Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

Sanderling (Calidris alba)

Sanderling [basic-plumaged individual in flight {lower left} with two Least Sandpipers]: Photograph Credit: David L. Roemer; Barren River Lake State Resort Park, Barren County, Kentucky; 5 September 2007.

Abundance: Rare; 10 records in 3 Kentucky counties and 1 Tennessee county (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 fall (9 records); photographs (see links below).

Regional High Count: 6 (6 September 2011; Lake Tansi, Cumberland County, Tennessee; Edmund K. LeGrand).

Information on Records: 

26–27 August/12 September 1983 (1—immature/2—immatures [JBE notes]) Fishing Creek Recreation Area/Pulaski County Park, Lake Cumberland, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Jackie B. Elmore, Sr.; Stamm 1984a [cites a record of 1 bird at Fishing Creek and a record of 2 birds at Pulaski County Park but gives no date for either]).

30 October–5 November 1993 (1—juvenile [JBE notes]) Pulaski County Park, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Jackie B. Elmore, Sr.; Stamm 1994a).

17 September 2003 (1—juvenile) Fishing Creek Recreation Area, Lake Cumberland, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton).

8 September 2004 (1—juvenile) Fishing Creek Recreation Area, Lake Cumberland, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2005a).

26 July 2006 (1—adult) Fishing Creek Recreation Area, Lake Cumberland, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton photo; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2006d).

5 September 2007 (1—juvenile) Barren River Lake State Resort Park, Barren County, Kentucky (David L. Roemer photo).

18 October 2007 (1—age undetermined) Thurston's Pond, Wayne County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton).

17 October 2008 (1—age undetermined) Barren River Reservoir, Barren/Allen counties, Kentucky (David L. Roemer).

6 September 2011 (6) Lake Tansi, Cumberland County, Tennessee (Edmund K. LeGrand photo).

6 September 2011 (1) Barren County, Kentucky (David L. Roemer).

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: No registrations.

Regional Extreme Dates:

    Spring: No records.

    Fall: 26 July 2006 (Pulaski County, Kentucky; Roseanna M. Denton)–5 November 1993 (Pulaski County, Kentucky; Jackie B. Elmore, Sr.; Stamm 1994a).

Habitat: Sandy mudflats.

Remarks: Five of the Regional records derive from mudflats exposed during low-water conditions along Fishing Creek, an arm of Lake Cumberland in Pulaski County, Kentucky.

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