Results of Putnam County Spring Bird Counts, 1971-1978
Data from Spring Bird Counts (SBC) conducted in Putnam County during the period from 1971 to 1978 are presented below. It should be noted that the results for the 1971 count reflect two days of effort rather than one day's effort, the usual standard for SBCs since the early 1990s. Data from SBCs conducted during this period also reflect effort expended in an area within about ten miles of Cookeville rather than within the entire county. The dates of the SBCs during this "decade" cover a wider range than is true for counts undertaken from 1992 onwards. These sources of variability in the data make comparison of results from year to year within this "decade" hazardous; they also make comparison of results from this "decade" difficult to compare with results from later decades.
Despite the limitations that must be imposed on these data with regard to comparison with other SBC data, they still allow some interesting developments in the changing avifauna of Putnam County to be seen. For instance, the timing of the arrival into the county of permanent resident Canada Geese is "visible" in the SBC data from this "decade." The continuing presence of Bewick's Wren in the county may be discerned within the results of these SBCs. Also, it can be seen that the arrival of House Finches into the county had not yet taken place.
The data from these SBCs also allow a better view of some changes in the spring bird populations than do the data from SBCs conducted in later decades. For instance, the reduction in numbers of some wintering sparrows resulting from migratory departure northward may be better viewed in the table below than in tables for later SBC decades. The increase in numbers of common summer residents such as Indigo Buntings during the period from mid-April to early May is also better viewed here than in tables providing data from later decades.
If there are no data for a given species in this table, it means that the species went unrecorded on SBCs during this "decade" but has been recorded during earlier or later decades of coverage. Effort and weather data for SBCs conducted during this period are largely unavailable.
| Year | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 |
| Date(s) [April/May] | 24/25 | 22 | 20 | 27 | 19 | 24 | 23 | 6 |
| Start CDT | ||||||||
| End CDT | ||||||||
| Number Parties | ||||||||
| Number Obs. | ||||||||
| No. Party Hrs. | ||||||||
| No. Party Mi. | ||||||||
| Feederwatchers | ||||||||
| Hrs. Feederwatching | ||||||||
| Hrs. Owling | ||||||||
| Mi. Owling | ||||||||
| Temp. Low | ||||||||
| Temp. High | ||||||||
| Wind A.M. | ||||||||
| Wind P.M. | ||||||||
| Wind Direction | ||||||||
| Sky A.M. | ||||||||
| Sky P.M | ||||||||
| Moon | ||||||||
| Species Total | 76 | 82 | 76 | 74 | 88 | 98 | 101 | 98 |
| Species | ||||||||
| Snow Goose | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Canada Goose | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 7 | 2 |
| Wood Duck | -- | 3 | -- | -- | -- | 4 | 3 | -- |
| American Wigeon | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Mallard | -- | 4 | -- | -- | -- | 7 | -- | -- |
| Blue-winged Teal | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4 | -- | -- |
| Ring-necked Duck | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Lesser Scaup | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Long-tailed Duck | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Hooded Merganser | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Common Merganser | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Red-breasted Merganser | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| merganser sp. | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Ruddy Duck | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Ruffed Grouse | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Wild Turkey | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Northern Bobwhite | 23 | 33 | 34 | 29 | 18 | 36 | 68 | 21 |
| Common Loon | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Pied-billed Grebe | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Double-cr. Cormorant | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Great Blue Heron | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- |
| Great Egret | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Little Blue Heron | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- |
| Cattle Egret | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Green Heron | 1 | 1 | -- | -- | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Black-crowned Night-Heron | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Yellow-cr. Night-Heron | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Night-Heron sp. | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Black Vulture | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Turkey Vulture | -- | 3 | 11 | -- | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Osprey | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Mississippi Kite | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Bald Eagle | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Northern Harrier | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3 | -- | -- |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Cooper's Hawk | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 2 | -- | 2 | -- |
| Accipiter sp | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 1 | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | 1 | 1 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 2 | -- | 1 | -- | 2 | -- | 2 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 1 |
| American Kestrel | 4 | -- | 7 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 16 | 2 |
| Sora | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| American Coot | -- | 6 | -- | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- |
| Semipalmated Plover | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Killdeer | 6 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 23 | 37 | 12 |
