Results of Spring Bird Counts and a Spring BirdBlitz Conducted in the Upper Cumberland Region of Kentucky and Tennessee—April and May 2009
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| A species that enjoyed a fairly good season, in terms of its distribution and abundance, in the Region this spring was the Dickcissel; this image of a male was captured on Black Oak Rd., White County, Tennessee, during the Spring Bird Count in that county, where 34 of this species were counted; photo Douglas A. Downs (16 May 2009). |
During the four Regional Spring Bird Counts (SBC) and the Spring BirdBlitz (SBB) conducted this spring, 158 species of birds were detected, more than half of the all-time species total for the Region. These counts provide a measure of assurance that these species are maintaining a presence in the Region, some as permanent residents, some as summer residents, some as late-departing winter residents, and some as transients. We also obtain a fairly good indication of the approximate population level of many species from the SBC data, and, because we can compare numbers counted for each species from year to year at various sites where SBCs have been ongoing for a number of years, we can also obtain a rough idea about the population trends for the more common species found Regionally.
The spring birdblitz was conducted in McCreary County, Kentucky, this spring, the first bird count of any kind to be conducted in that county, which is dominated by public lands of the Daniel Boone National Forest and the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.
To go to the BirdPage, to the SBC Central Node, or to complete SBC/SBB results for one of the counties where a SBC or SBB was conducted this spring, click on one of the following links:
To see a map (Figure 1) depicting the location of counties in which a SBC or SBB was conducted, click on the link below:
| Mc- Creary | Somer- set | Cumb- erland |
Putnam | White | |
| Type of Count | SBB | SBC | SBC | SBC | SBC |
| Date (April/May) | 24 | 9 | 2 | 9 | 16 |
| Start (EDT/CDT) | 0500 | 0530 | 0310 | 0430 | 0430 |
| End (EDT/CDT) | 2045 | 2200 | 1945 | 1930 | 2000 |
| Party Miles by Car | 482 | 328 | 740 | 637.25 | 493 |
| Party Miles on Foot | 9.25 | 6.75 | 3.5 | 5 | 1.5 |
| Party Miles Daylight | 491.25 | 334.75 | 743.5 | 642.25 | 494.5 |
| Party Hrs. by Car | 45.75 | 31.5 | 73.5 | 84 | 52.75 |
| Party Hrs. on Foot | 8 | 18 | 3.25 | 8.75 | 1.75 |
| Party Hours Daylight | 53.75 | 49.5 | 76.75 | 92.75 | 54.5 |
| Owling Hours | 4 | 2.25 | 5.5 | 1.75 | 2 |
| Owling Miles | 40 | 17 | 78 | 13.5 | 26 |
| Hours Yardwatching | 0 | 1 | 4 | 17 | 0 |
| No. Field Observers * | 8 | 5 | 12 | 19 | 8 |
| No. Field Parties | 5 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 5 |
| No. Yardwatchers | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Compilers * | TBM, LMM | RMD | EKL, JEM | SJS | DAD |
| Total Species | 117 | 122 | 137 | 141 | 113 |
| Low Temperature (F) | 52 | 63 | 56 | 62 | 65 |
| High Temperature (F) | 92 | 76 | 67 | 75 | 80 |
| Wind Direction | Var. | Var. | SW | Var. | ? |
| Wind Speed (mph) | 0-30 | 0-15 | 0-4 | 0-10 | 0-15 |
| A.M. Sky | mcle | over | over | over | pclo |
| P.M. Sky | mcle | mcle | over | mclo | over |
| A.M. Precipitation | none | rain | rain | rain | none |
