Status: Transient during spring (20 records) and fall (14 records); designated as in need of management by the Tennessee Division of Natural Heritage (2004); photographs (see links below).

Regional High Count: 4 (24 May 1986; southern Overton County, Tennessee; Stephen J. Stedman, Damien J. Simbeck; Stedman 1986c).

Information on Records: 

3 May 1969 (1) Warren County, Tennessee (Mary C. Wood; Parmer 1969c).

25 May 1985 (1) Cumberland County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman, David F. Vogt, Ruth V. McMillan).

24 May 1986 (4) southern Overton County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman, Damien J. Simbeck; Stedman 1986c).

24 May 1990 (1) Cane Creek Park, Cookeville, Putnam County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman; Stedman 1993).

28 August 1992 (1) Shady Lane, Putnam County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman; Stedman 1993).

5 May 1994 (1) on road to lower King cemetery near Beech Grove, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, McCreary County, Kentucky (Stephen J. Stedman, Robert G. Emmott; Stamm 1994a; Stedman and Stedman 2002).

28 April 1994 (1) Cane Creek Park, Cookeville, Putnam County, Tennessee (Julie M. Pharr; Witt 1994c).

4 June 1998 (1) near intersection Rt. 297 and West Bandy Rd., Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Scott County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman; Knight 1998c; Stedman and Stedman 2002).

7 May 1999 (1) Cane Creek Park, Cookeville, Putnam County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman et al.; Fekel 1999c).

21 May 2000 (1) Flattop Mountain, Bledsoe County, Tennessee (Debbie Shannon, Roi Shannon; Knight 2000c).

12 May 2001 (1) Warren County, Tennessee (Benton Basham; Hoff 2001a), a Spring Bird Count record.

10 September 2001 (1) Clifty Creek, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton).

11 May 2002 (1) Shady Lane, Putnam County, Tennessee (Barbara H. Stedman; Hoff 2002c), a Spring Bird Count record.

6 September 2003 (1) Spaw Cemetery Rd. near the intersection with Rt. 1676, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2004a).

29 September 2003 (1) Mark near Shopville, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Connie S. Neeley), a YardWatch record.

12 May 2004 (1) Blue John area, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton photo; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2004c), photo.

23–27 August 2004 (1) Hurricane Ridge Rd., DeKalb County, Tennessee (Tommy L. Curtis photo [27 August 2004], Virginia Curtis, Carol D. Williams; Casteel 2005a), a YardWatch record.

10 September 2005 (1) Casey Cove Campground, Center Hill Lake, DeKalb County, Tennessee (Michael J. Hawkins, Judy C. Fuson).

23 September 2005 (1) Lake Cumberland State Resort Park, Russell County, Kentucky (Lou Anne Barrigger fide B. Lemon Palmer-Ball, Jr.; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2006a).

26 May 2006 (2) Dry Creek Unit, Barren River Reservoir, Barren County, Kentucky (David L. Roemer photo [see above], Robert Dever).

16 September 2006 (1) Burgess Falls State Natural Area, Putnam County, Tennessee (Douglas A. Downs [documentation form]).

15 May 2007 (1) County House Rd., DeKalb County, Tennessee (Judy C. Fuson; Casteel 2007c).

15 September 2007 (1) The Lane Rd., Putnam County, Tennessee (Winston A. Walden, Tom Saya), a Fall Bird Count record.

27 May 2008 (1) Pulaski County Park, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton).

17 September 2008 (1) Barren River State Resort Park, Barren County, Kentucky (David L. Roemer).

2 September 2009 (1) Natural Arch, Daniel Boone National Forest, McCreary County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton).

7 September 2009 (1) Dale Hollow Dam nature trail, Clay County, Tennessee (Edmund K. LeGrand, Stephen J. Stedman).

12 September 2009 (1) Leffle Webb Rd., Cumberland County, Tennessee (Edmund K. LeGrand photo).

4 May 2010 (1) Cumberland County, Tennessee (Edmund K. LeGrand; Knight 2010c).

9 September 2010 (1) Snake Creek Boat Ramp, Adair County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton photo).

30 April 2011 (1) Overton County, Tennessee (Edmund K. LeGrand photo, Douglas A. Downs photo), a Spring BirdBlitz record.

7 May 2011 (1) Cumberland County, Tennessee (Douglas A. Downs), a Spring Bird Count record.

26 May 2011 (1) Overton County, Tennessee (Barbara H. Stedman), an Overton County Foray record.

9 May 2013 (1) Poplar Flat Rd., DeKalb County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman photo), a Spring BirdBlitz record.

10 August 2014 (1) Lakeland Dr., Putnam County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman photo).

Regional Extreme Dates: 

    Spring: 28 April 1994 (Putnam County, Tennessee; Julie M. Pharr; Witt 1994c)–4 June 1998 (Scott County, Tennessee; Stephen J. Stedman; Stedman and Stedman 2002).

    Fall: 10 August 2014 (Putnam County, Tennessee; Stephen J. Stedman photo)–29 September 2003 (Pulaski County, Kentucky; Connie S. Neeley).

Habitat: Usually mature forest of various types with dead snags in the tops of some trees but may be encountered in other habitats that provide exposed perches.

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: Registered on 1 (of 125 possible) monthly check-list during 2003 and on 1 (of 206 possible) check-list during 2004, the former registration occurring during late September and the latter during late August (see Information on Records [above]); these YardWatch results indicated that the Olive-side was Rare during each year, a YardWatch frequency classification that is a bit inconsistent with the overall Regional abundance classification.

Foray Results: A summary of data about a late spring transient from UCR Foray 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; this species is depicted as occurring in two different blocks: it was present in the Oventon County part of the Wilder 3 block, but the data in that partial block were incorportated into the data from the adjacent Crawford 6 block; thus, the Overton County map for this species shows it to be in the Crawford 6 block, but the Tennessee composite map shows it to be in the Wilder 3 block).

* 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.

Remarks: Typically, a late spring and an early fall migrant.  Declining in numbers throughout the eastern breeding range, especially in the southern Appalachians, where now much reduced or absent.

    The first sighting in DeKalb County, Tennessee, is the only Regional sighting that involved a duration of more than one day; interestingly, this sighting is also the earliest during fall for the Region, suggesting that earlier migrating fall birds may be more prone to a longer stay at a site than later migrating birds.

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