Final Report of the Bird Inventory:

Chattanooga and Chickamauga National Military Park, 2004–2006

Stephen J. Stedman, Ph. D. ¹

Kevin A. Calhoon ²

Barbara H. Stedman ³

¹ Department of English and Communications
Box 5053
Tennessee Technological University
Cookeville, TN 38505

sstedman@tntech.edu

² 934 Cravens Terrace
Chattanooga, TN 37409

³ 2675 Lakeland Dr.
Cookeville, TN 38506

birdsongteam@charter.net

Table of Contents

Lists of Figures and Tables...................................................................................................................................

Acknowledgments................................................................................................................................................

Introduction...........................…...............................................................................................................................

Description of Study Site.......…....................…..........................................................................…..........…....

Methods—Bird Inventory Techniques............................................................................................................….

Results...............................…….............................................................................................................................      

Expected Species List.............……..........….....................................................................................................

Total Species Inventoried…………………………………………...................................……………………

Breeding Species Inventoried………………………………………….....................................……………….

Species Composition of the Isolated Units.....……......................................................................................….

Discussion.............................................................................................................................................…........….

Comparative Effectiveness of Survey Techniques.........................................................…......…….............….

Influence of Weather on Results……………………………….........................................………………………

Description of Bird Diversity in Terms of Observed and Estimated Species Richness……………………

Unexpected Results………………………………………………………...............................................………..

Birds Not Found……………………………………………………………….......................................………..

Recommendations for Management and Protection of Significant Habitats…............................................….

Suitability of Habitat for Persistence of Sensitive Species…………………...............................................……

Literature Cited.........................................................................................................................................................

   ii

List of Figures

Figure 1.  Photograph of Rock Wren at Point Park, Chattanooga Unit, CHCH, November 1965 (Mack Prichard photographer)……………………………………...............................................................................………..cover

Figure 2. Photograph of Bewick’s Wren at Chickamauga Unit, CHCH, 6 August 2004 (Sandy Pangle
photographer).................................................................................................................................................Appendix A

List of Tables

Table 1. “Status of the Birds of the Chattanooga Area” (Calhoon 2006)…......................................................

Table 2.  Species, status, and seasonal abundance of birds observed at Chattanooga and Chickamauga
National Military Park………………………….......................................................................................................

Table 3. Species (74) registered during point counts conducted at 40 plots (10 minutes each at unlimited
distance) during the breeding seasons of 2005 and 2006 at Chattanooga and Chickamauga National Military Park…………………..............................................................................................................................................

iii

Acknowledgments

            Our foremost gratitude goes to Ranger Jim Staub, who handled logistics for all of our visits to the park, provided detailed information on accessing various areas of the park, allowed us access to drive on service roads, and walked through sites with various habitats with us on several occasions.  He is the most committed and knowledgeable person whom we met at this park service unit concerning the status of the land under federal control and its use over time.  Part of his responsibility is managing the leases that govern the mowing of grass in the park, and he worked with us to limit mowing in the wet meadow area of Dyer Field, an action that promoted bird diversity and use in that area.  Jim was also keenly interested in the beaver ponds and heronry, and the promotion of wildlife use in and around them.  His friendly attitude and general helpfulness went a long way toward making the bird inventory as successful as possible.

            Jim Szyjkowski, the Resource Manager at CHCH, was also extremely helpful in many ways.  He expressed a strong interest in the birds of the park, the heronry, and the management of the beaver ponds.  He also worked with us in limiting the mowing of the wet meadow at Dyer Field.

            Kenneth Dubke, now retired from the NPS, but a well-known and keen observer of birds who worked at CHCH for many years and observed the birdlife there, shared many historical accounts of the park with us.  He had conducted systematic hawk watches at the Signal Point Unit for many years during fall; results of these hawk watches were published in the publications of the Hawk Migration Association of North America.  His avid personal interest in birds has added much to the knowledge of birds in the general area of the park.

            We would also like to thank all the rangers, staff, and maintenance personnel whom we met frequently during the inventory.  They were always friendly, helpful, and interested in our work, making that work easier and helping with the overall success of the bird inventory.

            KAC would like to thank the many observers who helped him gather data for this inventory, particularly Clyde Blum, Daniel Jacobson, and Jim Eager.

      We are greatly indebted to the staff of the Center for the Management, Utilization, and Protection of Water Resources at Tennessee Technological University for high quality management of the fiscal paperwork associated with this bird inventory.  Director Dennis George, Sandra Pigg, Yvette Clark, Amy Knox, and especially Glenda Sharks and Mary Williford contributed much to our success.

      Finally, we are especially grateful to Teresa Leibfreid, Inventory and Monitoring Coordinator for the Cumberland Piedmont Network of the NPS, for her dedication and support throughout the duration of this bird inventory.

Final Report of the Bird Inventory: Chattanooga and Chickamauga National Military Park, 2004-2006

Introduction

            Chattanooga and Chickamauga National Military Park  (CHCH)--located in Hamilton County, Tennessee, and Catoosa, Dade, and Walker counties, Georgia—is the oldest and largest national military park, having been established in 1890 to commemorate the September 1863 Battle of Chickamauga in northeast Georgia and the November 1863 Battle of Chattanooga in southeast Tennessee.  The park encompasses approximately 3640 hectares (9000 acres) and is comprised of 18 units (J. Staub pers. com.), including two main large battlefields at Chickamauga and Lookout Mountain (each with visitor centers), various other smaller units along Missionary Ridge, Orchard Knob, and Signal Point, and numerous small sites where monuments have been erected in urban areas.  The purpose of this study was 1) to inventory the bird species occurring at CHCH; and 2) to indicate the status and relative seasonal abundance of documented species.

Description of Study Site

            The Chickamauga unit of CHCH, the largest park unit (2145 hectares [5300 acres]), is located in Catoosa and Walker counties, Georgia, and adjoins Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, to the north.  Lying about 6.5 km (4 mi) south of Chattanooga, Tennessee, this unit rests in the southern portion of the Southern Ridge and Valley physiographic province, a province that is characterized by parallel ridges and valleys (Hunter et al. 1998).  The strata underlying the park are composed of 450-million-year-old Bangor limestone underlain by sedimentary formations of Cambrian age (Eardley 1951). The highest point in the unit is Horseshoe Ridge, an extension of Missionary Ridge, with an elevation of 285 m (940 ft); most of the unit is quite flat with a base elevation of 205 m (675 ft) at the visitor center.

            Habitat in the Chickamauga unit of CHCH is largely forested and is composed mainly of oak-hickory-pine forest with several large bottomland tracts also present.  Many large mowed fields and several very large hayfields are interspersed in the unit; some of these fields resemble wet meadows including established wetland plants.  A few small cedar glades occur in the eastern section of the unit.  Most tracts of pine were killed by an outbreak of southern pine beetles (Dendroctonus frontalis) in the early 2000s, leaving numerous large slash piles and some second-growth habitat in the early stages of succession.   West Chickamauga Creek borders the unit on the southeast, and several of its tributaries lie within the unit; beavers (Castor canadensis) have dammed some creeks, leaving wide pond-like sections bordered by willows and standing dead trees killed by the infusion of water.  Fragmentation results from the fact that three major roadways traverse the park.

            The Lookout Mountain unit of CHCH lies in Hamilton County, Tennessee, and Walker County, Georgia; its 1130 hectares (2800 acres) adjoin Chattanooga to the north.  Lookout Mountain is a limestone ridge capped with sandstone and shale.  Like the Chickamauga unit of CHCH, the Lookout Mountain unit lies in the Southern Ridge and Valley physiographic province (Hunter 1998). Point Park is located at the highest elevation found in this unit (640 m [2112 ft]), the lowest being along Lookout Creek (195 m [644 ft]) at the base of Lookout Mountain.

            The habitat of the Lookout Mountain unit is largely forested with the principle hardwood species being oaks, hickories, and some red maple .  Stands of pine (mostly Virginia) are scattered throughout; some damage to the pine tracts was wrought by southern pine beetle outbreak during the early 2000s.  Bottomlands along Lookout Creek are dominated by sycamore and willow.  A few acres of mowed pasture can be found bordering the park at Reflection Riding, and small tracts of manicured lawns can be found at Point Park.  The Cravens House compound is situated at approximately 460 m (1520 ft) on the side of Lookout Mountain.  The slopes above and below it contain classic oak-hickory forest community with some large tulip poplars (Liriodendron tulipifera) mixed in.  Many private residences are scattered below the compound; these residences are surrounded by mowed lawns and some edge habitat, mostly consisting of privet and exotic shrubs.  This slope of Lookout Mountain is inundated with invasive exotic plants.

            The largest of the smaller units connected to CHCH is Moccasin Bend, a 90-hectare (220-acre) archeological park located on a peninsula formed by a bend of Tennessee River just east of Lookout Mountain. The highest elevation (~ 213 m) occurs on a spine that runs the full length of the southern edge of the peninsula and the lowest elevation (~195 m) in some bottomland that lies along the river to the north.  The habitat is quite varied with the higher elevations containing oak-hickory forest and the remainder oak-hickory forest interspersed with some stands of Virginia pine also displaying southern pine beetle damage.  Two moderate-sized tracts of pasture reverting to early second growth are present at this site, as well as some wet bottomland dominated by willows along the low-lying fingers extending from the Tennessee River on the north side of the peninsula.  Industrial areas and a large hospital institution border the park at this site.

            The Sherman Reservation is a 10-hectare (25-acre) unit on the northern end of Missionary Ridge with an elevation of 274 m.  It has early successional growth where the compound was once a manicured lawn area bordered by scrub, mainly privet.  At least half of the compound is oak-hickory, maple forest with a smattering of Virginia Pine (Pinus virginiana), and many trees at this site are old-growth sized.  The entire area is bordered by private homes, and a major highway is nearby.

            Signal Point is a small unit of CHCH located high (~518 m [1710 ft]) on the northwest plateau of Signal Mountain overlooking the Tennessee River gorge. Habitats include stunted pines and an oak-hickory hardwood forest.  A hectare (2.5 acres) of manicured lawn covers the main park area.

            Orchard Knob is a 2-hectare (5-acre) hill bordered by Hawthorne, Ivy, Fourth Streets and Orchard Knob Avenue in south Chattanooga.  It is mostly a manicured lawn compound with some scattered large oaks and some limestone outcroppings lying at an elevation of ~213 m (710 ft).

            Another dozen very small sites, often just large enough to harbor a monument dedicating various events of the Civil War battles fought near them, comprise the remainder of CHCH.  Most of these were visited seldom during the bird inventory, and none was the subject of a point count.

Methods--Bird Inventory Techniques

            Point counts were the most regimented method of collecting bird data at this NPS unit.  Forty point counts were conducted at CHCH during late May and early June in each of two years, 2005 and 2006.  The protocol for these counts entailed standing at the center of a 100-meter diameter plot and counting all birds heard and seen for 10 minutes; birds were recorded as occurring at one of four distance intervals (< 25 m; 25-50 m; 50-100 m; and >100 m) or as flyovers; birds were also recorded as occurring within one of three temporal intervals (0-3 min; 3-5 min; 5-10 min) (Hamel 1992; Hamel et al. 1996).  Any birds flushed during approach to the plot center were included among the birds recorded at the point.  Birds believed to have been already counted at a one point were not counted if detected at an adjacent point.  All birds seen or heard were recorded on a special point count data form.  All point count data are provided in a supplemental Excel file included with this report.

