Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

Dunlin (Caladris alpina)

Abundance: Uncommon (at least 60 records in 10 counties, 4 in Kentucky and 6 in Tennessee). Note: Uncommon during fall; Rare during spring; Occasional during winter.

Status: Transient during spring (6 records ) and fall (at least 52 records ); winter Visitor (2 records); sight records.

Regional High Count: 79 (6 November 2003; Pulaski County, Kentucky; Roseanna M. Denton; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2004a).

Information on Records: 

30 October 1969 (10) Byrdstown, Pickett County, Tennesee (J. David Hassler, Robbie C. Hassler; Parmer 1969d; Nicholson 1982a [cites Parmer {1969d} with incorrect page number]).

28 April 1979 (1) Stockton, Fentress County, Tennessee (Robbie C. Hassler, J. David Hassler, Charles P. Nicholson; Nicholson 1981 [omits year in date of record]).

24 October/5/7 November 1979 (2/1/1) Somerset, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Jackie B. Elmore, Sr.; Stamm 1980a).

25 October 1981 (41) Green River Lake, Adair County, Kentucky (Jackie B. Elmore, Sr.).

31 October/28 November 1982 (8/1) Green River Wildlife Management Area (Casey Creek), Adair County, Kentucky (Jackie B. Elmore, Sr.).

8 December 1982 (1) Green River Lake, Adair County, Kentucky (Jackie B. Elmore, Sr.).

21 September/23 October 1983 (2/6) Casey Creek area, Green River Lake, Adair County, Kentucky (Jackie B. Elmore, Sr.).

9/18 November 1983 (1/1) Fishing Creek Recreation Area, Lake Cumberland, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Jackie B. Elmore, Sr. [notes]).

29 September/31 October 1984 (1/2) Fishing Creek Recreation Area, Lake Cumberland, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Jackie B. Elmore, Sr. [notes]; Stamm 1985a [cites first date only]).

22-27 October 1986 (2) Fishing Creek Recreation Area, Lake Cumberland, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Jackie B. Elmore, Sr.; Stamm 1987a).

29 October-4 November 1988 (26) Fishing Creek Recreation Area, Lake Cumberland, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Jackie B. Elmore, Sr. [notes]).

2 & 4 November 1988 (1) Cane Creek Park, Cookeville, Putnam County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman; Stedman 1993).

6 November 1988 (4) Macedonia Pond, White County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman unpubl. data).

Fall 1988 (26) Fishing Creek Recreation Area, Lake Cumberland, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Jackie B. Elmore, Sr.; Stamm 1989a).

24 October 1990 (3) Thurston's Pond, Wayne County, Kentucky (Jackie B. Elmore, Sr. [notes]).

19 October 1991 (1) Burgess Fall State Natural Area, Putnam County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman; Stedman 1993).

14/22 November 1991 (28/13) Pulaski County Park, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Jackie B. Elmore, Sr.; Stamm and Monroe 1992a).

20-23 November 1991 (25) Thurston's Pond, Wayne County, Kentucky (Jackie B. Elmore, Sr. [notes], Steve Kickert).

29 October 1992 (1) Fishing Creek Recreation Area, Lake Cumberland, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton unpubl. data).

1 November 1992 (3) Martin's Creek, Putnam County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman, Barbara H. Stedman unpubl. data).

31 October 1993 (10) Casey Creek, Green River Lake, Adair County, Kentucky (Jackie B. Elmore, Sr.; Monroe, Stamm and Stinson 1994).

20 November 1993 (3) Thurston's Pond, Wayne County, Kentucky (Jackie B. Elmore, Sr.; Monroe, Stamm, and Stinson 1994).

26 October 1997 (5) Pulaski County Park, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton unpubl. data).

27 October/14 November 1998 (1/1) Cooley's Pond, Wayne County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton unpubl. data).

27 November 1999 (1) Cooley's Pond, Wayne County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton unpubl. data).

1 December 1999 (1) Fishing Creek Recreation Area, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton; Busroe 2000b).

13 May 2000 (1 alternate) Twin Lakes, Somerset, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton unpubl. data).

13 October 2000 (1) Cooley's Pond, Wayne County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton unpubl. data).

15 November 2000 (2) Barren River Lake, Barren/Allen counties, Kentucky (Jackie B. Elmore, Sr.; Busroe 2001a).

28 November 2000 (9) Barren County, Kentucky (David L. Roemer unpubl. data).

23 October 2001 (7) Fishing Creek, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton unpubl. data).

26 November/12 December/14 December 2001 (4/5/1) Barren River Reservoir, Barren County, Kentucky (David L. Roemer unpubl. data).

24-26/28 October/1 November 2002 (4/23/1) Fishing Creek Recreation Area, Lake Cumberland, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton unpubl. data [first and third records]; Busroe 2003a [second record]).

1 November 2002 (16) Martin's Creek, Putnam County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman unpubl. data).

