Results of Pickett County, Tennessee, Christmas Bird Counts
Data for 89 species of wintering birds are available from 13 Christmas Bird Counts (CBC) conducted in Pickett County, Tennessee, beginning in the late 1970s and running intermittently through 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s. Counts designated with a source code of "RCH" were provided courtesy of Robbie C. Hassler; counts designated with a source code of "MIG" were published in and obtained from the annual summary of CBCs included in The Migrant for these CBC seasons (but not in the bi-continental CBC publication or database); and counts designated with an asterisk (*) were provided by each of these sources.
A feature of this count that is perhaps unique in Tennessee is that the same observers followed almost exactly the same 65-mile long route in conducting the count each year, minimizing variability in the resulting data by so doing. Other CBCs might be reformed to emulate this feature of the Pickett County CBC. A map of the route used by the Hasslers is on file with SJS, as well as with Robbie Hassler.
The data from the Pickett County CBC reflect such matters as the status of Loggerhead Shrike during the period covered by Pickett County CBCs, the arrival of House Finches into the vicinity of Pickett County, and the presence of wintering Bald Eagles and Ospreys on Dale Hollow Lake, large parts of which are included within the circle of this CBC.
| CBC | 1978- | 1982- | 1983- | 1985- | 1986- | 1988- | 1991- | 1993- | 1994- | 1997- | 1999- | 2000- | 2001- |
| Season | 1979 | 1983 | 1984 | 1986 | 1987 | 1989 | 1992 | 1994 | 1995 | 1998 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
| Source of Count | MIG | MIG | MIG | MIG | * | * | RCH | RCH | RCH | RCH | RCH | RCH | RCH |
| Date | 23 Dec | 29 Dec | 31 Dec | 27 Dec | 22 Dec | 30 Dec | 27 Dec | 22 Dec | 29 Dec | 2 Jan | 30 Dec | 6 Jan # | 4 Jan |
| No. Observers | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| No. Party Hrs. | 11 | 12 | 13 | 9 | 7.5 | 9.25 | 9.5 | 10.75 | 10 | 9 | 10.75 | 10.5 | 9.75 |
| Total Species | 50 | 44 a | 51 | 47 | 53 | 55 | 50 | 46 | 45 | 47 | 57 | 48 | 47 |
| Canada Goose | -- | -- | -- | 23 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Wood Duck | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2 | -- | -- |
| Gadwall | -- | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| American Black Duck | -- | -- | 6 | 6 | -- | 31 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Mallard | 7 | -- | 50 | 11 | 17 | 14 | 32 | -- | 24 | 150 | 42 | 26 | 44 |
| Northern Pintail | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 24 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Green-winged Teal | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4 | -- | -- |
| Canvasback | 2 | -- | 13 | 8 | -- | 10 | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Redhead | -- | -- | 2 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- |
| Ring-necked Duck | 26 | -- | -- | 121 | -- | 35 | 30 | 400 | -- | 100 | 20 | 365 | 425 |
| CBC Season | 1978- | 1982- | 1983- | 1985- | 1986- | 1988- | 1991- | 1993- | 1994- | 1997- | 1999- | 2000- | 2001- |
| 1979 | 1983 | 1984 | 1986 | 1987 | 1989 | 1992 | 1994 | 1995 | 1998 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | |
| Lesser Scaup | 15 | -- | 125 | 20 | 47 | 174 | 8 | 10 | -- | 50 | -- | -- | -- |
| Bufflehead | 3 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 6 | 2 | -- | 1 |
| Common Goldeneye | 1 | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 5 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Hooded Merganser | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Ruddy Duck | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | 16 | -- |
| Wild Turkey | -- | -- | -- | -- | 8 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Northern Bobwhite | -- | -- | 4 | -- | -- | 12 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Common Loon | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4 | 4 | -- | 4 | -- | 1 | -- | 6 |
| Pied-billed Grebe | -- | -- | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| Horned Grebe | 4 | -- | -- | 3 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2 | -- | 13 |
| Great Blue Heron | 2 | -- | 1 | -- | 1 | 6 | -- | 2 | - | -- | 1 | -- | -- |
| Black Vulture | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 21 | 21 | -- | 33 | 3 | -- | -- | -- |
| Turkey Vulture | -- | -- | -- | -- | 10 | 3 | 18 | 15 | 155 | 2 | -- | 25 | 21 |
| Osprey | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- |