            A second method used to gather data about the birds of this site was the migration walk.  During spring and fall, these walks were conducted 8-10 times per season.  The walks typically lasted 1-3 hours and covered a distance of about 1.5 km through habitat considered to have potential for harboring migrant birds.  All species seen or heard were recorded on a standard field card.

            A third method used to gather data about the birds of the site was the raptor survey.  These surveys were undertaken during fall and early winter.  Typically, the survey lasted 2-4 hours during late morning and early afternoon.  A route was driven by automobile along all the roads of the unit, usually totaling about 35 km.  All raptors detected were included in the resulting data.  All species seen or heard were recorded on a standard field card.

            A fourth method of gathering bird data at this site was the night survey, a somewhat informal method entailing the use of tape-recorded owl calls to elicit responses from owls at the site.  Besides owls, nightjars were also detected by night surveys during summer; woodcocks at all seasons; and Grasshopper Sparrows during spring and summer.  All species seen or heard were recorded on a standard field card, sometimes in conjunction with data obtained using the following method.

            The fifth and last method of obtaining bird data at this site was the general inventory, involving less regimented efforts to visit many promising sites within this NPS unit during the course of a day and to keep track of all species sighted.  During the breeding period for birds, which includes most of the spring and summer, the general inventory included efforts to detect breeding evidence of for all species breeding in the unit.  All species seen or heard and all breeding evidence observed were recorded on a standard field card.

            Data obtained during migration walks, raptor surveys, night surveys, and general inventory surveys are provided in a supplemental Excel file submitted with this report.

Results

Expected Species List

            The most comprehensive source listing bird species expected to occur at CHCH is “Status of the Birds of the Chattanooga Area” (Calhoon 2006; see Appendix A: Table 1), a compilation that lists 323 species recorded in six Tennessee and three George counties surrounding Chattanooga, Tennessee, including Hamilton County, Tennessee, and Catoosa, Dade, and Walker counties, Georgia, wherein the various units comprising CHCH are located.

Total Species Inventoried

        During the inventory period, Kevin A. Calhoon and Barbara H. Stedman made visits to CHCH on a total of 185 days (Calhoon 157 days and Stedman 41 days) during all seasons of the year (55 visits during fall; 41 visits during winter; 55 visits during spring; and 34 visits during summer).  In the course of these visits they observed 173 species (Appendix A: Table 2) and one identifiable form (“Brewster’s” Warbler) by one or more of the methods described above.  At least nine additional species have been recorded in the park in the past (Appendix A: Table 2). The total of 173 species detected during the two-year inventory represents about 54% of the 323 species that might be expected to occur at the site.

Breeding Species Inventoried

            Evidence of breeding by species using the unit was divided into three categories: possible evidence; probable evidence; and confirmed evidence. In all, 86 species (Appendix A: Table 2) were placed in one of these categories, including 14 (16.3%) possible breeders, 29 (33.7%) probable breeders, and 43 (50%) confirmed breeders.

            Point counts were conducted during the breeding period of many species. A total of 67 species was registered during point counts conducted during 2005, while 63 species were detected during point counts conducted in 2006.  In all, point count effort led to data for 74 species of birds (Appendix A: Table 3), all of which use CHCH during the breeding season. Detailed data from the point counts are provided in a supplemental Excel file submitted in conjunction with this report.

Species Composition of the Isolated Units

            Generally speaking, the larger and more diverse in habitat a site is, the larger the number of bird species that will be found in it.  This rule of thumb was generally borne out be the data obtained during this survey; i.e., the two larger units of CHCH harbor a larger and more diverse avifauna than all but one of the smaller units.  For instance, Moccasin Bend, which at 90 hectares (220 acres) may be considered to be a moderate-sized unit of the park, produced a moderately diverse array of species, while all the remaining smaller units had comparatively short bird lists as a result of the inventory effort.

Discussion

Comparative Effectiveness of Survey Techniques

Each of the five survey techniques used for this inventory was effective for its purpose, but in terms of generating the largest number of species per unit of time expended, the general inventory was probably the most effective, followed by the migration walk and the point count (for breeding species only).  Due to their restricted emphasis, night surveys and raptor surveys generated fewer species per unit of time expended.

Influence of Weather on Results

An effort was made to visit CHCH during periods when the weather was conducive for registering the maximum number of species during general inventory work, migration walks, point counts, night surveys, and raptor surveys, so the influence of weather on the results of the overall inventory was generally positive.  However, some factors that may have affected the bird inventory in a negative manner need to be mentioned:

1.                          No strong cold fronts took place during either fall migration season, resulting in few days when large numbers of migrants could be found.

2.                          Each winter of the inventory was warm (compared to the long-term average), resulting in few incursions by boreal finches and related species.

3.                          During the summer of 2005 remnants of Hurricane Arlene passed over the area in early June, bringing heavy rain and strong winds that caused many trees to blow down and disrupting the nesting cycle of many species.

4.                          Spring and summer of 2006 were much hotter and drier than the long-term average.  The spring lacked strong frontal passages and consequently few concentrations of migrants were to be found.  The summer heat was so intense that birdsong often diminished considerably before the end of the period when point counts were conducted each morning.

Also affecting the bird inventory, though not strictly related to the influence of weather on the results, were some park maintenance projects that took place during the period of our work.  First, during the winter of 2005-2006 and the spring of 2006, Jay Mill Rd. along the eastern border of the Chickamauga unit was closed for grading and repaving.  Wet weather that winter delayed the project into spring.  Jay Mill Rd. traverses some of the best habitat for wintering sparrows and for many migrant birds, but this area could not be effectively covered during the period noted above, no doubt resulting in failure to register some species that might otherwise have been found in the park.  Second, during spring 2006 several roads in the southwest sector of the Chickamauga unit were closed for relocation, grading and paving, limiting access to this part of the park at an important season for birds.  Third and finally, the entire southeastern sector of the Chickamauga unit was closed for most of 2006 so that extensive roadwork could be performed.  In particular, Viniard-Alexander Rd. was closed, limiting access except on foot to an area of the park that has some of the most important habitat for birds, especially along West Chickamauga Creek.

Description of Bird Diversity in Terms of Observed and Estimated Species Richness

            Bird diversity in the park was expected to be fairly high since it is a large unit, and this expectation was borne out by the findings of the inventory.

Unexpected Results

            Both species of accipitrine hawk (Sharp-shinned Hawk and Cooper’s Hawk) were found to be a territorial (Cooper’s) or a possible nester (Sharp-shinned) in the park or nearby, an unexpected but positive outcome of the inventory.  Additionally, the expected Buteos--Broad-winged Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, and Red-tailed Hawk--were all noted as confirmed nesters in the park.

            The moderately large rookery of Great Blue Herons found by KAC in 2005 was quite unexpected.  A nearby beaver pond probably led to its formation.  Tree Swallows were also present at this site during 2006.  The beaver pond at the heronry and beaver ponds at other sites in the park may also have caused an increase in the population of Red-headed Woodpeckers to take place.

            The high density of Chuck-will’s-widows along Brotherton Rd. during May 2006 (calling at 7 locations along a km of road) was unexpected and good news for this decreasing nocturnal species.

Birds Not Found

            Raptors were generally low in numbers in field habitat at all seasons; in particular, no harriers or Short-eared Owls were seen hunting over the fields of the Chickamauga unit during winter, and few falcons used the park as a foraging site; even American Kestrels, which might be expected to breed in the park, were scarce in park field habitat.  The mowing regime in the park probably affects these (and other) species in a negative manner, since it keeps the grass too short to support sufficient prey species sought by raptors; some fields were even mowed in December of one year during the inventory, at the very time that they need to be allowed to provide cover for wildlife.  We did not conduct any hawk watches during the inventory, but Signal Point was the site of considerable effort to monitor the hawk migration in the past; for instance, K. Dubke and other observers counted 1288 migrant raptors from Signal Point during the fall of 1982 (Puckette 1983).

