Results of Bird Inventory in Fort Donelson National Battlefield, Stewart County, Tennessee, July 2004 to June 2005

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

    Fall 2004 data were collected by BHS on the following dates:  22-23 August, 31 October, and 1 November 2004 additional sightings by Mark and Tracy Rawlings during October 2004 are also noted below; x = present on at least one of the dates indicated; z = observed by Rawlings during October 2004.

    Winter 2004-2005 data were collected by BHS 4-5 December 2004 and  24-25 January 2005; x = present on at least one of the dates indicated.

    Spring 2004 data were collected by BHS 31 March, 1-2 and 30 April, and 1-2 May 2005; x = present on at least one of the dates indicated.

    Summer 2005 data were collected by BHS on the following date: 4 June 2005.  Point Count data were collected from 15 plots covered once each for 10 minutes.  x = present on the date 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 Fall 2004 to Summer 2005.

Species Fall Winter Spring Summer
2004 2004-2005 2005 2005 Point Counts Breeding
Stops Inds Evidence
Snow Goose x x
Canada Goose x x x x
Wood Duck x x x
Gadwall x
American Black Duck x
Mallard x x
Northern Shoveler x
Northern Pintail x
Green-winged Teal x
Ring-necked Duck x x
Bufflehead x
Hooded Merganser x
Ruddy Duck x
Wild Turkey x x x x 1 1 FL 06-29
Northern Bobwhite x x
Common Loon x
Pied-billed Grebe x
Double-crested Cormorant x x
Great Blue Heron x x x x 2 3
Great Egret x
Little Blue Heron x x
Green Heron x x x 1 1
Black-crowned Night-Heron x x x
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron x
Black Vulture x x x x
Turkey Vulture x x x x
Osprey x x x x 1 1 ON 04-01
Mississippi Kite x x
Bald Eagle x x x x 1 1 NY 03-31
Sharp-shinned Hawk z x
Cooper's Hawk x
Red-shouldered Hawk x x x x
Broad-winged Hawk x x x 1 1
Red-tailed Hawk x x x
American Kestrel x
Peregrine Falcon x
Killdeer x x
Spotted Sandpiper x x x
Greater Yellowlegs x
American Woodcock x x x x
Bonaparte's Gull x
Ring-billed Gull x x x
Caspian Tern x
Black Tern x
Rock Pigeon x
Mourning Dove x x x x 7 10 ON 08-23
Yellow-billed Cuckoo x x x 4 4
Black-billed Cuckoo x
Eastern Screech-Owl x x x x
Great Horned Owl x x x x 1 1
Barred Owl x x x x 1 1
Common Nighthawk x x
Whip-poor-will x
Chimney Swift x x x
Ruby-throated Hummingbird x x x 1 1
Belted Kingfisher x x x x 2 2
Red-headed Woodpecker x x x 1 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker x x x x 6 10
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker x x x
Downy Woodpecker x x x x 3 3
Hairy Woodpecker x x x x 2 2
Northern Flicker x x x x 3 3
Pileated Woodpecker x x x x 2 2
Eastern Wood-Pewee x x x 5 6 FL  08-22
Acadian Flycatcher x x x 7 12
Eastern Phoebe x x x x 2 2
Great Crested Flycatcher x x x 6 6
Eastern Kingbird x x 1 1
White-eyed Vireo x x x 8 9 ON 05-02
Yellow-throated Vireo x x x 5 5
Blue-headed Vireo x x
Warbling Vireo x
Red-eyed Vireo x x x 13 25
Blue Jay x x x x 7 14
American Crow x x x x 3 11
Purple Martin x x 2 4
Tree Swallow x x
Northern Rough-winged Swallow x x x
Bank Swallow x
Cliff Swallow x x x
Barn Swallow x x x 1 4
Carolina Chickadee x x x x 10 16
Tufted Titmouse x x x x 12 23
Red-breasted Nuthatch x
White-breasted Nuthatch x x x x 6 9
Brown Creeper x x x
Carolina Wren x x x x 13 30
House Wren x x x
Winter Wren x x x
Sedge Wren x
Golden-crowned Kinglet x x x
Ruby-crowned Kinglet x x x
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher x x x 7 11
Eastern Bluebird x x x x 7 10
Veery x
Gray-cheeked Thrush x
Swainson's Thrush x
Hermit Thrush x x x
Wood Thrush x x x 11 16
American Robin x x x x 4 7
Gray Catbird x x
Northern Mockingbird x x x x 2 2
Brown Thrasher x x x x 3 5
European Starling x x x x 1 7
American Pipit x
Cedar Waxwing x x x x 1 2
Blue-winged Warbler x
Tennessee Warbler x
Orange-crowned Warbler z x
Nashville Warbler z x
Northern Parula x x x 4 4 FL  08-22
Yellow Warbler x x
Chestnut-sided Warbler x x
Magnolia Warbler z x
Cape May Warbler x
Yellow-rumped Warbler x x x
Black-throated Green Warbler x
Blackburnian Warbler x
Yellow-throated Warbler x x x 3 3
Pine Warbler x x x 2 3
Prairie Warbler x x x
Palm Warbler x
Bay-breasted Warbler x
Blackpoll Warbler x
Cerulean Warbler x
Black-and-white Warbler x x
American Redstart x x
Prothonotary Warbler x x x 3 6
Worm-eating Warbler x x x
Ovenbird x x
Northern Waterthrush x
Louisiana Waterthrush x x 1 1
Kentucky Warbler x x 6 7 FL 06-29
Common Yellowthroat x x x 2 2
Hooded Warbler x x
Canada Warbler x
Yellow-breasted Chat x x
Summer Tanager x x x 12 21 FL  08-22
Scarlet Tanager x x 5 5
Eastern Towhee x x x x 4 6 FL  08-23
Chipping Sparrow x x x x 6 15 FL  08-23
Field Sparrow x x x x
Savannah Sparrow x
Grasshopper Sparrow x
Fox Sparrow x x
Song Sparrow x x x
Lincoln's Sparrow x x
Swamp Sparrow x x x
White-throated Sparrow x x x
Dark-eyed Junco x x x
Northern Cardinal x x x x 12 38
Rose-breasted Grosbeak x
Blue Grosbeak x x x 2 2
Indigo Bunting x x x 6 11
Bobolink x
Red-winged Blackbird x x x x
Eastern Meadowlark x x x x
Rusty Blackbird x
Common Grackle x x x x 1 2
Brown-headed Cowbird x x x 7 18
Orchard Oriole x x x 4 6 ON 06-29
Baltimore Oriole x x 1 1
Purple Finch x
House Finch x x x x 1 2 FL  08-23
Pine Siskin x
American Goldfinch x x x x 4 8 FL  08-22; CN 08-23
House Sparrow x x

x

x

 

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.