(1 December–28 February)

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

Introduction

The Region (Figure 1) experienced a somewhat colder winter than has been the case during the past half decade of winters. Whether the the temperatures were colder than what had previously been considered normal, however, is hard to say.  See below for a more detailed discussion of the season's weather.

    Two species new to the Region were well documented this season, including Trumpeter Swan in Wayne Co., KY, and Western Meadowlark in Putnam Co., TN.

    For the first time in Regional birding history, Whooping Cranes from the reintroduction effort were recorded on Christmas Bird Counts and BirdBlitzes conducted in the Region.

Weather

    The winter began with snow flurries and some snow on the ground at higher elevations and in more northern sectors December 1.  The next weather system with rain began 8 December and continued intermittently through the evening of 11 December when the rain turned briefly to snow and ice, covering much of the Region in a thin glaze of various kinds of frozen stuff the next morning.  Another rain system entered the Region 15 December and remained (on and off) for a week, dampening spirits during the first week of the CBC season. This period of unsettled weather was followed by the passage of a cold front that lowered temperatures to the low single digits on the Cumberland Plateau and in the more northern parts of the Region on the morning of 22 December; such low temperatures had not been recorded in the Region for about five years. Warmer temperatures returned to the Region during late December and early January; then a series of very cold days began 14 January, persisting for about a week.  The weather event of the season took place on the night of January 27/28 when a winter storm blanketed the northern tier of counties in the Kentucky portion of the Region with a thin layer of ice, as well as delivering a much thicker ice layer to all of Kentucky north of that latitude.  These conditions pushed large flocks of Horned Larks and Lapland Longspurs south, and many of these flocks included a few Snow Buntings, a species heretofore represented Regionally by only two records.  See below for more on this rare event.  Weather during February continued cold but with not too much snow cover, the most of the latter occurring during the last few days of the month.

Wild Food Crop

     The soft mast crop was excellent, the seed crop seemingly the same, and the hard mast crop at least good. CBC results especially testified to the abundance of the soft mast crop, with many frugivores present in high numbers, at least through the end of the CBC season.

Results of Organized Bird Counts

    Results of Christmas Bird Counts (CBCs) conducted around the Region early in this season may be viewed at the following link:

    As during the past few years, Great Backyard Bird Count data for the Saturday (14 February 2009) of that count's period were pooled for several counties of the Region, leading to many useful data about 92 species present during late winter in the Region.  Some of these species' populations apparently underwent drastic changes in numbers between the time of the CBCs and the time of the GBBCs. To view data from this year's GBBC Pooled Data Event, click on the following link:

Abbreviations and Symbols: † = documentation form provided in support of bird record; BSFNRRA = Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area; CBC = Christmas Bird Count; CTSP = Cumberland Trail State Park; DBNF = Daniel Boone National Forest; GBBC = Great Backyard Bird Count; m. ob. = many observers; OWSR = Obed Wild and Scenic River.

Waterfowl and Gallinaceous Species

The first DeKalb County, TN, record of Greater White-fronted Goose took place 19 January 2009 when two were photographed on Student's Home Rd. (JuF photo, CDW), providing the 17th Regional record; the 18th Regional record took place 7 February 2009 when an adult was noted on Catfish Farm Rd., Fentress Co., TN (SJS, EKL), also a sighting that supplied a county record.

    Four Snow Geese (2 adults and 2 juveniles) visited Mason's Island, Barren River Reservoir, Barren Co., KY, 4 December 2008 (DLR photo) in the company of the geese noted in the next paragraph.  Snows showed up on several Regional CBCs, mainly as single birds.

    Four Ross's Geese on Mason's Island, Barren River Reservoir, Barren Co., KY, 4 December 2008 (DLR photo) were the first in the Region during "fall" 2008; they also provided just the second record for Barren County, the 14th record for the Region, and the all-time Regional high count.  Three adult Ross's were noted in the morning of 7 February 2009 on Stone's Rd., Morgan Co., TN, and in the evening of the same day on nearby Catfish Farm Rd., Fentress Co., TN (SJS, EKL photo), providing the 15th Regional record (and the first to involve two first county records derived from sightings of the same individuals, clearly glory hogs, in adjacent counties).