| P.M. Precipitation | none | none | rain | none | rain |
| Moon Phase | near new | full | first quarter | full | last quarter |
| Canada Goose | 38 | 42 | 126 | 174 | 120 |
| Wood Duck | 8 | 28 | 34 | 12 | 10 |
| Mallard | 8 | 16 | 39 | 29 | 24 |
| Blue-winged Teal | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -- |
| Ruffed Grouse | 2 | -- | 2 | -- | -- |
| Wild Turkey | 15 | 8 | 17 | 8 | 27 |
| Northern Bobwhite | 2 | 6 | 22 | 12 | 28 |
| Common Loon | -- | -- | 1 | 2 | -- |
| Pied-billed Grebe | -- | -- | 2 | 1 | -- |
| Double-cr. Cormorant | -- | -- | 1 | 1 | -- |
| Great Blue Heron | 1 | 21 | 14 | 26 | 17 |
| Great Egret | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 1 |
| Green Heron | 4 | 3 | 9 | 14 | 11 |
| Black-cr. Night-Heron | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- |
| Black Vulture | 2 | 5 | 2 | 35 | 13 |
| Turkey Vulture | 66 | 55 | 59 | 128 | 99 |
| Osprey | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | -- | -- | 2 | 2 |
| Cooper's Hawk | -- | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 4 | -- | 7 | 10 | 7 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 11 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 7 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 4 | 5 | 3 | 21 | 15 |
| American Kestrel | -- | 2 | 13 | 4 | 12 |
| Sora | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- |
| American Coot | -- | -- | 2 | 2 | -- |
| Semipalmated Plover | -- | 4 | -- | -- | -- |
| Killdeer | 19 | 24 | 54 | 102 | 70 |
| Spotted Sandpiper | -- | 10 | 6 | 6 | 1 |
| Solitary Sandpiper | 2 | 9 | 19 | 8 | 5 |
| Greater Yellowlegs | -- | -- | -- | 3 | -- |
| Lesser Yellowlegs | -- | 2 | 13 | 3 | -- |
| Yellowlegs sp. | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- |
| Least Sandpiper | -- | 5 | 3 | -- | -- |
| Peep Sp. | -- | 19 | -- | -- | -- |
| Pectoral Sandpiper | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- |
| Wilson's Snipe | -- | -- | 3 | -- | -- |
| American Woodcock | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Ring-billed Gull | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- |
| Rock Pigeon | 4 | 8 | 33 | 73 | 43 |
| Eurasian Collared-Dove | -- | -- | -- | 4 | 8 |
| Mourning Dove | 89 | 156 | 293 | 423 | 231 |
| Yellow-billed Cuckoo | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Barn Owl | -- | -- | 1 | 1 | -- |
| Eastern Screech-Owl | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Great Horned Owl | 2 | -- | 4 | -- | -- |
| Barred Owl | 8 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 2 |
| Common Nighthawk | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 5 |
| Chuck-will's-widow | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Eastern Whip-poor-will | 48 | 1 | 64 | 2 | 4 |
| Chimney Swift | 27 | 223 | 39 | 133 | 79 |
| Ruby-thr. Hummingbird | 3 | 3 | 11 | 13 | 10 |
| Belted Kingfisher | 1 | -- | 3 | 6 | 2 |
| Red-headed Woodpecker | 15 | 5 | 55 | 16 | 5 |
| Red-bellied Woodpecker | 39 | 18 | 68 | 63 | 44 |
| Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Downy Woodpecker | 8 | 9 | 20 | 24 | 12 |
| Hairy Woodpecker | 9 | 1 | 9 | 8 | 3 |
| Northern Flicker | 20 | 9 | 30 | 24 | 20 |
| Pileated Woodpecker | 37 | 5 | 42 | 46 | 35 |
| Eastern Wood-Pewee | 3 | 15 | 13 | 87 | 80 |
| Acadian Flycatcher | 1 | 2 | 7 | 32 | 41 |
