Results of Bird Inventory at Little River Canyon National Preserve, Alabama, April 2004 to March 2005

 

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 by 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 2004 data were collected by BHS on the following dates:  14-16 April, 3-5 May, and 25-27 May.  x = present during season on at least one of the dates indicated.

   Summer 2004 data were collected by BHS on the following dates:  7-10 June, 16 July, and 25July .  x = present during season on at least one of the dates indicated.  Summer 2004 Point Count data derive from a set of 33 plots surveyed once (10 minutes at each plot) by BHS.

    Fall 2004 data were collected by BHS on the following dates: 11, 12, 13 October and 15, 16, 17 November 2004.  x = present during season on at least one of the dates indicated.

    Winter 2004-2005 data were collected by BHS on the following dates: 10, 11, 12 December 2004; 2, 3, 16, 17 January 2005.  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 for seasons from Spring 2004 to Winter 2004-2005.

 

Species Spring Summer Fall Winter
2004 2004 2004 2004-2005
Point Point Breeding
Counts Counts Evidence
Stops Individuals
Canada Goose x x 1 2 ON 04-16 x x
Wood Duck x x 2 2 x
Mallard x
Blue-winged Teal x
Wild Turkey x x 5 5 x x
Northern Bobwhite x x 5 7 x x
Great Blue Heron x x x x
Green Heron x x x
Black Vulture x x 1 1 x x
Turkey Vulture x x x x
Osprey x
Bald Eagle x x x
Sharp-shinned Hawk x x x x
Cooper's Hawk x x
Red-shouldered Hawk x x 2 2 x x
Broad-winged Hawk x x 4 4 BG 07-25
Red-tailed Hawk x x 1 1 ON 05-05 x x
Golden Eagle
American Kestrel x
Merlin x
Sandhill Crane
Killdeer x x
Spotted Sandpiper x
Wilson's Snipe
American Woodcock x x x
Rock Pigeon x x
Mourning Dove x x 24 48 x x
Yellow-billed Cuckoo x x 11 11 x
Black-billed Cuckoo
Eastern Screech-Owl x x FL 06-07 x x
Great Horned Owl x x x x
Barred Owl x x 2 2 x x
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Common Nighthawk x
Chuck-will's-widow x 1 1
Whip-poor-will x x FL 06-07
Chimney Swift x x 3 6 x
Ruby-thr. Hummingbird x x 2 2
Belted Kingfisher x x 2 2 x x
Red-headed Woodpecker x x 3 4 x
Red-bellied Woodpecker x x 7 12 x x
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker x x x
Downy Woodpecker x x 9 13 x x
Hairy Woodpecker x x 4 7 x x
Northern Flicker x x 6 8 x x
Pileated Woodpecker x x 12 20 x x
Eastern Wood-Pewee x x 3 3
Acadian Flycatcher x x 8 14
Least Flycatcher x
Eastern Phoebe x x 3 4 x x
Great Crested Flycatcher x x 9 15
Eastern Kingbird x FL 07-16
White-eyed Vireo x x 9 12 x
Yellow-throated Vireo x x 5 5
Blue-headed Vireo x x 12 14 x
Philadelphia Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo x x 30 85 FL 07-25 x
Blue Jay x x 13 32 x x
American Crow x x 19 59 x x
Purple Martin x x 5 9
Tree Swallow x 1 2
N. Rough-w. Swallow x x 2 4
Cliff Swallow x
Barn Swallow x x
Carolina Chickadee x x 21 42 x x
Tufted Titmouse x x 22 45 x x
Red-breasted Nuthatch x x
White-breasted Nuthatch x x 9 17 x x
Brown-headed Nuthatch x 1 1 x
Brown Creeper x
Carolina Wren x x 26 79 x x
House Wren x x
Winter Wren x x
Marsh Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet x x
Ruby-crowned Kinglet x x x
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher x x 11 22
Eastern Bluebird x x 3 6 x x
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Swainson's Thrush x
Hermit Thrush x x
Wood Thrush x x 17 24 x
American Robin x x 2 2 x x
Gray Catbird x x
Northern Mockingbird x x x x
Brown Thrasher x x 5 7 x x
European Starling x x x
American Pipit x
Cedar Waxwing x
Tennessee Warbler x
Northern Parula x x 3 3
Yellow Warbler x 1 1
Chestnut-sided Warbler x x x
Magnolia Warbler x
Cape May Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler x x x
Black-thr. Green Warbler x x 2 2 x
Blackburnian Warbler x
Yellow-throated Warbler x x 12 14 x
Pine Warbler x x 20 47 x x
Prairie Warbler x x 7 26
Palm Warbler x
Bay-breasted Warbler x
Blackpoll Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler x x 12 17
American Redstart
Worm-eating Warbler x x 11 14
Swainson's Warbler x 1 1
Ovenbird x x 18 38 x
Northern Waterthrush x
Louisiana Waterthrush x x 5 5
Kentucky Warbler x x 11 15 FL 07-25
Common Yellowthroat x x 4 6
Hooded Warbler x x 20 33 x
Wilson's Warbler
Canada Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat x x 11 30
Summer Tanager x x 10 15 x
Scarlet Tanager x x 20 37 x
Eastern Towhee x x 17 52 FL 07-25 x x
Bachman's Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow x x 2 6 x x
Field Sparrow x x 6 16 x x
Fox Sparrow x x
Song Sparrow x x x x
Swamp Sparrow x x x
White-throated Sparrow x x x
White-crowned Sparrow x x
Dark-eyed Junco x x
Northern Cardinal x x 30 95 FL 07-16 x x
Rose-breasted Grosbeak x
Blue Grosbeak x x 4 8
Indigo Bunting x x 28 89 FL 07-16
Red-winged Blackbird x 1 4 x
Eastern Meadowlark x x
Common Grackle x x 5 12 x x
Brown-headed Cowbird x x 5 11
Orchard Oriole x x
Baltimore Oriole x
Purple Finch x x
House Finch x x 1 2 x x
Pine Siskin x x
American Goldfinch x x 3 9 NB 06-10 x x
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.