| Spotted Sandpiper | 1 | 9 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | 2 | 4 |
| Solitary Sandpiper | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | 4 | 5 |
| Greater Yellowlegs | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Lesser Yellowlegs | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Semipalmated Sandpiper | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Least Sandpiper | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| White-rumped Sandpiper | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| peep sp. | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | - | -- |
| Pectoral Sandpiper | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Short-billed Dowitcher | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Dowitcher sp. | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Wilson's Snipe | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 8 | -- |
| American Woodcock | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | 6 | 5 | -- |
| Forster's Tern | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Tern Sp. | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Rock Pigeon | -- | -- | -- | -- | 15 | 12 | 2 | -- |
| Eurasian Collared-Dove | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Mourning Dove | 101 | 91 | 107 | 123 | 94 | 191 | 229 | 135 |
| Yellow-billed Cuckoo | 4 | -- | -- | -- | 2 | -- | 1 | 5 |
| Black-billed Cuckoo | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Barn Owl | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Eastern Screech-Owl | -- | -- | -- | 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 | -- |
| Great Horned Owl | 2 | 2 | -- | -- | 2 | 3 | -- | -- |
| Barred Owl | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Common Nighthawk | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- | 5 | -- | 1 |
| Chuck-will's-widow | 2 | 1 | 1 | -- | -- | 6 | -- | 3 |
| Whip-poor-will | -- | 3 | 1 | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- |
| Chimney Swift | 57 | 55 | 155 | 86 | 29 | 156 | 49 | 115 |
| Ruby-thr. Hummingbird | 2 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Belted Kingfisher | 1 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 1 | -- | 2 |
| Red-headed Woodpecker | 9 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 7 | 11 | 6 |
| Red-bellied Woodpecker | 13 | 18 | 16 | 31 | 17 | 33 | 37 | 14 |
| Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Downy Woodpecker | 7 | 14 | 15 | 7 | 33 | 10 | 19 | 10 |
| Hairy Woodpecker | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | -- | 5 | 9 | 2 |
| Northern Flicker | 24 | 22 | 28 | 25 | 19 | 24 | 36 | 25 |
| Pileated Woodpecker | 6 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 4 |
| Olive-sided Flycatcher | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Eastern Wood-Pewee | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | -- | 1 | 2 | 15 |
| Acadian Flycatcher | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Willow Flycatcher | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Least Flycatcher | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Empidonax sp. | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Eastern Phoebe | 12 | 4 | 19 | 6 | 3 | 11 | 13 | 16 |
| Great Crested Flycatcher | 5 | 7 | 3 | -- | -- | 7 | 1 | 22 |
| Eastern Kingbird | 9 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
| Loggerhead Shrike | -- | 7 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| White-eyed Vireo | 8 | -- | 7 | 10 | 10 | 27 | 36 | 25 |
| Yellow-throated Vireo | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3 | 4 | -- | -- |
| Blue-headed Vireo | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Warbling Vireo | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Philadelphia Vireo | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Red-eyed Vireo | 7 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 19 | 37 | 31 |
| Blue Jay | 121 | 93 | 185 | 193 | 104 | 156 | 147 | 98 |
| American Crow | 55 | 58 | 80 | 75 | 62 | 78 | 82 | 79 |
| Horned Lark | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Purple Martin | 24 | 50 | 39 | 29 | 14 | 40 | 43 | 28 |
| Tree Swallow | -- | 1 | 2 | -- | 4 | -- | 4 | -- |
| N. Rough-winged Swallow | -- | -- | 6 | -- | 2 | 7 | 3 | -- |
| Bank Swallow | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Cliff Swallow | -- | -- | 2 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Barn Swallow | 31 | 62 | 35 | 54 | 55 | 74 | 127 | 131 |
| Carolina Chickadee | 19 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 53 | 16 |
| Tufted Titmouse | 34 | 32 | 62 | 53 | 53 | 47 | 55 | 22 |
| Year | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 |
| Red-breasted Nuthatch | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3 | 1 | -- |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | 3 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 4 |
| Brown-headed Nuthatch | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Brown Creeper | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2 | -- | -- |
| Carolina Wren | 21 | 16 | 28 | 27 | 15 | 29 | 31 | 5 |
| Bewick's Wren | 5 | 2 | 2 | -- | -- | 6 | 2 | -- |
| House Wren | -- | 13 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Winter Wren | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2 | -- | -- |
| Sedge Wren | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- |
| Marsh Wren | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- |
| Golden-crowned Kinglet | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2 | 7 | -- | -- |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 1 | -- | 1 | -- | 2 | -- | 1 | -- |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 11 | 17 | 7 |
| Eastern Bluebird | 53 | 35 | 35 | 39 | 17 | 46 | 45 | 21 |
| Veery | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Gray-cheeked Thrush | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Swainson's Thrush | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | 1 |
| Hermit Thrush | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- |
