Results of Bird Inventory at Little River Canyon National Preserve, Alabama, April 2003 to March 2004

 

A Yellow-fringed Orchid blooming 7 August 2003 in Little River Canyon National
Preserve, DeKalb Co., Alabama; photo SJS.

 

Under contract with the National Park Service, Barbara (BHS) and Stephen Stedman (SJS) conducted a bird inventory of this park service unit for each season of the year, beginning the inventory during the spring of 2003 and completing it at the end of winter 2004-2005.

   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

   Spring 2003 data were collected by BHS on the following dates: 21-23 April and 5-7 May 2003.  x = present during season on at least one of the dates indicated.

   Summer 2003 data were collected by BHS on the following dates:  1-3, 6-9, and 19-22 June 2003.  x = present during season on at least one of the dates indicated.  Summer 2003 Point Count data derive from a set of 33 plots surveyed once (10 minutes at each plot) by BHS.

    Fall 2003 data were collected 6-7 August by BHS and SJS and 23-26 September 2003 by BHS.  x = present during season on at least one of the dates indicated.

    Winter 2003-2004 data were collected by BHS on the following dates: 30-31 December 2003, 1 January 2004, and 25-27 and 29 February 2004.  x = present during season 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

       To view a checklist of species recorded at Little River Canyon N. P. during the inventory, click on the following link:

   The following table summarizes bird inventory work at Little River Canyon National Preserve from Spring 2003 through Winter 2003-2004.

 

