 |
|
| A Yellow-billed
Cuckoo found during the White County Foray by Carol D. Williams and
Judy C. Fuson; photo Judy C. Fuson. |
|
Ancient
BIRDFOLK Messages (Summer
2007)
Subject: birdfolk message 2007-28 (31
july)
Dear
birdfolk,
During the
recent butterfly counts or during efforts to conduct them if they did not get
completed due to inclement weather, some interesting bird records came about,
to wit: when rain cancelled the White County butterfly count on Saturday, Doug
Downs and I switched our efforts and conducted an impromptu shorebird
count, and we had some fair luck during that venture, finding two American
Avocets at Boiling Pond; and during the less weather-affected Putnam County
East butterfly count on Monday, I happened to hear a singing Henslow's
Sparrow, providing just the second record for the county.
The
avocets were a species I have been waiting a long time to see in the Upper
Cumberland Region; it's been just over 20 years since Barb and I moved to
Cookeville, and these were the first of their kind that I have observed
hereabouts. Besides that personal aspect of the record, these avocets
also provided just the ninth record for the Region and the very first
record for White County (which now has a bird list of 221 species); they also
tied the early fall arrival date for the species in the Region, reminding me
of the Region's very first avocet record, which took place 28 July 1978 in Van
Buren County, TN, of all places, though I have been unable to find out where
in that county that the first Regional avocet record took place. I
managed to obtain some distant photos of one of the avocets found at Boiling
Pond, and I've posted the photo to several pages of my website in case you
want to verify that I was not hallucinating.
Putnam
County's second record for Henslow's Sparrow was a nice side effect of the
Putnam County East butterfly count, and it came at a site not too far from
where I have suspected I was hearing Henslow's in the past (also during
butterfly counts) but was never able to verify the species' presence. If
you want to track down this bird, you would go to a point about a quarter mile
north of the intersection of Spring Creek Rd. and Green Mountain Rd. in the
north-central part of the county east of Rt. 111. The bird was singing
on the west side of Spring Creek Rd. perhaps a mile south of the county line
with Overton County.
Terry
Campbell sent along some photos of an adult Black-crowned Night-Heron that
were taken along the Obey River near Celina, Clay Co., TN, July 21 The
photos were obtained by Gary Gilpatrick while he was fishing the river below
Dale Hollow Dam. There have been very few records of this night-heron
from Clay County in the past, so this photo-documented record was quite a nice
one. Many thanks to Gary for thinking to take photographs and for
sharing them with Terry, who in turn deserves thanks for sharing them with me
(and my readers).
More
records of Great Egrets have been arriving lately. Nan Beesley had one
up at Willow Grove on Dale Hollow Lake, Clay Co., TN, July 22, and Roseanna
Denton found a single at Fishing Creek, Pulaski Co., KY, July 27. Anyone
else getting herons, egrets, night-herons, ibises, storks, spoonbills, or
other long-legged waders these days?
The
first Black Tern of the "fall" was found at Casey Creek, Adair Co.,
KY, July 28 by Roseanna Denton, the same date on which the first Black Tern
was found last year and just one day earlier than the first one was found
during 2005; the first Black Tern showed up July 30 during 2004, August 3
during 2003 and July 29 during 2002. A regular fall arrival
schedule appears to characterize this tern's migration through our Region.
Information about the arrival and departure dates of migrant species is
available at one of the pages of my website, accessible via the birdpage (link
below).
For
years I have conducted Wednesday morning birdwalks at Cane Creek Park during
the fall and spring semesters each academic year. For this fall I've
decided to change things up some. Instead of a birdwalk at CCP each
Wednesday, I'm going to have the birdwalk at the Merle Osborn Nature Preserve
during fall 2007 and probably also during spring 2008. This site is a new
public access birding site in Putnam County that needs a lot of birdwork (and
natural history work of almost every kind). This site is located on
fairly steep hillsides, so the best way to visit (the western part of it) is
to start at its high point on Fox Knob Rd. and walk downhill. This
procedure means that having cars at both ends of the walk will be most
convenient for all who take part. If you think you might like to
participate in these birdwalks on most Wednesdays this fall, let me know, and
I will work out the details with you.
I
will still be willing to take part in occasional birdwalks to other sites,
including Cane Creek Park, if there are birdfolk who want to take part in such
birdwalks, but such birdwalks would have to take place on a Monday or Friday
morning every other week or perhaps every third or fourth week, depending on a
number of factors.
