Results of Bird Inventory in Fort Donelson National Battlefield, Stewart County, Tennessee, July 2003 to June 2004

View down the Cumberland River from the shore battery at Fort Donelson National Battlefield, Dover, Stewart Co., Tennessee, April 10, 2004; photo SJS.

 

Under contract with the National Park Service, Barbara and Stephen Stedman conducted a bird inventory of this park service unit for each season of the year, beginning the inventory during late summer 2003 and completing it at the end of summer 2005.

   If you have data about any bird species not noted below or for any seasons without records in the table below, even if from a year before 2003, please contact us at the following e-mail address with the particulars of the sighting, including as accurate a date as possible:

                sstedman@tntech.edu

   Summer 2003 data were collected by BHS and SJS on the following date: 17 July 2003; x = present on the date indicated. 

    Fall 2003 data were collected by BHS on the following dates: 17-19 September and 8-9 October 2003; x = present on at least one of the dates indicated.

    Winter 2003-2004 data were collected by BHS 23-24 January 2004 and 19-20 February 2004; x = present on at least one of the dates indicated.

    Spring 2004 data were collected by SJS and BHS 9-11 April 2004; x = present on at least one of the dates indicated.

    Summer 2004 data were colledted by SJS on the following dates: 12-13 June.  Point Count data were collected from 15 plots covered once each for 10 minutes.  x = present on at least one of the dates indicated.

    Codes for breeding evidence follow (a date is provided with codes for probable and confirmed breeding):

        Possible Breeders:

            X = present

        Probable Breeders:

            T = territorial (present at same site on dates at least a week apart)
            P = pair
            A = agitated behavior (presumably near nest or young)
            C = courtship or copulation

        Confirmed Breeders:

            DD = distraction display
            CN = adult carrying nest material
            NB = adult building nest
            UN = used nest
            FY = adult carrying food for young
            BG = begging young
            FL = fledged young
   
           FS = fecal sac removed from nest by adult
            ON = adult on nest incubating
            NE = nest with eggs
            NY = nest with young

    A Checklist of the birds of Fort Donelson National Battlefield may be viewed by clicking on the following link:

    The following table summarizes bird inventory work at Fort Donelson N. B. from Summer 2003 to Summer 2004.