| CBC Season | 1978- | 1982- | 1983- | 1985- | 1986- | 1988- | 1991- | 1993- | 1994- | 1997- | 1999- | 2000- | 2001- |
| 1979 | 1983 | 1984 | 1986 | 1987 | 1989 | 1992 | 1994 | 1995 | 1998 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | |
| Bald Eagle | 1 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 2 | -- |
| Adult | -- | 4 | -- | -- | -- | 4 | -- | 9 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Immature | -- | 3 | -- | -- | 2 | -- | -- | 2 | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- |
| Northern Harrier | -- | -- | 2 | 1 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | -- | -- | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | 4 | 2 | -- | -- | 3 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 2 | 7 | 1 | -- | -- | 2 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| American Kestrel | 5 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 26 | 16 | 8 |
| American Coot | 10 | 62 | -- | -- | 4 | 300 | 20 | 8 | 360 | 60 | 83 | 68 | 52 |
| Sandhill Crane | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 50 | -- | -- | -- |
| Killdeer | 12 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 10 | -- | -- | -- | 6 | -- | 5 | -- | 1 |
| Bonaparte's Gull | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 6 | 4 | -- | 3 | 25 | -- |
| Ring-billed Gull | 1 | 7 | -- | -- | 1 | 13 | 15 | -- | 9 | 43 | 39 | 200 | 1 |
| Herring Gull | -- | -- | 5 | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 5 | -- | -- |
| Rock Pigeon | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 11 | -- | 12 | 50 | -- | 7 | 3 | 25 | -- |
| Mourning Dove | 42 | 23 | 14 | 27 | 84 | 117 | 150 | 88 | 54 | 70 | 232 | 42 | 43 |
| CBC Season | 1978- | 1982- | 1983- | 1985- | 1986- | 1988- | 1991- | 1993- | 1994- | 1997- | 1999- | 2000- | 2001- |
| 1979 | 1983 | 1984 | 1986 | 1987 | 1989 | 1992 | 1994 | 1995 | 1998 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | |
| Eastern Screech-Owl | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Great Horned Owl | -- | 1 | 2 | -- | 1 | cw | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Barred Owl | 1 | 1 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Belted Kingfisher | 2 | -- | 1 | 3 | 2 | -- | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -- | -- | 1 |
| Red-headed Woodpecker | -- | 14 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | 10 | 1 | 3 |
| Red-bellied Woodpecker | 4 | 9 | 13 | 10 | 21 | 6 | 14 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 3 | 11 | 10 |
| Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | 2 | 1 | 2 | -- | 6 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Downy Woodpecker | 2 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Hairy Woodpecker | -- | 1 | 2 | -- | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | -- | -- | 1 | -- | 1 |
| Northern Flicker | 2 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 10 |
| Pileated Woodpecker | 4 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 4 |
| Eastern Phoebe | 1 | 1 | -- | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | -- | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | -- |
| Loggerhead Shrike | -- | 2 | 1 | 1 | -- | -- | 1 | 3 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Blue Jay | 6 | 10 | 20 | 82 | 106 | 96 | 75 | 52 | 200 | 98 | 131 | 17 | 59 |
| American Crow | 37 | 25 | 50 | 47 | 102 | 60 | 60 | 73 | 160 | 33 | 557 | 48 | 196 |
| CBC Season | 1978- | 1982- | 1983- | 1985- | 1986- | 1988- | 1991- | 1993- | 1994- | 1997- | 1999- | 2000- | 2001- |
| 1979 | 1983 | 1984 | 1986 | 1987 | 1989 | 1992 | 1994 | 1995 | 1998 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | |
| Carolina Chickadee | 7 | 14 | 16 | 12 | 21 | 9 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 19 | 25 |
| Tufted Titmouse | 27 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 34 | 10 | 9 | 17 | 10 | 29 | 6 | 18 | 16 |
| Red-breasted Nuthatch | -- | -- | -- | 3 | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 1 |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | 3 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 17 | 9 |
| Brown Creeper | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | 1 |
| Carolina Wren | 2 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 7 |
| Winter Wren | -- | -- | -- | 1 | 3 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Golden-crowned Kinglet | 2 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 3 | 2 | -- | -- |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |