Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

Long-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus)

Long-billed Dowitchers [lateral view of adults prior to attainment of full alternate plumage]. Photograph Credit: Stephen J. Stedman; Randolph Pond, White County, Tennessee; 3 May 2014.

Abundance: Rare; 9 records in 2 Tennessee counties and 4 Kentucky counties (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 (1 record) and fall (8 records); photographs (see above and links below).

Regional High Count: 3 (19 October 2007; Adair County, Kentucky; Roseanna M. Denton).

Information on Records: 

18/25 October 1981 (1/1—different individuals) 1.5 km east of Rt. 551 bridge, Green River Lake, Adair County, Kentucky (Jackie B. Elmore, Sr., both records; Elmore 1982 [ first record]; Stamm 1982a [both records]).

30 November–15 December 2005 (1—basic) Fishing Creek, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton photo; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2006a; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2006b), photo (30 November 2005, Roseanna M. Denton).

29 July 2006 (1—alternate) Fishing Creek Recreation Area, Lake Cumberland, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton photo).

19 October 2007 (3—basic) Casey Creek, Adair County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton photo).

25 & 30 October 2007 (1—basic) Cooley's Pond, Wayne County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton photo)

3 May 2014 (2) Randolph Pond, White County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman photo [see above]).

Date (several) Berry Pond, Barren County, Kentucky (observers).

26–29 October 2015 (2) Lexus Pond, Putnam County, Tennessee (Chris Agee, John and Theresa O'Barr photos [reviewed by David L. Roemer]), eBird records.

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: No registrations.

Habitat: The shallow margins of ponds and lakes, usually those with associated mudflats.  Dowitchers often wade in water that is as high as the tops of their legs and probe with their bills in the mud below the  surface of the water in which they are wading, sometimes submerging their entire heads while probing.

Remarks: The 1981 Adair County, Kentucky, records involved birds with different plumages; thus, two sightings are inferred.  Diagnostic call notes were heard during each observation in Adair County (Elmore 1982; Stamm 1982a), as was also true for the observation in Pulaski County, Kentucky (R. M. Denton, pers. com.).

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