| Wood Thrush | 9 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 21 | 27 | 18 |
| American Robin | 65 | 101 | 125 | 121 | 80 | 219 | 161 | 102 |
| Gray Catbird | 14 | 18 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 30 | 7 | 41 |
| Northern Mockingbird | 34 | 37 | 62 | 50 | 25 | 58 | 56 | 40 |
| Brown Thrasher | 58 | 38 | 43 | 27 | 41 | 48 | 45 | 41 |
| European Starling | 76 | 118 | 195 | 136 | 250 | 500 | 250 | 92 |
| American Pipit | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Cedar Waxwing | 1 | 29 | -- | 7 | 2 | -- | -- | -- |
| Blue-winged Warbler | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Golden-winged Warbler | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Tennessee Warbler | -- | -- | -- | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Orange-crowned Warbler | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2 | -- |
| Nashville Warbler | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Northern Parula | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- |
| Yellow Warbler | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -- | -- | 11 | 12 |
| Chestnut-sided Warbler | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Magnolia Warbler | -- | -- | -- | 2 | -- | -- | 1 | -- |
| Cape May Warbler | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Black-throated Bl. Warb. | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | 6 | 6 | -- | 6 | 30 | 21 | 4 | 4 |
| Black-thr. Green Warbler | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2 | 2 | -- | -- |
| Blackburnian Warbler | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Yellow-throated Warbler | 1 | -- | -- | 3 | 1 | -- | 2 | 2 |
| Pine Warbler | -- | -- | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 3 | 4 |
| Prairie Warbler | -- | -- | 4 | 32 | 4 | 15 | 22 | 11 |
| Palm Warbler | 1 | 3 | -- | 4 | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Bay-breasted Warbler | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Blackpoll Warbler | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 8 | 1 |
| Cerulean Warbler | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Black-and-white Warbler | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| American Redstart | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 21 | -- |
| Prothonotary Warbler | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- |
| Worm-eating Warbler | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | 2 |
| Swainson's Warbler | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Ovenbird | -- | 2 | 2 | -- | 3 | 2 | 12 | -- |
| Northern Waterthrush | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Louisiana Waterthrush | -- | 3 | -- | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Kentucky Warbler | -- | -- | -- | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| Connecticut Warbler | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Mourning Warbler | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Common Yellowthroat | 2 | 7 | 7 | 45 | 3 | 60 | 58 | 70 |
| Hooded Warbler | -- | -- | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 4 |
| Wilson's Warbler | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Canada Warbler | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | 1 |
| Yellow-breasted Chat | 2 | 8 | -- | 3 | 1 | 17 | 4 | 36 |
| Summer Tanager | 10 | 6 | -- | 5 | 3 | 17 | 18 | 22 |
| Scarlet Tanager | 3 | 2 | -- | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
| Eastern Towhee | 41 | 47 | 68 | 15 | 36 | 53 | 48 | 26 |
| Am. Tree Sparrow | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Chipping Sparrow | 14 | 12 | 16 | 14 | 35 | 29 | 62 | 34 |
| Field Sparrow | 30 | 35 | 62 | 57 | 84 | 46 | 78 | 33 |
| Vesper Sparrow | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Lark Sparrow | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Savannah Sparrow | 4 | 6 | -- | 13 | 7 | -- | -- | -- |
| Grasshopper Sparrow | 10 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Henslow's Sparrow | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Fox Sparrow | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Song Sparrow | 7 | 11 | 28 | 28 | 12 | 26 | 49 | 25 |
| Lincoln's Sparrow | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Swamp Sparrow | -- | -- | 2 | -- | -- | 9 | 9 | -- |
| White-throated Sparrow | 26 | 10 | 78 | 85 | 64 | 112 | 106 | 26 |
| White-crowned Sparrow | 3 | 3 | -- | -- | 2 | 7 | 6 | 15 |
| Dark-eyed Junco | -- | -- | 3 | -- | 8 | 8 | 3 | -- |
| Northern Cardinal | 110 | 129 | 169 | 188 | 143 | 114 | 192 | 125 |
| Rose-breasted Grosbeak | -- | -- | 7 | -- | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| Blue Grosbeak | -- | -- | -- | 5 | -- | 5 | -- | 7 |
| Indigo Bunting | 14 | 11 | 5 | 16 | 11 | 29 | 14 | 89 |
| Dickcissel | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Bobolink | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Red-winged Blackbird | 57 | 22 | 49 | 100 | 43 | 80 | 402 | 107 |
| Eastern Meadowlark | 145 | 100 | 174 | 190 | 133 | 190 | 215 | 104 |
| Rusty Blackbird | 2 | 14 | 2 | -- | -- | 5 | 2 | 15 |
| Brewer's Blackbird | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Common Grackle | 196 | 155 | 321 | 275 | 17000 | 300 | 601 | 170 |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | 17 | 53 | 92 | 77 | 165 | 84 | 69 | 56 |
| Orchard Oriole | 1 | 1 | 1 | -- | 2 | 20 | 10 | 18 |
| Baltimore Oriole | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| Purple Finch | -- | 17 | 20 | 3 | 68 | 1 | 4 | -- |
| House Finch | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Pine Siskin | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| American Goldfinch | 73 | 113 | 29 | 107 | 80 | 31 | 79 | 33 |
| Evening Grosbeak | -- | 22 | 39 | -- | -- | 40 | -- | -- |
| House Sparrow | 53 | 35 | 44 | 40 | 26 | 51 | 59 | 54 |
| Species Total | 76 | 82 | 76 | 74 | 88 | 98 | 101 | 98 |
| Cumulative Species Total | ||||||||
| Total Individuals | ||||||||
| Year | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 |
Results of SBCs conducted in Putnam County 1961-1978 derive from reports published in the TOS journal.