A few Whip-poor-wills were heard during the project, but most (or all) were probably migrants.  Lack of sufficient undergrowth on areas of steep, wooded hillsides may have been a factor in their virtual absence as breeders.

            Bewick’s Wren was found prior to the start of the inventory nesting in the Chickamauga unit from late May to early August 2004 (Davis 2004: 512, 630 [photo—Figure 2 below]); however, efforts to locate this species during the inventory were unsuccessful.

            Some species of warblers—Yellow Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, and Louisiana Waterthrush--were not found as breeders during the inventory.  Lack of suitable habitat along streams and in wet areas of the park probably prevented the breeding of these species.

            Species dependent on shrub-scrub habitat were generally present in low numbers.  Such species as Blue-winged Warbler (not found in Chickamauga unit), Prairie Warbler (not found in Chickamauga unit), Yellow-breasted Chat (found sparsely in Chickamauga unit), and Field Sparrow (not found in Chickamauga unit) respond to the general lack of availability of this habitat in a predictable manner—i.e., they are often absent from the park.

Recommendations for Management and Protection of Significant Habitats

By far the most critical management reforms we can recommend relate to the mowing regime of the many fields present in CHCH; removal of exotic plants is also of importance in the park’s future plans.

1.                          For fields that remain moist or wet except in the driest months of late summer (and for any that are out of sight of the public from roads), mow only once a year in late July or August, so as to encourage a wider diversity of wildlife to use them during the fall, winter, and spring.  Snodgrass Field, Dyer Field, Viniard Field, and Glenn Field, to name some specific examples, could all be shifted to a once-per-annum mow cycle with great benefit to the grassland wildlife using the park.

2.                          Leave a buffer zone about 30 m (100 ft) wide between forests and fields, allowing this buffer to develop several years of growth before it is mowed or bush-hogged; mow or bush-hog this buffer strip in different years for different fields, so that they are not all in the same growth condition at the same time.

3.                          The Lookout Mountain Land Trust has been removing exotic shrubs and trees from the edges of the Hardy and Guild trails in the battlefield park.  It would be worthy goal to remove exotics from the successional areas on the slopes beside and below the Cravens House Compound although the cost and time to do this would make it a daunting task.

Suitability of Habitat for Persistence of Sensitive Species

            The forests of the park are generally maintained in good condition for forest-obligate species.  However, the grasslands of the park are unsuitable for persistence of many species of grassland obligates, especially those that breed or spend the winter; to remedy this situation, a major change in mowing regime to make it better suited to these species is recommended.  Little shrub-scrub habitat is present in the park, so allowing field edges to grow into this type of habitat would increase the suitability of the park for shrub-scrub species, many of which are decreasing on a continental scale.

Literature Cited

Calhoon, K. A.  2006. “Status of the Birds of the Chattanooga Area.”   Unpublished report.

Davis, R. 2004. Southern Atlantic. North American Birds 58 (4): 511-513, 630.

Eardley, A. 1951. Structural Geology of North America.  New York, Harper and Brothers.

Hamel, P. B.  1992. The Land Manager’s Guide to Birds of the South. The Nature Conservancy and U.S. Forest Service, Atlanta, Georgia.

Hamel, P. B., W. P. Smith, D. J. Twedt, J. R. Woehr, E. Morris, R. B. Hamilton, and R. J. Cooper. 1996. A Land Manager’s Guide to Point Counts of Birds in the Southeast. Gen. Tech. Rep. SO-120. New Orleans, LA: U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 39 pp.

Hunter, C., R. Katz, D. Pashley, and B. Ford. 1998. Partners in Flight Southern Blue Ridge Bird Conservation Plan. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 70 pp.

Puckette, D. 1983. Southern Appalachians. The Newsletter of the Hawk Migration Association of North America 8 (2): 24-26.

Appendix A

Table 1. Status of the Birds of the Chattanooga Area (Calhoon 2006).

