Results of the Fall BirdBlitz in Cumberland County, Kentucky--27 September 2008

 

As part of the fall meeting of the Kentucky Ornithological Society (KOS) at Dale Hollow Lake State Resort Park 26-28 September 2008, a bird count was conducted across Cumberland County on the Saturday of that event.  Results of this first-ever fall bird counting event in Cumberland County are provided below.  Along with Spring BirdBlitz data collected in 2007 and Christmas Bird Count data collected in 1964 and 1965, as well as breeding bird atlas data collected during the late 1980s and early 1990s, the fall counting data help to characterize the bird fauna of this little birded county.

    To see a table of results for all fall counts conducted in the Upper Cumberland Region during 2008, click on the following link:

 

Party Leader(s) # BPB/GR JS BY SJS DLR CGH Total
Party Members # KOS * MY JR CSN
Territory Location DHLSRP SE SW W NW NE
Number of Field Parties 2 1 1 1 1 1 7
Number of Field Observers 13 1 2 1 2 2 21
Start CDT 0604 0730 0745 0520 0830 0900 0520
End CDT 1328 1300 1522 1820 1200 1200 1820
    Miles by Car 2.5 35 72 150 50 24.5 334
    Miles on Foot 9 0 0 0 0.5 0 9.5
Total Daylight Miles in Field 11.5 25 72 150 50.5 24.5 333.5
    Hours by Car 0.5 5.5 7.5 12 3 3 31.5
    Hours on Foot 10 0 0 0 0.5 0 10.5
Total Daylight Hours in Field 10.5 5.5 7.5 12 3.5 3 42
Owling Hours 1 0 0 0.75 0 0 1.75
Owling Miles 0.25 0 0 12 0 0 12.25
Low Temperature (F) 61 61
High Temperature (F) 80 80
Sky A.M. pclo partly cloudy
Sky P.M. mcle mostly clear
Precipitation A.M. none none
Precipitation P.M. none none
Wind A.M. (mph) 0-5 0-5
Wind P.M. (mph) 0-5 0-5
Moon near new near new
Canada Goose 34 34
Wild Turkey 21 42 25 7 25 120
Northern Bobwhite 1 1
Double-crested Cormorant 1 1
Great Blue Heron 2 1 2 5
Black Vulture 2 10 7 3 2 8 32
Turkey Vulture 9 42 33 45 7 136
Bald Eagle 1 1
Northern Harrier 1 1
Cooper's Hawk 1 1 2
Red-shouldered Hawk 1 1 4 4 9 19
Red-tailed Hawk 1 2 2 1 6
American Kestrel 6 2 9 2 4 23
Merlin 1 1
Killdeer 1 35 2 38
Rock Pigeon 4 15 1 20
Mourning Dove 3 20 27 70 35 6 161
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1 1
Eastern Screech-Owl 1 6 7
Great Horned Owl 4 1 5
Barred Owl 2 2
Common Nighthawk 2 2
Chimney Swift 4 13 2 10 29
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1 1
Belted Kingfisher 1 1 1 3
Red-headed Woodpecker 1 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 6 1 10 6 2 2 27
Downy Woodpecker 7 5 12 2 26
Hairy Woodpecker 2 3 6 3 14
Northern Flicker 4 8 6 3 4 25
Pileated Woodpecker 4 5 6 5 1 1 22
Eastern Wood-Pewee 3 3 3 1 1 2 13
Acadian Flycatcher 2 2
Eastern Phoebe 3 4 22 27 14 12 82
White-eyed Vireo 2 3 8 2 4 19
Yellow-throated Vireo 3 1 4 8
Blue-headed Vireo 1 1
Philadelphia Vireo 1 1
Red-eyed Vireo 2 2
Blue Jay 72 50 44 127 70 25 388
American Crow 30 40 76 80 27 4 257
Carolina Chickadee 18 2 12 47 2 81
Tufted Titmouse 27 9 41 3 4 84
White-breasted Nuthatch 12 1 8 4 3 2 30
Carolina Wren 16 2 11 65 12 4 110
House Wren 1 5 1 7
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1 2 3
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1 1
Eastern Bluebird 8 50 53 60 23 15 209
Gray-cheeked Thrush 7 2 9
Swainson's Thrush 5 3 8
Wood Thrush 1 1
American Robin 26 2 8 4 40
Gray Catbird 1 7 5 1 14
Northern Mockingbird 1 5 17 19 8 4 54
Brown Thrasher 2 2 5 1 3 13
European Starling 60 43 18 35 23 179
Cedar Waxwing 6 20 10 30 66
Golden-winged Warbler 1 1 2
Tennessee Warbler 4 4 12 20
Nashville Warbler 1 1
Northern Parula 1 1 2
Chestnut-sided Warbler 1 1 1 3
Magnolia Warbler 11 12 10 1 3 37
Cape May Warbler 1 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1 1 2
Black-throated Green Warbler 7 3 1 11
Blackburnian Warbler 1 1
Yellow-throated Warbler 2 2
Pine Warbler 1 1
Prairie Warbler 1 4 5
Palm Warbler 1 7 3 3 1 15
Bay-breasted Warbler 2 2 4
Black-and-white Warbler 4 1 5
American Redstart 6 4 2 12
Ovenbird 2 2
Kentucky Warbler 1 1
Common Yellowthroat 2 4 17 2 25
Hooded Warbler 1 1 2
Summer Tanager 13 4 12 1 3 33
Scarlet Tanager 9 4 13
Eastern Towhee 1 5 13 4 23
Chipping Sparrow 39 4 16 20 26 105
Field Sparrow 2 15 13 9 5 6 50
Song Sparrow 10 2 12
Northern Cardinal 10 12 11 92 10 3 138
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 3 7 10 2 22
Blue Grosbeak 3 3
Indigo Bunting 2 62 29 30 14 137
Bobolink 2 2
Eastern Meadowlark 4 8 2 14
American Goldfinch 11 5 29 20 16 81
House Sparrow 2 10 10 1 23
Total Individuals 438 346 735 1068 465 206 3258
Total Species 64 29 55 70 41 38 93
# Participants (* = KOS group):
Tom Becker *
Jane Bell *
Pat Bell *
Carol Besse *
John Brunjes *
Wayne Davis *
Julie Edwards *
Terri Estes *
C. Gay Hodges
Eddie Huber *
Scott Marsh *
Connie S. Neeley
Brainard Palmer-Ball
Gerald Robe
David L. Roemer
Joanie Roemer
Stephen J. Stedman, compiler
Joe Swanson
Tim Towles *
Ben Yandell
Mary Yandell
Species observed in Clinton Co.
on same day (27 Sep 08):
Wood Duck
Mallard
Pied-billed Grebe
Spotted Sandpiper
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Great Crested Flycatcher
Species observed in DHLSRP