    A Cackling Goose was photographed at Mt. Zion, Pulaski Co., KY, 19 January 2009 (RMD photo), the first record for that county and just the third Regionally.

    A juvenile Trumpeter Swan at Cooley's Pond, Wayne Co., KY, during the Wayne County CBC 18 December 2008 (RMD photo, photo) until at least 7 January 2009 (RMD, BP) was the Region's first (if two probable hybrid Trumpeter-Mute Swans found briefly last winter in Pulaski Co., KY, are discounted); photos were vetted by David Sibley, who was thoroughly convinced of this i.d., and by others in KY and TN. The "countablility" of this species remains somewhat open to question in some circles of authority, but it is deemed countable and includable in the Regional avifauna here.

    Four Mute Swans were noted at the boat ramp in Barren River Lake State Resort Park, Barren Co., KY, 16 January 2009 (LD photo). Five unidentified swans were briefly noted on Mason Grissom Rd., Warren Co., TN, 25 January 2009 (NPM); these swans were relocated on nearby Rt. 288 about 0.5 km south of the intersection of that road and Rayburn-Walling Rd. 8 February 2009 (EKL, SJS) when they were determined to be four Mute Swans (two adults and two immatures) and one Tundra Swan (immature), the latter providing the 14th Regional record and the first with full details for Warren County.

    A female or immature Surf Scoter was photographed at Clifty Pond, Pulaski Co., KY, 11 December 2008 (RMD photo), one of few of this species photographed Regionally.

    A lone Common Merganser at Peninsula, Barren River Reservoir, Barren/Allen counties, KY, 17 January 2009 (SK, JK) represented the only record of the winter and the 25th all-time for the Region, with many of those records coming from Barren River Reservoir.

A count of 115 Horned Grebes--106 off Rowena Rd., 2 at the Wolf Creek Dam, and 7 offshore from Lure Lodge at Lake Cumberland State Resort Park--in Russell Co., KY, 9 January 2009 (RMD) represented quite a high total of this grebe during winter on the big lakes of south-central Kentucky; grebes of this species have typically been present in numbers considerably smaller than this total during past winters in that area.  A count of 403 at the Floating Mill Recreation Area, Center Hill Lake, DeKalb Co., TN, 14 February 2009 (JCF, CDW) during the GBBC Pooled Data Event was the Regional high count this season, and the count of Horned Grebes at Floating Mill was once again the continental high count on the GBBC.

An adult Bald Eagle feeding on carrion in a field on the west side of Rt. 111 about 3.2 km south of the intersection of Rt. 111 and Rt. 1, White Co., TN, 14 January 2009 (FP photo [distant]) was engaged in a behavior rarely witnessed in the Region away from the big lakes; perhaps this eagle's willingness to feed on carrion located far from a large body of water indicated a paucity of the usual prey items (i.e., American Coots in particular) this winter? Below are results of eagle surveys conducted in the Region this winter:

    A male Merlin at Lake Hiawatha, Cumberland Co., TN, 15 December 2008 (DJS photo, JEM) probably represented a continuation of a fall 2008 record from the same site.  One female or immature Merlin was noted on the DeKalb County CBC (WAW†, CEW), and two females or immatures appeared on the Warren County CBC (WAW†, MPO, CDW, JCF†, NSL), further signs of this species' increasing presence as a winter resident of the Region; the independent sightings by members of two parties in Warren County during the CBC there also turned out to be the first-ever reports for that county.

Cranes through Gulls

All sightings of Sandhill Cranes in the Region during December 2008 are listed in the Fall 2008 UCR Bird Report.  All Regional sightings of cranes from January 2009 are included below (Appendix A). All sightings of cranes from February 2009 are included in the Spring 2009 UCR Bird Report. This change in the reporting of cranes reflects their changing status over the past decade or so; it is now a moderately common wintering species (at two Regional sites--the northern Sequatchie Valley, Bledsoe Co., TN, and south of Barren River Reservoir, Barren Co., KY), whereas before the mid-1990s it was mainly a migrant through the Region.

