Results of Bird Inventory at Russell Cave National Monument, Alabama, April 2004 to May 2005

 

The mouth of Russell Cave, the bottom half shrouded by mist, in Russell Cave National
Monument, Jackson Co., Alabama, 6 August 2003; 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 the spring of 2003 and completing it at the end of May 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 April and 3 May 2004.  x = present during season on at least one of the dates indicated.

   Summer 2004 data were collected by BHS on the following dates: 28 May and 16 July 2004.  x = present during season indicated.  Summer 2004 Point Count data could not be completed because of blockage of one of the park roads by a large number of trees, resulting from a blowdown.

    Fall 2004 data were collected by BHS on the following dates: 11 October 2004; 17 and 18 November 2004.  x = present during season indicated. 

    Winter 2004-2005 data were collected by BHS on the following dates: 10 and 26 December 2004; 18 February 2005.  x = present during season indicated.

    Spring 2005 data were collected by BHS on the following date: 23 March 2005. x = present during season indicated.

    Summer 2005 data were collected by BHS on the following date: 30 May 2005 when 12 points counts were conducted; data reflect some changes in the forests of the park caused by the massive blowdown occurring during the spring of 2004.

    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 Russell Cave N. M. during the inventory, click on the following link:

   The following table summarizes bird inventory work at Russell Cave N. M. for the second year of the inventory.

 

Species Spring Summer Fall Winter  Spring Summer
2004 2004 2004 2004-05 2005 2005
Point Point Breeding
Counts Counts Evidence
Stops Individuals
Wood Duck
Wild Turkey x x x x 1 1
Northern Bobwhite x x x
Common Loon x
Double-cr. Cormorant x
Great Blue Heron x x x
Green Heron
Black Vulture x x x
Turkey Vulture x x x x
Bald Eagle x
Northern Harrier x
Sharp-shinned Hawk x
Cooper's Hawk x
Red-shouldered Hawk x x x x x x 1 1
Broad-winged Hawk x x
Red-tailed Hawk x x x x x
American Kestrel
Sandhill Crane x
Killdeer x x x
American Woodcock
Ring-billed Gull
Mourning Dove x x x x x x 7 11
Yellow-billed Cuckoo x x 4 4
Eastern Screech-Owl x x x x x
Great Horned Owl x
Barred Owl x x x x
Chuck-will's-widow
Whip-poor-will x
Chimney Swift x x x 1 2
Ruby-thr. Hummingbird x x
Belted Kingfisher x x x
Red-headed Woodpecker x
Red-bellied Woodpecker x x x x x x 8 11
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker x x x
Downy Woodpecker x x x x x x 3 5
Hairy Woodpecker x x x x x x 1 1
Northern Flicker x x x x
Pileated Woodpecker x x x x x x 2 4
Eastern Wood-Pewee x x x 4 5
Acadian Flycatcher x x x 3 3
Least Flycatcher x
Eastern Phoebe x x x x x x 4 4
Great Crested Flycatcher x x x 1 1
Eastern Kingbird x x x 1 1
White-eyed Vireo x x
Yellow-throated Vireo x x x 2 4
Blue-headed Vireo x x x x 4 5
Philadelphia Vireo x
Red-eyed Vireo x x x 12 36
Blue Jay x x x x x x 5 10
American Crow x x x x x x 3 10
Purple Martin x
N. Rough-winged Swallow x x
Cliff Swallow x
Barn Swallow x x x 2 7
Carolina Chickadee x x x x x x 6 11
Tufted Titmouse x x x x x x 8 16
Red-breasted Nuthatch x
White-breasted Nuthatch x x x x x x 4 8
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Brown Creeper x x x
Carolina Wren x x x x x x 10 29
House Wren x
Winter Wren x x
Golden-crowned Kinglet x x x
Ruby-crowned Kinglet x x x x
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher x x
Eastern Bluebird x x x x x x 1 2
Swainson's Thrush x
Hermit Thrush x x x
Wood Thrush x x x x 10 17
American Robin x x x x x x 1 2
Gray Catbird x x x
Northern Mockingbird x x x x x
Brown Thrasher x x x x
European Starling x x x x
American Pipit x
Cedar Waxwing x
Tennessee Warbler x x
Northern Parula x
Yellow Warbler x
Chestnut-sided Warbler x x
Magnolia Warbler x x
Cape May Warbler x
Yellow-rumped Warbler x x x
Black-thr. Green Warbler x x
Blackburnian Warbler x
Yellow-throated Warbler x x x x 2 2
Pine Warbler x x x x x x 2 5
Prairie Warbler
Palm Warbler x
Bay-breasted Warbler x x
Blackpoll Warbler x
Cerulean Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler x x x
American Redstart x x
Worm-eating Warbler x x x 2 2
Ovenbird x x x x 4 5
Northern Waterthrush
Louisiana Waterthrush x x
Kentucky Warbler x x x 2 2
Common Yellowthroat x x
Hooded Warbler x x x x 4 4
Yellow-breasted Chat x x
Summer Tanager x x x x 5 11
Scarlet Tanager x x x x 9 15
Eastern Towhee x x x x x x 5 6
Chipping Sparrow x x x x x x 2 9
Field Sparrow x x x x
Savannah Sparrow x x
Grasshopper Sparrow x x
Fox Sparrow x
Song Sparrow x x x x
Swamp Sparrow x
White-throated Sparrow x x x x
White-crowned Sparrow x
Dark-eyed Junco x x x
Northern Cardinal x x x x x x 9 21
Rose-breasted Grosbeak x x
Blue Grosbeak x x
Indigo Bunting x x x x 2 4
Red-winged Blackbird x x x x
Eastern Meadowlark x x x x x
Common Grackle x x x x x
Brown-headed Cowbird x x x x 4 7
Orchard Oriole x x
Baltimore Oriole x
Purple Finch x x
House Finch x x
American Goldfinch x x x x x

   Thanks are due all personnel, especially Tom Diggs and Mary Belue-Shew, in the Resource Management Office at Russell Cave N. M. for providing vital logistical support that enabled the point counts to be conducted during 2005. Thanks are also due the NPS Inventory and Monitoring Program for support in providing funding to accomplish this bird inventory of the park.