The
first Fall Bird Counts and Fall BirdBlitzes are about a month and a half away,
so it is probably time to start planning them. The Putnam County Fall
Bird Count (which began operation in 2000) will be held Sep. 15 as part of the
fall version of international migratory bird day. I've talked with Doug
Downs about fall bird counts, and he seems to want to continue compiling
a Fall Bird Count in White County, but we have not worked out the date for
such a count this fall. That would still leave room for at least one
more fall birding event, probably a BirdBlitz to a county that gets little
birdwork. If you have thoughts about when and where you might like to
see such a count, drop a line.
A
factor that needs to be considered when planning fall counts is the timing of
the fall meetings of the KOS and TOS. This fall the KOS meeting will be
Sep. 27-29 (at Kenlake State Resort Park on Kentucky Lake) and the TOS meeting
will be in early Nov. (in Manchester).
Today
is the last day of the summer 2007 breeding season, so if you have any records
that might be useful for the Summer 2007 UCR Bird Report, please send those
along soon. Have a look at that report, accessible via the birdpage of
my website, even if you don't have a record to add to it; there is a good bit
of information about the White County Foray and how it relates to the status
of many breeding birds in that report.
Good
bird counting, Steve
BIRDFOLK
messages are shared with those Upper Cumberland Region birders who share
their bird sightings with me, either directly or indirectly. The
minimal sharing threshold is one bird record per month (note: a bird record
always contains the name of a specific species, the number seen, the date
seen, the site where seen, and the name of the observer). BIRDFOLK
messages are archived at a page of my website that is accessible via the
birdpage:
Subject: birdfolk message 2007-27 (25
july)
Dear
birdfolk,
The
first reports of dispersing long-legged waders have begun to come in.
Michael Hodge found (July 19) and photographed (July 21) three Great Egrets on
Flat Fork Rd., Morgan Co., TN, to provide the first Regional record this
"fall" for that species. Yesterday Roseanna Denton
visited Casey Creek in Adair Co., KY, and found two Great Egrets there, as
well as an immature Little Blue Heron, the first of the "fall" to be
spotted around the Region. Anyone else seeing any of these fine species
anywhere else around our pond-pocked Region?
No
new species of migrant shorebirds have been reported lately, but Roseanna
Denton did find both Spotted and Solitary sandpipers on Casey Creek yesterday,
providing the earliest reports for those species in Adair Co., KY, this
"fall." Roseanna saw these shorebirds and the aforementioned
egrets and heron while kayaking on Casey Creek, a great way to access some
sites that are otherwise pretty hard to get to.
At
the same time that the first fall sightings for many post-breeding herons and
migrant shorebirds are taking place, the last fall records for some breeding
species are also being made. Nancy Layzer heard the last singing
Chuck-will's-widow in her neck of the woods July 13 in Jackson Co., TN; this
caprimulgid seldom sings into August, so if you hear one from now on,
pleeeeeease send along a report about it. While not singing, a Willow
Flycatcher that came in to a tape playback of its "song" and that
gave the "wit" call typical of this species (but also of other
empids) near Creelsboro, Russell Co., KY, July 24 may well be the last one to
be reported this "fall."
Two other
early-departing breeders for which the late fall departure dates may be
happening soon are Orchard Oriole and Louisiana Waterthrush. Any records
of these species from now on are good ones to keep track of.
Brainard
Palmer-Ball monitors radar online fairly regularly; he reports that, based on
the radar images from that area, there seems to be a large roost of
Purple Martins near Albany, Clinton Co., KY, these days. This
report squares well with the history of martins in that part of the UCR.
Several years ago a large (5000+) roost of martins was located at Lillydale on
Dale Hollow Lake, Clay Co., TN, which is south of Albany 10-15 miles. If
anyone can get to Lillydale around dusk during the next week or two, you might
be treated to one of the great bird spectacles occurring in our Region.
Michael
Hawkins flushed an American Woodcock from his drive in Jackson Co., TN, July
20 and on several other dates during the month. This species is seldom
reported in late summer or fall in the Region although it is almost always
around at those times of the year.
Nancy
Layzer made another survey of the breeding Ospreys in Jackson Co., TN, July
20, finding adults and young at several of the known nest sites. She
also found Ospreys at several other sites in Jackson County, suggesting that
there are probably other nesting pairs whose nests have not yet come to light.
If you know of any such, please pass the word. I usually do not reveal the
specific site of a nest until the pair has been breeding
successfully for several years, but it is good to know where the nests are so
that they can be monitored. Same for eagles breeding in the Region.