    Eight leg-banded Whooping Cranes, including 2 juveniles, recorded on Frank's Ferry Rd., White Co., TN, 22 December 2008 (EKL† & photo, DAD photo) during the White County CBC became the first Whoopers to be recorded on a Regional CBC, but only a week later two leg-banded Whoopers were counted during the Bledsoe County Christmas BirdBlitz near Brushy Cemetery off of Old Rt. 28 north of Ninemile Crossroad (EKL).  This species may become semi-regular on Regional CBCs in the future, although it remains uncountable on CBCs at the tri-continental/hemispheric level. Another Whooper was found foraging with c. 1000 Sandhill Cranes at the Narrows, Barren Co., KY, 16 February 2009 (DRB).

    All encounters with American Woodcocks during the 2009 breeding season (i.e., from late November 2008 to June 2009) are listed below (Appendix B).

Doves through Shrike

Forty-five Eurasian Collared-Doves on the Bledsoe County Christmas BirdBlitz 29 December 2008 (EKL, JEM, AFM, SJS) were the most ever to be counted on a Christmas-season count in the UCR and were just shy of the all-time Regional high count (50); a single near the intersection of Rt. 108 and Lynn Rd. about 5 km north of Viola, Warren Co., TN, 8 February 2009 (EKL, SJS) was the first to be reported from that area.

    A primary feather from a Barn Owl was noted on Mason Grissom Rd., Warren Co., TN, 11 January 2009 (SNM); this site has hosted Barn Owls in the past, so it is good to know that the owls are still present there.

    Two Short-eared Owls at Shadow Mountain Estates near Hillendale Rd., Cumberland Co., TN, 25 December 2008 (HEL, EKL) were the first to be reported in that county; one or two were found at this site on several dates shortly thereafter (m. ob.); three were noted there 12 January 2009 (EKL, DK photo); and at least two persisted there to the end of the period, including registration 14 February 2009 during the GBBC Pooled Data Event (EKL).

    A male Northern Saw-whet Owl was heard tooting at the old mine site at Little Lick, DBNF, Pulaski Co., KY, 12 February 2009 (RMD), the first Regional record this winter.

    The banded adult male Rufous Hummingbird that stayed at Aspen Dr., Putnam Co., TN, from 15 September 2009 through the end of the last season made it through the very cold (c. 12º F) morning of 22 December 2008, after having been recorded on the Cookeville CBC two days earlier, and the stiller colder (c. 5º F) morning of 16 January 2009 (SH); recorded on the GBBC pooled data event 14 February 2009 (SH), it remained through the end of the period; see the Spring 2009 UCR Bird Report for the departure date of this hummer. The banded adult female Rufous Hummingbird that stayed at Creed Rd., Van Buren Co., TN, from mid-August through the end of the last season made it through the cold morning of 22 December 2008, and it, too, survived the bitterly cold (c. 4º F) night of 16 January 2009 (JW), and it was still present as of the end of the period (JW), being recorded during the GBBC; see the Spring 2009 UCR Bird Report for the departure date of this hummer.

    All sightings of Loggerhead Shrikes are listed below (Appendix C) for this season.  Encouragingly, shrike presence on the Regional CBCs was somewhat more widespread than was true during the previous five CBC seasons.

Vireo through Warblers

The ice-storm of 27/28 January 2009 brought very large concentrations of Horned Larks into the northeastern corner of the Region, with flocks of 2000 being found in Adair Co., KY, 29 January 2009 (RMD) and in Wayne Co., KY, 30 January 2009 (RMD).  Most of these flocks appear to have retired northward very soon after those dates.

    Ten Brown-headed Nuthatches at the Cookeville Golf Course, Cookeville, Putnam Co., TN, 20 December 2008 (WAW, TMS) during the Cookeville CBC provided a record high count for that CBC and tied the all-time high count for Putnam County (and the Region).

    Two Sedge Wrens in wet, weedy areas along a gravel road 1.5 km east of the intersection of Clarkrange, Fentress Co., TN, 7 February 2009 (SJS, EKL photo) provided the first Regional record during February and just the third Regional winter record, each of the other two records deriving from CBC efforts; this sighting also provided the first record for Fentress County.