   This status report was updated by Kevin Calhoon in August 2006 using data from the report created by V. Jowayne Stone and Daniel R. Jacobson (October 1983) with revisions (1985) and “Birds of Hamilton County, Tennessee” created by Rock L. Comstock, Jr. (March 1962).  Also “The Checklist of Birds of the Chattanooga Area” by Kenneth H. and Lillian H. Dubke (October 1977) was used, as well as records gleaned from the Chattanooga TOS and local birders.  Most records have been published either in The Migrant or in American Birds/Field Notes/North American Birds, but a few unpublished records have also been included.

    The Chattanooga area is defined as Hamilton, Marion, Sequatchie, Bledsoe, Meigs, and Bradley counties in Tennessee and Catoosa, Walker, and Dade counties in Georgia.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

    The seasons of the year are defined as follows:                                  

Spring (Sp--March, April, and May)
Summer (Su--June and July)
Fall (F--August, September, October, and November)
Winter (W--December, January, and February)                                     

    Abundance is defined as follows:                                                        

c    common: a species certain to be observed in suitable habitat
fc   fairly common: a regularly occurring species not certain to be observed in all suitable habitat.
u    uncommon: a species observed regularly in limited numbers
o    occasional: observed one to five times during a season
r    rare: observed only once or twice every few years
x    accidental: observed fewer than five times
#    only one known record                                                                   

    Nesting status is defined as:                                                                

(*)   presently known to nest
(*r)  rare nester
(*f)   formerly known to nest
(*?)   thought to nest in area
(*#)   only one known nesting record                                                   

    Location:                                                                                               

These locations are historic centers of concentration or just good habitat to see specific species.  They should be used as a general guide to begin a search, but are not usually the only location where a species can be found.

AMM    Amnicola Marsh – Hamilton Co.
BAY     Baylor School – Hamilton Co.
BRA     Brainerd Levee – Hamilton Co.
BRO     Bradley Co.
BTW     Booker T Washington State Park – Hamilton Co.
BLE      Bledsoe Co.
CHA     Chattanooga, Hamilton Co.
CHL      Chickamauga Lake – Hamilton Co.
CHF      Chester Frost State Park – Hamilton Co.
CRA     Craven’s House, Lookout Mountain,  Chattanooga National Military Park – Hamilton Co.
HLC      Hamilton Co. 
HRA     Hiwassee Wildlife Refuges (including the Blythe Ferry unit) – Meigs Co.
MAR     Marion Co.
NIL        Nickajack Reservoir – Hamilton, Marion Co.
RAM     Raccoon Mountain – Marion Co.
RIV       Riverport area, Riverport Dr. – Hamilton Co.
SEQ      Sequatchie Co.
SAV     Savannah Bay – Hamilton Co.
SIG       Signal Mountain – Hamilton Co.
SGM     Standifer Gap Marsh, Hamilton Co.
SMG     Soddy Mountain Hawkwatch
TNR      Tennessee River – Hamilton Co.
TNR Gorge – Mullen’s Cove Rd., Marion Co.
TWC     Tennessee Wildlife Center – Hamilton Co.
WCG     Walker Co., GA                                                                        

This report follows the order and uses the common names of The AOU Check-list of North American Birds, Seventh Edition (1998).  It includes 323 species of which 127 have been known to nest in the Chattanooga area. I would like to thank Benton Basham, Carl Chadwell, Dennis Harris, Kenneth Dubke, John Henderson, and Daniel Jacobson for their help with this report.