| Empidonax sp. | -- | -- | -- | 3 | 1 |
| Eastern Phoebe | 84 | 21 | 93 | 124 | 76 |
| Great Crested Flycatcher | 8 | 16 | 32 | 70 | 50 |
| Eastern Kingbird | 15 | 21 | 61 | 90 | 82 |
| Loggerhead Shrike | -- | -- | -- | -- | 5 |
| White-eyed Vireo | 85 | 21 | 68 | 89 | 99 |
| Yellow-throated Vireo | 39 | 9 | 18 | 24 | 18 |
| Blue-headed Vireo | 21 | 3 | 31 | 17 | 12 |
| Warbling Vireo | 1 | 2 | -- | -- | -- |
| Philadelphia Vireo | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- |
| Red-eyed Vireo | 214 | 89 | 391 | 429 | 332 |
| Blue Jay | 121 | 36 | 148 | 180 | 73 |
| American Crow | 190 | 72 | 303 | 301 | 186 |
| Horned Lark | -- | 3 | 8 | 2 | 3 |
| Purple Martin | 14 | 109 | 122 | 104 | 170 |
| Tree Swallow | 10 | 3 | 110 | 78 | 21 |
| N. Rough-winged Swallow | 56 | 23 | 72 | 116 | 28 |
| Bank Swallow | -- | -- | -- | 4 | -- |
| Cliff Swallow | -- | 14 | 6 | 22 | 16 |
| Barn Swallow | 63 | 45 | 316 | 265 | 147 |
| Carolina Chickadee | 96 | 13 | 107 | 62 | 55 |
| Tufted Titmouse | 209 | 54 | 180 | 157 | 129 |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | 29 | 13 | 28 | 34 | 13 |
| Brown-headed Nuthatch | -- | -- | -- | 7 | -- |
| Carolina Wren | 151 | 40 | 139 | 195 | 208 |
| House Wren | 4 | 8 | 13 | 39 | 13 |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 6 | -- | 6 | 5 | -- |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | 178 | 30 | 143 | 86 | 144 |
| Eastern Bluebird | 82 | 78 | 177 | 297 | 266 |
| Veery | -- | 1 | 3 | 2 | -- |
| Gray-cheeked Thrush | -- | 3 | -- | 1 | 2 |
| Swainson's Thrush | 2 | -- | 9 | 8 | 2 |
| Hermit Thrush | 1 | -- | 1 | -- | -- |
| Wood Thrush | 45 | 13 | 119 | 68 | 36 |
| American Robin | 124 | 259 | 486 | 804 | 176 |
| Gray Catbird | 2 | 6 | 41 | 28 | 2 |
| Northern Mockingbird | 26 | 54 | 86 | 213 | 239 |
| Brown Thrasher | 38 | 27 | 80 | 92 | 43 |
| European Starling | 221 | 418 | 698 | 2022 | 1046 |
| American Pipit | 10 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Cedar Waxwing | 33 | 48 | 57 | 357 | 161 |
| Blue-winged Warbler | 19 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| Tennessee Warbler | 1 | -- | 4 | 4 | -- |
| Northern Parula | 72 | 4 | 29 | 29 | 28 |
| Yellow Warbler | 12 | -- | 7 | 12 | 2 |
| Chestnut-sided Warbler | 3 | -- | 14 | 4 | -- |
| Magnolia Warbler | 1 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 1 |
| Cape May Warbler | -- | -- | 7 | 6 | -- |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | 27 | -- | 8 | 20 | -- |
| Black-thr. Green Warbler | 125 | 5 | 18 | 7 | 1 |
| Blackburnian Warbler | -- | 2 | 1 | 2 | -- |
| Yellow-throated Warbler | 78 | 10 | 61 | 25 | 44 |
| Pine Warbler | 36 | 6 | 25 | 28 | 17 |
| Prairie Warbler | 151 | 34 | 84 | 40 | 44 |
| Palm Warbler | 3 | 1 | 9 | 12 | -- |
| Bay-breasted Warbler | -- | 1 | 2 | 6 | -- |
| Blackpoll Warbler | -- | 1 | 19 | 13 | 2 |
| Cerulean Warbler | 12 | 2 | 11 | 18 | -- |
| Black-and-white Warbler | 167 | 10 | 92 | 40 | 23 |
| American Redstart | 12 | 3 | 13 | 26 | 3 |
| Prothonotary Warbler | -- | -- | -- | 3 | 2 |
| Worm-eating Warbler | 80 | 2 | 17 | 6 | 9 |
| Swainson's Warbler | 1 | 1 | 1 | -- | -- |
| Ovenbird | 172 | 23 | 197 | 68 | 40 |
| Northern Waterthrush | -- | 1 | 1 | 2 | -- |
| Louisiana Waterthrush | 20 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 6 |
| Kentucky Warbler | 6 | 14 | 31 | 24 | 30 |