26 Sep 08:
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-breasted Nuthatch

 

Comments:

A Fall BirdBlitz differs from a Fall Bird Count only in that the former is not an annually repeated count, while the latter is.

Weather during the weeks preceding the FBB in Cumberland County was fairly uniformly dry, causing most ponds in the county to be very low or completely dried up, causing most streams and even some larger creeks to be dry or wet only in low spots and generally not to be conducive to the presence of water-related species.

The Bald Eagle was an adult observed at the end of the Wolf Ridge Trail in the Cumberland County part of the park (GR); another adult or near-adult was observed near the marina in the Clinton County part of the park during the week-end.

The Merlin (probably an immature or female) was briefly noted at Eagle Point (BPB, Tom Becker, Carol Besse, Eddie Huber) in the Cumberland County part of the park; near the same time a Merlin was also seen close to the marina in the Clinton County part of the park (Don Martin).

The Philadelphia Vireo was found on Compton Rd. in the western part of the county (SJS).

One Golden-winged Warbler was a female found on Waterview Rd. in the western part of the county (SJS); the other was a male found in the northeastern quadrant of the county (CGH, CSN).

The Cape May Warbler was found in the Cumberland County part of the park on a trail near the intersection of the main park road and the road to the lodge (BPB et al.).

The Bobolinks were heard while flying over the park campground, first in the Cumberland County part of the park and then in the Clinton County part (BPB); note: on the preceding day a Bobolink was seen and heard in the Clinton County part of the park about 200 m east of the trailhead for the Eagle Point Trail along the main park road (SJS, DLR).