Species Summer Fall Winter  Spring Summer 
2003 2003 2003-2004 2004 2004 Point Counts Breeding
Stops Inds Evidence
Snow Goose x
Canada Goose x x x x
Wood Duck x x
American Wigeon x
American Black Duck x
Mallard x
Northern Shoveler x
Ring-necked Duck x
Bufflehead x
Hooded Merganser x
Wild Turkey x x x
Northern Bobwhite x x x
Pied-billed Grebe x
American White Pelican x
Double-crested Cormorant x x
Great Blue Heron x x x x
Great Egret x x
Little Blue Heron x x
Green Heron x x
Black-crowned Night-Heron x x x x
Black Vulture x x x
Turkey Vulture x x x x
Osprey x x x x ON 04-10
Bald Eagle x x
Sharp-shinned Hawk x
Cooper's Hawk x x x
Red-shouldered Hawk x x x x FL 06-26
Broad-winged Hawk x x
Red-tailed Hawk x x x BG 06-26
Semipalmated Plover x
Killdeer x x x x DD 06-26
American Woodcock x x
Ring-billed Gull x x x
Herring Gull x
Rock Pigeon x x
Mourning Dove x x x x 2 2
Yellow-billed Cuckoo x x 3 4
Eastern Screech-Owl x x x
Great Horned Owl x x x x FL 04-11
Barred Owl x x x x
Common Nighthawk x
Chimney Swift x x x x
Ruby-throated Hummingbird x x 2 2
Belted Kingfisher x x x x
Red-headed Woodpecker x x x x
Red-bellied Woodpecker x x x x x 10 12 FL 06-26
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker x x x
Downy Woodpecker x x x x x 5 5 FL 06-26
Hairy Woodpecker x x x x 1 1 FL 06-26
Northern Flicker x x x x 1 1 FL 06-26
Pileated Woodpecker x x x x x 1 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee x x x 7 7 ON 06-27
Acadian Flycatcher x x 9 17 FL 06-26
Eastern Phoebe x x x x 1 1
Great Crested Flycatcher x 4 5
Eastern Kingbird x x x
White-eyed Vireo x x x x 4 6
Yellow-throated Vireo x x x x 7 9
Blue-headed Vireo x
Warbling Vireo x
Philadelphia Vireo x
Red-eyed Vireo x x x x 15 19 FY 06-27
Blue Jay x x x x x 4 4 FL 06-27
American Crow x x x x x 8 10
Purple Martin x x 1 1
Tree Swallow x x
Northern Rough-winged Swallow x x CN 04-27
Cliff Swallow x x
Barn Swallow x x x 1 1 FL 06-27
Carolina Chickadee x x x x x 11 14 FL 06-27
Tufted Titmouse x x x x x 12 15 FL 06-27
White-breasted Nuthatch x x x x x 2 2 FL 06-27
Carolina Wren x x x x x 12 19 FL 06-27
House Wren x x
Winter Wren x
Marsh Wren x
Golden-crowned Kinglet x
Ruby-crowned Kinglet x x
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher x x x x 12 16 NY 04-28
Eastern Bluebird x x x x x 2 3 NY 04-28
Swainson's Thrush x
Hermit Thrush x x
Wood Thrush x x x 7 11 ON 06-27
American Robin x x x x x 1 1 FL 06-27
Gray Catbird x
Northern Mockingbird x x x x x
Brown Thrasher x x x x 1 1 FS 04-28
European Starling x x x x x CN 06-26
Cedar Waxwing x x x x 1 1
Blue-winged Warbler x
Tennessee Warbler x
Northern Parula x x x x 9 11 CN 06-27
Chestnut-sided Warbler x
Magnolia Warbler x
Yellow-rumped Warbler x x x
Black-throated Green Warbler x
Blackburnian Warbler x
Yellow-throated Warbler x x x x 3 3
Pine Warbler x x x 2 2 FL 06-26
Prairie Warbler x x 1 1
Bay-breasted Warbler x
Cerulean Warbler x
Black-and-white Warbler x x
American Redstart x
Prothonotary Warbler x x 3 4 FL 06-27
Worm-eating Warbler x
Ovenbird x x
Louisiana Waterthrush x x FL 06-26
Kentucky Warbler x 6 8 FL 06-26
Common Yellowthroat x x x
Hooded Warbler x
Summer Tanager x x x 8 9
Scarlet Tanager x x x x 6 7
Eastern Towhee x x x x x 3 3
Chipping Sparrow x x x x x 1 1
Field Sparrow x
Savannah Sparrow x x
Song Sparrow x x
Swamp Sparrow x x
White-throated Sparrow x x
Dark-eyed Junco x x
Northern Cardinal x x x x x 10 12
Rose-breasted Grosbeak x
Blue Grosbeak x x
Indigo Bunting x x x 3 6
Red-winged Blackbird x x x NB 04-27
Eastern Meadowlark x
Common Grackle x x x x 3 3
Brown-headed Cowbird x x x 1 1
Orchard Oriole x 2 3 FL 06-27
Baltimore Oriole x x
Purple Finch x
House Finch x x x x
American Goldfinch x x x x x 5 5
House Sparrow x x

x

x

NY 04-28

 

Prothonotary Warblers arrive in early April at Fort Donelson National Battlefield, where they may be found in the woods along the shorelines of Indian and Hickman creeks. Photo SJS.

 

   Thanks are due all personnel in the Resource Management Office at Fort Donelson National Battlefield for providing logistical support that enabled the point count plots to be located. Thanks are also due the NPS Inventory and Monitoring Program for support in providing funding to accomplish this bird inventory of the park.