2 November 2002 (6) Cooley's Pond, Wayne County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton unpubl. data).

7 November 2002 (60) Walnut Creek, Barren River Reservoir, Allen/Barren counties, Kentucky (David L. Roemer unpubl. data).

21 March 2003 (1 basic) south of Smithville, DeKalb County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman, Carol D. Williams unpubl. data).

11 April 2003 (1 changing to alternate) Mt. Zion, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2003a).

5 May 2003 (1 alternate) Cane Creek Park, Cookeville, Putnam County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman unpubl. data).

7 May 2003 (2 alternate) Hickey Ridge Rd., Putnam County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman, Daniel L. Combs unpubl. data).

28 October-5 November/6 November 2003 (1-11/79) Fishing Creek Recreation Area, Lake Cumberland, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton unpubl. data [first record]; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2004a [second record]).

10/11 November 2003 (3/2) Clifty Pond, Mt. Zion, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton unpubl. data).

11/14 November 2003 (8+/1) Macedonia Pond, White County, Tennessee (Douglas A. Downs/Douglas A Downs, Stephen J. Stedman unpubl. data). 

16-30 November/8 December 2003 (1-6/1)  Walnut Creek, Barren River Reservoir, Allen/Barren counties, Kentucky (David L. Roemer unpubl. data), but see also Out-of-Season Records.

15 October 2004 (3) Randolph Pond, Walter Stone Rd., White County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman, Douglas A. Downs unpubl. data).

1/3/12 November 2004 (2/7/2) Fishing Creek Recreation Area, Lake Cumberland, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2005a [last record only]).

7/8/10/13/16/23 November 2004 (18/17/29/20+/20/30) Dry Creek, Barren River Reservoir, Barren County, Kentucky (David L. Roemer; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2005a [last record only]).

23 October 2005 (1) Fishing Creek, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton unpubl. data).

15 November 2005 (1) Cooley's Pond, Wayne County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton unpubl. data).

5 December 2005 (5) Walnut Creek, Barren River Reservoir, Barren/Allen counties, Kentucky (David L. Roemer unpubl. data).

13-14 October 2006 (1) Fishing Creek Recreation Area, Lake Cumberland, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton unpubl. data).

19 October 2007 (1) Green River, Adair County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton unpubl. data).

25 October/10 November 2007 (15/1) Cooley's Pond, Wayne County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton unpubl. data).

3 November 2007 (1) Sunset Recreation Area, Dale Hollow Lake, Pickett County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman unpubl. data).

4 November 2007 (1) Southeastern Tennessee Regional Correctional Facility, Bledsoe County, Tennessee (Edmund K. LeGrand unpubl. data).

14 November 2007 (1) Moss Island, Center Hill Lake, DeKalb County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman unpubl. data).

16 October 2008 (12) Casey Creek, Adair County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton unpubl. data).

14 October 2009 (18) Plum Point, Adair County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton unpubl. data).

Out-of Season Records:

4/9 January 2004 (4/1) Walnut Creek, Barren River Reservoir, Barren/Allen counties, Kentucky (David L. Roemer; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2004b).

11 December 2007, 7/12 January 2008 (6, 7/2) Walnut Creek, Barren River Reservoir, Barren/Allen counties, Kentucky (David L. Roemer unpubl. data).

Regional Extreme Dates:

    Spring: 21 March 2003 (1 basic; DeKalb County, Tennessee; Stephen J. Stedman, Carol D. Williams unpubl. data)-13 May 2000 (1 alternate; Pulaski County, Kentucky; Roseanna M. Denton unpubl. data).

    Fall: 21 September 1983 (2; Adair County, Kentucky; Jackie B. Elmore, Sr.)-8 December 2003 (1; Barren/Allen counties, Kentucky; David L. Roemer unpubl. data), but see also Out-of-Season Records (above).

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: No registrations.

Habitat: Usually prefers fairly large mudflats in open areas, such as are found under draw-down conditions at the Fishing Creek Recreation Area, Lake Cumberland, Pulaski County, Kentucky; at the upper end of Martin Creek, Cordell Hull Reservoir, Jackson/Putnam counties, Tennessee; and especially at Walnut Creek, Barren River Reservoir, Allen/Barren counties, Kentucky.  Also favors large ponds with a moderately large amount of exposed mudflat, as often occurs at Cooley's Pond, Wayne County, Kentucky, or Macedonia Pond, White County, Tennessee.  However, narrow, muddy shorelines of small farm ponds are occasionally attractive to this late migrating shorebird, which is sometimes even attracted to ephemeral wet areas created by rain on agricultural fields.

Remarks: Clearly, this shorebird is most likely to occur from about 20 October to 15 November, as indicated by the high count and by the fact that over 30 of the autumn records fall within that period.

    The general timing of the pre-nuptial molt is suggested by the records from spring 2003.

Counties with Observations (boldfaced):

To see a map (Figure 1) displaying the data in the table above, click on the boldfaced word in this sentence.

Literature Cited