Kevin Calhoon

Bird Species Observed in the 9-County Chattanooga Area

Fulvous Whistling-Duck
Greater White-fronted Goose
Snow Goose
Ross's Goose
Canada Goose
Brant
Mute Swan
Tundra Swan
Wood Duck
Gadwall
Eurasian Wigeon
American Wigeon
American Black Duck
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Cinnamon Teal
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Red-throated Loon
Common Loon
Yellow-billed Loon
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Clark's Grebe
Western Grebe
Storm-petrel sp.
American White Pelican
Brown Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant
Anhinga
American Bittern
Least Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
White Ibis
Glossy Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill
White-faced Ibis
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
American Swallow-tailed Kite
Mississippi Kite
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Northern Goshawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Swainson's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Golden Eagle
American Kestrel
Merlin
Prairie Falcon
Peregrine Falcon
Ring-necked Pheasant
Ruffed Grouse
Wild Turkey                                                                                                 
Northern Bobwhite
Yellow Rail
Black Rail
King Rail
Virginia Rail
Sora
Purple Gallinule
Common Moorhen
American Coot
Sandhill Crane
Black-bellied Plover
American Golden-Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Piping Plover
Killdeer
American Avocet
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Solitary Sandpiper
Willet
Spotted Sandpiper
Upland Sandpiper
Hudsonian Godwit
Marbled Godwit
Ruddy Turnstone
Sanderling
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
Baird's Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Purple Sandpiper
Dunlin
Stilt Sandpiper
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
Ruff
Short-billed Dowitcher
Long-billed Dowitcher
Wilson's Snipe
American Woodcock
Wilson's Phalarope
Red-necked Phalarope
Red Phalarope
Pomarine Jaeger 
Laughing Gull
Franklin's Gull
Sabine's Gull
Bonaparte's Gull
Little Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Glaucous Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Black-legged Kittiwake
Caspian Tern
Common Tern
Forster's Tern
Least Tern
Bridled Tern
Black Tern
Sooty Tern
Black Skimmer
Rock Dove
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
Common Ground-Dove
Black-billed Cuckoo
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Barn Owl
Eastern Screech-Owl
Great Horned Owl
Barred Owl
Long-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Common Nighthawk
Chuck-will's-widow
Eastern Whip-poor-will
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Calliope Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Allen's Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy woodpecker
Red-cockaded Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Acadian Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Loggerhead Shrike
White-eyed Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Horned Lark
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Bank Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
American Crow
Fish Crow
Common Raven
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Rock Wren
Carolina Wren
Bewick's Wren
House Wren
Winter Wren
Sedge Wren
Marsh Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird
Veery
Gray-cheeked Thrush 
Swainson's Thrush
Hermit Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Varied Thrush
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
American Pipit
Cedar Waxwing
European Starling
Blue-winged Warbler
Golden-winged Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Pine Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Palm Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Prothonotary Warbler
Worm-eating Warbler
Swainson's Warbler
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Louisiana Waterthrush
Kentucky Warbler
Connecticut Warbler
Mourning Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Canada Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat

Eastern Towhee
Bachman's Sparrow
American Tree Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Grasshopper Sparrow
Henslow's Sparrow
Le Conte's Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Lapland Longspur
Snow Bunting

Summer Tanager
Scarlet Tanager

Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Black-headed Grosbeak
Blue Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Painted Bunting
Dickcissel
Bobolink
Red-winged Blackbird
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Rusty Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Purple Finch
House Finch
Common Redpoll
Red Crossbill
White-winged Crossbill
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
Evening Grosbeak
House Sparrow

Table 2.  Species, status, seasonal abundance, and breeding status of birds observed at Chattanooga and Chickamauga National Military Park; species with names in all capitals were not recorded during the inventory.   * = possible breeding evidence noted; ** = probable breeding evidence noted; *** = confirmed breeding evidence noted.  Key to abbreviations: PR = permanent resident; SR = summer resident; TR = transient; VR = visitor; WR = winter resident; UN = unknown/uncertain status; C = common; FC = fairly common; U = uncommon; VU = very uncommon; R = rare.

Table 3.  Species (74) registered during point counts conducted at 40 plots (10 minutes each at unlimited distance) during the breeding seasons of 2005 and 2006 at Chattanooga and Chickamauga National Military Park. Greater detail about the results of these point counts is provided in an Excel file that supplements this report.  Inds = total individuals counted.