    Consequent to the excellent crop of soft mast present in the Region this winter, excellent counts of Hermit Thrushes were made during many of the Regional CBCs; the total of 105 on the White County CBC 22 December 2008 (DAD, m. ob.) represented an all-time high count for the Region, as well as an all-time high count for a single CBC in Tennessee.  The Hermit population in the Region appeared to diminish considerably by the time of the GBBC, when no Hermits at all were found in White County.

Sparrows

The first American Tree Sparrow of "fall" 2008 was detected at Quarry Beach, Barren River Reservoir, Barren Co., KY, 10 December 2008 (DLR), giving rise to hope that the coming winter might witness an invasion of this very uncommon sparrow, and, indeed, in the aftermath of the ice-storm of 27/28 January, tree sparrows were found 28 and 29 January 2009 (three on each date) near Mt. Zion, Pulaski Co., KY, with some lingering to at least 6 February 2009 (RMD photo), while 50 were counted 29 January 2009 near Knifley, Adair Co., KY (RMD); still other tree sparrows were later noted, as follows: one on Hurricane Ridge Rd., DeKalb Co., TN, 4-5 & 11 February 2009 (TLC, VC, JCF photo), the first for that county, and one on County House Rd., DeKalb Co., TN, 16 February 2009 (JCF).

    Chipping Sparrows were recorded on at least 10 of the Regional CBCs, a degree of Regional CBC distribution seldom or never achieved during past Regional CBC seasons and perhaps more fuel for the global warming fire.

    Three Vesper Sparrows on Mason Grissom Rd., Warren Co., TN, 22 December 2008 and one still there 11 January 2009 (SNM†) represented a rare winter record in the Region for this sparrow, which is seldom present as late as December and even more seldom in January. This record and a record last year in the Kentucky portion of the UCR offer more tantalizing evidence of the effects of global warming on bird distribution.

    A nicely described Lincoln's Sparrow in Pulaski Co., KY, 1 January 2009 (SM) during the Somerset CBC was the first of its kind to be recorded on that CBC and one of just a few, or perhaps also the first, to be found during winter in the Kentucky portion of the Region.

    Quite typically found associating with a large (100) flock of Horned Larks, a Lapland Longspur on Frank's Ferry Rd., White Co., TN, 22 December 2008 (EKL†) during the White County CBC was the first to be recorded in that county and on that CBC, as well as the first of "fall" 2008 to be reported Regionally.  As a consequence of the ice-storm that hit Kentucky during the night of 27-28 January 2009, very large flocks of this longspur (usually mixed with Horned Larks) invaded the northeastern sector of the Region; concentrations numbering 500 and 1000--by far a new Regional high count--were located in Pulaski and Wayne counties, KY, 29 (RMD photo [5 February 2009 in Pulaski County], SD, CSN, LM) and 30 January 2009 (RMD, SD), respectively, while smaller numbers were counted in Adair (5) and Russell (38) counties, Kentucky, on the first of those dates (RMD photo [Russell County], SD). The sightings in Pulaski, Russell, and Wayne counties each constituted a new county record.  Another Lapland was found and photographed on Hickey Ridge Rd., Putnam Co., TN, 22 February 2009 (EKL photo, SJS), providing a new late spring departure date for the county and the Region.

    Prior to the ice-storm of 27/28 January 2009, only two records of Snow Bunting existed in the Region, each taking place during late fall; by 31 January 2009 the number of Regional Snow Bunting records had risen to seven, with all the records coming from the northeastern counties of the Region, as follows: one and three on Gastineau Rd. and Rt. 914, Pulaski Co., KY, 29 (RMD, SD, CSN) and 30 January 2009 (RMD, SD), respectively; two near Fonthill, Russell Co., KY, 29 January 2009 (RMD photo, SD); three on Hovious Ridge Rd., Adair Co., KY, 29 January 2009 (RMD photo, SD); and one on Anna Brown Rd., Wayne Co., KY, 30 January 2009 (RMD).  All of these Snow Buntings were associated with large flocks of larks and longspurs.  The sightings in Pulaski, Russell, and Wayne counties provided new county records

    A female or immature Indigo Bunting was captured and killed by a dog in a field on Leffle Webb Rd., Cumberland Co., TN, 4 December 2008 (EKL photo [of specimen] 11 December 2008), providing the latest report for "fall" 2008 and one of few winter records for the Region.