Species Spring Summer

Fall

 Winter 
2003 2003 2003 2003-2004
Point Point Breeding
Counts Counts Evidence
Stops Individuals
Canada Goose x x X x x
Wood Duck x 1 2 T 06-22 x x
Blue-winged Teal x
Wild Turkey x x 4 4 FL 06-06 x x
Northern Bobwhite x x 2 3 T 06-22 x x
Great Blue Heron x x 3 4 CN 05-07 x
Green Heron x x 2 2 T 06-09 x
Black Vulture x x 1 2 T 05-05 x x
Turkey Vulture x x 1 3 X x x
Osprey x
Sharp-shinned Hawk x x FL 06-20 x x
Cooper's Hawk x
Red-shouldered Hawk x x 3 3 FL 06-22 x x
Broad-winged Hawk x x 2 2 T 06-06 x
Red-tailed Hawk x x T 06-02 x x
Golden Eagle x
American Kestrel x X
Merlin x x a
Sandhill Crane x
Killdeer x
Wilson's Snipe x
American Woodcock x x X x x
Mourning Dove x x 16 28 X x x
Yellow-billed Cuckoo x 6 7 ON 06-20 x
Black-billed Cuckoo x
Eastern Screech-Owl x x T 06-20 x x
Great Horned Owl x x T 06-01 x x
Barred Owl x x T 06-20 x x
Northern Saw-whet Owl x b
Common Nighthawk x
Chuck-will's-widow x x FL 06-03
Whip-poor-will x x 1 1 FL 06-21
Chimney Swift x x 1 3 X x
Ruby-thr. Hummingbird x x 3 3 C 06-22 x
Belted Kingfisher x x 1 1 T 06-21 x x
Red-headed Woodpecker x x 5 8 ON 06-06 x x
Red-bellied Woodpecker x x 9 11 FL 06-22 x x
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker x
Downy Woodpecker x x 9 11 FL 06-21 x x
Hairy Woodpecker x x 6 8 FL 06-08 x x
Northern Flicker x x 7 9 FL 06-08 x x
Pileated Woodpecker x x 11 13 T 06-21 x x
Eastern Wood-Pewee x x 1 2 T 06-22 x
Acadian Flycatcher x x 3 5 FY 06-20 x
Least Flycatcher x
Eastern Phoebe x x 3 3 NY 05-07 x x
Great Crested Flycatcher x x 6 8 ON 06-20
Eastern Kingbird x X
White-eyed Vireo x x 8 14 FL 06-20 x
Yellow-throated Vireo x x 3 3 T 06-20 x
Blue-headed Vireo x x 12 19 T 06-22 x
Philadelphia Vireo x
Red-eyed Vireo x x 28 75 T 06-20 x
Blue Jay x x 15 30 CN 04-23 x x
American Crow x x 18 49 FL 05-06 x x
Purple Martin x x 3 10 X
Tree Swallow x X
N. Rough-w. Swallow x x 2 4 T 06-20
Cliff Swallow x X
Barn Swallow x 2 6 T 06-20
Carolina Chickadee x x 18 38 FY 05-06 x x
Tufted Titmouse x x 20 42 FL 06-09 x x
White-breasted Nuthatch x x 8 15 FL 06-09 x x
Brown-headed Nuthatch x X x
Brown Creeper x
Carolina Wren x x 18 38 FL 06-20 x x
House Wren x
Winter Wren x
Marsh Wren x
Golden-crowned Kinglet x
Ruby-crowned Kinglet x x
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher x x 9 15 FL 06-20 x
Eastern Bluebird x x 2 3 FL 06-08 x x
Gray-cheeked Thrush x
Swainson's Thrush x x
Hermit Thrush x
Wood Thrush x x 8 12 T 06-20 x
American Robin x x T 06-22 x x
Gray Catbird x 1 1 X x
Northern Mockingbird x x X
Brown Thrasher x x 4 7 ON 05-05 x x
European Starling x x X x x
Cedar Waxwing x x X x x
Tennessee Warbler x x
Northern Parula x x 4 4 T 06-20 x
Yellow Warbler x
Chestnut-sided Warbler x x
Magnolia Warbler x x
Cape May Warbler x
Yellow-rumped Warbler x x
Black-thr. Green Warbler x x 1 2 T 06-20 x
Blackburnian Warbler x x
Yellow-throated Warbler x x 13 17 FL 06-20 x
Pine Warbler x x 23 42 FY 05-06 x x
Prairie Warbler x x 8 23 NY 06-19 x
Palm Warbler x x
Bay-breasted Warbler x x
Blackpoll Warbler x
Cerulean Warbler x x 1 1 X
Black-and-white Warbler x x 11 12 T 06-20 x
American Redstart x x
Worm-eating Warbler x x 8 13 FL 06-22 x
Swainson's Warbler x x X
Ovenbird x x 19 27 T 06-22 x
Northern Waterthrush x x
Louisiana Waterthrush x x 4 5 FL 06-09 x
Kentucky Warbler x x 6 9 FL 06-08
Common Yellowthroat x x 3 5 T 06-06 x
Hooded Warbler x x 19 34 T 06-06 x
Wilson's Warbler x
Canada Warbler x
Yellow-breasted Chat x x 11 30 FY 06-22 x
Summer Tanager x x 8 9 T 06-22 x
Scarlet Tanager x x 10 11 T 06-22 x
Eastern Towhee x x 11 20 FL 06-22 x x
Bachman's Sparrow x X
Chipping Sparrow x x 2 4 CN 06-22 x
Field Sparrow x x 6 17 FL 06-22 x x
Fox Sparrow x
Song Sparrow x T 06-22 x x
Swamp Sparrow x x
White-throated Sparrow x x
Dark-eyed Junco x
Northern Cardinal x x 16 53 NB 04-23 x x
Rose-breasted Grosbeak x
Blue Grosbeak x x 3 6 T 06-06
Indigo Bunting x x 20 66 NB 05-23 x
Red-winged Blackbird x x 1 2 T 06-09
Eastern Meadowlark x
Common Grackle x x 1 1 BG 05-06 x x
Brown-headed Cowbird x x 6 15 FL 06-22 x
Orchard Oriole x X
Purple Finch x
House Finch x X x
Pine Siskin x
American Goldfinch x x 3 6 CN 06-22 x x

a An immature Merlin was sighted 27 February 2004 on Rd. 09, DeKalb County, Alabama, by BHS.

b A N. Saw-whet Owl was heard 30 December 2003 in the Cherokee County, Alabama, part of the park by BHS.

Little River Falls, a 45-foot drop, is one of the more arresting sights of Little River Canyon
National Preserve; this image was captured 7 August 2003; photo SJS.

Thanks are due all personnel, especially Mary Belue-Shew, in the Resource Management Office at Little River Canyon N. P. for providing vital logistical support that enabled the point counts to be conducted this year. Thanks are also due John Bundy for support of this project.  Finally, we are grateful to the NPS Inventory and Monitoring Program for support in providing funding to accomplish this bird inventory of the park.