| Common Yellowthroat | 55 | 59 | 90 | 147 | 105 |
| Hooded Warbler | 280 | 22 | 143 | 60 | 59 |
| Canada Warbler | -- | -- | -- | 3 | -- |
| Yellow-breasted Chat | 35 | 21 | 89 | 55 | 70 |
| Eastern Towhee | 108 | 27 | 203 | 141 | 71 |
| Chipping Sparrow | 138 | 34 | 198 | 141 | 140 |
| Field Sparrow | 32 | 26 | 98 | 145 | 170 |
| Savannah Sparrow | 2 | 9 | 16 | 3 | -- |
| Grasshopper Sparrow | 5 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 31 |
| Henslow's Sparrow | -- | 2 | -- | -- | 18 |
| Song Sparrow | 116 | 58 | 264 | 182 | 149 |
| Lincoln's Sparrow | -- | -- | -- | 3 | -- |
| Swamp Sparrow | 6 | -- | -- | 1 | -- |
| White-throated Sparrow | 46 | 1 | 21 | 9 | -- |
| White-crowned Sparrow | -- | -- | 4 | 1 | -- |
| Summer Tanager | 3 | 11 | 28 | 74 | 56 |
| Scarlet Tanager | 36 | 18 | 82 | 55 | 26 |
| Northern Cardinal | 191 | 122 | 309 | 416 | 239 |
| Rose-breasted Grosbeak | -- | 1 | 28 | 11 | 1 |
| Blue Grosbeak | 1 | 8 | 15 | 39 | 54 |
| Indigo Bunting | 15 | 101 | 229 | 380 | 507 |
| Dickcissel | -- | 2 | -- | 1 | 34 |
| Bobolink | -- | -- | 45 | 5 | -- |
| Red-winged Blackbird | 84 | 209 | 530 | 400 | 265 |
| Eastern Meadowlark | 26 | 120 | 291 | 218 | 242 |
| Common Grackle | 37 | 171 | 144 | 274 | 136 |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | 52 | 61 | 142 | 148 | 63 |
| Orchard Oriole | 4 | 10 | 45 | 30 | 37 |
| Baltimore Oriole | 1 | 10 | 6 | 9 | -- |
| House Finch | 8 | 12 | 37 | 67 | 25 |
| Pine Siskin | 17 | 30 | 37 | 32 | 1 |
| American Goldfinch | 133 | 30 | 141 | 100 | 53 |
| House Sparrow | 51 | 37 | 127 | 136 | 185 |
| Total Individuals | 5190 | 3661 | 9369 | 11695 | 7968 |
| Total Species | 117 | 122 | 137 | 141 | 113 |
* Observers on the McCreary Co., KY, Spring BirdBlitz:
| Roseanna M. Denton |
| James Kiser |
| Thomas B. Mills, co-compiler |
| Lynda M. Mills, co-compiler |
| Thomas M. Saya |
| Barbara H. Stedman |
| Stephen J. Stedman |
| Doug Stephens |
* Observers on the Somerset, KY, Spring Bird Count:
| Roseanna M. Denton, compiler |
| C. Gay Hodges |
| Laura Kamperman (YW) |
| Arlene M. Morton |
| Connie S. Neeley |
| Wendell Neeley |
* Observers on the Cumberland Co., TN, Spring Bird Count:
| Nan Evans Beesley |
| Jack Carr |
| Douglas A. Downs |
| Annell S. Fields |
| Edmund K. LeGrand, co-compiler |
| Joseph E. Mast, co-compiler |
| Michael P. O'Rourke |
| Thomas M. Saya |
| DJ Stanley |
| L. Kay Stanley (YW) |
| Barbara H. Stedman |
| Stephen J. Stedman |
| Winston A. Walden |
* Observers on the Putnam Co., TN, Spring Bird Count:
| Daniel L. Combs |
| Douglas A. Downs |
| Ginger K. Ensor |
| Janie C. Finch |
| Judy C. Fuson |
| Michael J. Hawkins |
| Caleb Hubbard |
| Nancy S. Layzer |
| Edmund K. LeGrand |
| Anita F. Mast |
| Joseph E. Mast |
| Michael P. O'Rourke |
| Handley "Ozzie" Oswalt (YW) |
| Sarah Parker |
| Michele Ramsey (YW) |
| Thomas M. Saya |
| Richard W. Simmers, Jr. |
| DJ Stanley |
| Barbara H. Stedman |
| Stephen J. Stedman, compiler (YW) |
| Winston A. Walden |
| Carol D. Williams |
* Observers on the White Co., TN, Spring Bird Count:
| Douglas A. Downs, compiler |
| Judy C. Fuson |
| Nancy S. Layzer |
| Joseph E. Mast |
| Michael P. O'Rourke |
| Stephen J. Stedman |
| Winston A. Walden |
| Carol D. Williams |
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