Blackbirds through Weaver Finch

A male Western Meadowlark on Hickey Ridge Rd., Putnam Co., TN, 14/22 February 2009 (SJS/SJS, EKL video/audio [on second date] and photo, JCF photo, CDW photo [on second date]) was the first ever Regionally; on the first date listed it became a part of the 2009 GBBC Pooled Data Event.

    All sightings of Rusty Blackbirds from late fall 2008 to early spring 2009. including all sightings that took place during the Rusty Blackbird Blitz, are listed below (Appendix D).

    The irruption of Pine Siskins into the Region last fall continued through the winter. Small to moderate numbers showed up on nearly all the Regional CBCs, and a large number (241) was counted on the Crossville CBC, located on the Cumberland Plateau. Moderate to large numbers of siskins persisted through the end of the period at many Regional sites, making this winter's siskin irruption the most noticeable since the winter of 1989-1990.

    Purple Finches were a bit more common Regionally this winter, especially on CBCs, than during the past several winters.

Observers: John W. Barthelme (JWB), Sharon Brines (SB), Wally Brines (WB), David R. Brown (DRB), Frank Bulow (FB), Chester Bush (CB), Ivan L. Cordrey (ILC), Tommy L. Curtis (TLC), Virginia Curtis (VC), Lisa Deavers (LD), Roseanna M. Denton (RMD), Steve Denton (SD), Douglas A. Downs (DAD), Janie C. Finch (JaF), Richard C. Finch (RCF), Susan H. Ford (SHF), Judy C. Fuson (JCF), Dana Girard (DG), Linda Henderson (LH), Stan Hood (SH), Peggy Kilgore (PK), David Kirschke (DK), Janet Kistler (JK), Steve Kistler (SK), James Layzer (JL), Nancy S. Layzer (NSL), Edmund K. LeGrand (EKL), Harry E. LeGrand (HEL), Scott Marsh (SM), Joseph E. Mast (JEM), Linda McClendon (LM), N. P. "Mac" McWhirter (NPM), Susan N. McWhirter (SNM), Michael Mulligan (MM), Connie S. Neeley (CSN), Michael P. O'Rourke (MPO), Brainard Palmer-Ball (BP), Frank "Mac" Pointer (FP), John Ramsey (JRa), Michele Ramsey (MR), Jackie Rigsby (JR), David L. Roemer (DLR), Thomas M. Saya (TMS), Jeanie Schmitzer (JS), DJ Stanley (DJS), Barbara H. Stedman (BHS), Stephen J. Stedman (SJS), Bill Wagner (BW), Jacquie Wagner (JW), Catherine E. Walden (CEW), Winston A. Walden (WAW), Carol D. Williams (CDW).

Literature Cited

Appendix A.  Records of Sandhill Cranes in the Upper Cumberland Region during January 2009; see the Fall 2008 UCR Bird Report for records of cranes during from late October to late December 2008, and see the Spring 2009 UCR Bird Report for records of cranes during February through April 2009. 

Appendix B.  Records of  American Woodcock in the Upper Cumberland Region during Fall 2008, Winter 2008–2009, and Spring 2009.

Appendix C.  Reports of  Loggerhead Shrike during Winter 2008–2009 in the Upper Cumberland Region .

Appendix D.  Reports of Rusty Blackbirds during Fall 2008, Winter 2008–2009, and Spring 2009 in the Upper Cumberland Region.

For more information about Rusty Blackbirds and about the Rusty Blackbird Technical Group, go to this website:

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/MigratoryBirds/Research/Rusty_Blackbird/

A new effort to count Rusty Blackbirds--the Rusty Blackbird Blitz--took place 7-15 February 2009, to coincide in part with the Great Backyard Bird Count; details at the website above.

Quick links to other sections of this website:

• HomePage for SJS

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