Bob
Stith in Cumberland Co., TN, sent some intriguing photos of a psittacid
(parrot) that has been visiting his yard in recent weeks. His photos do
not allow for a specific i.d. to be made, so I am wondering if anyone else who
has a camera and who lives in Cumberland Co. can contact Bob and arrange to
take some photos of this bird. Bob's email is
and
his phone number is 931-788-3664. Let me know what you find out and
please send along a photo if you obtain one.
There
will be butterfly counts during the next week as follows:
Putnam
County West, TN--July 26
White
County, TN--July 28
Putnam
County East, TN--July 30
If
you have an interest in any of these fauna-monitoring events, please drop a
line. Help is especially needed for the first of these counts.
Good
critter counting, Steve
Subject: birdfolk message 2007-26 (17
july)
Dear
birdfolk,
With
Doug Downs I got out into the Heritage Marsh in White Co., TN, July 7; we were
looking for marsh species, but Heritage was completely dry when we
"waded" in through the tall grass, so no such species did we see.
However, a singing Henslow's Sparrow was present in the southern end of the
site; at least one Henslow's Sparrow was detected during summer
at this site during 2004, 2006, and 2007. Not to be outdone, Joseph Mast
and several companions visited two other Henslow's sites that same day and had
some really nice results, finding 23 Henslow's at and near the
Bridgestone/Firestone Centennial Wilderness, White Co., TN, and 41 Henslow's
in one large field on the Campbell Farm, Cumberland Co., TN. Roseanna
Denton visited the area around the Ano strip mines in Pulaski Co., KY, July 16
and counted 17 Henslow's at that site, all on private land in that area.
Finally, a report of 10 Henslow's in a field near Betsey (east of Monticello)
in Wayne Co., KY, July 3 by Chelsey Olson provided the all-time high count for
that county, albeit not the first report there. Such generous helpings
of Henslow's would have been unthinkable just a decade ago in the
Region; given the rapidly decreasing populations of Henslow's elsewhere within
that species' range, we are fortunate to have a population that is clearly on
the increase.
The
White-throated Sparrow in my yard near City Lake, Putnam Co., TN, was first
seen July 8; it was also present July 10-12 and 14. So far I have not
heard any kind of vocalization from this bird that would reveal its presence.
This differs from a White-throat I found during July 2003 in Stones River National
Battlefield, Rutherford Co., TN (outside the UCR); that bird gave numerous
classic calls which drew my attention to it; otherwise I would not have found
it. Two White-throats (that may have been late migrants) I recorded
during June BBS work in Coffee Co., TN, and Maury Co., TN (both outside the
UCR), were each singing the classic song of the species; otherwise I would not
have found them. The White-throat in my yard last week would seem to be
unusual because of its silence. No one has reported any other
summering White-throats, and I do not know of any summer records for the
Region other than the two records that I have made in my yard over the past 19
summers.
Shorebirds
remain scarce with a Solitary Sandpiper in Wayne Co., KY, July 13 (Roseanna
Denton) and another of that species in White Co., TN, this morning (SJS) being
the only representatives of windbirddom hereabouts that I have heard about.
Any good rain during the next few months is likely to cause a
"fallout" of shorebirds at farm ponds, so try to time your
shorebirding trips to occur in the aftermath of such weather events,
especially if they are related to the passage of hurricane remnants through
the Region.
No
reports of post-breeding dispersal of herons and egrets have so far come
from within the UCR, but a few of these birds are likely to be out there,
just waiting for a birder with bins and/or scope to find them.
Room
for butterfly counters July 26 and 30 is still available in my car; drop a
line if you can make either of these fauna-monitoring events, each of which will
take place in Putnam Co., TN. There may also be a butterfly count in
White Co., TN, July 28, but plans for it are not yet firm; if it works out,
I'll pass word about it.
Good
critter counting, Steve
Subject: birdfolk message 2007-25 (9
july)
Dear
birdfolk,
A
little surprise now and then keeps many birders and birdwatchers going during
the hot, humid days of summer. I was treated to such a surprise
yesterday while I was scouring my yard on City Lake, Putnam Co., TN, for the few
butterflies that are around. A White-throated Sparrow gave me a perfect
view at 3 meters or so for 15 seconds before it disappeared into an area of
dense vegetation. Its yellow lores were the clinching i.d. feature
that I was able to see on this bird, which was a darkish brown-and-tan morph
of the species. I could not relocate this sparrow for a photo, but
there is at least some chance that it will start coming to our feeder
area, where getting a photo should be a snap, so to speak, unless it is
just wandering around looking for Canada, in which case I probably won't see
it again. Barb and I had a White-throat stay in our yard from May 19 to
July 1, 1994, for what was probably the first county summer record.
Anyone else seeing summering White-throats? I've observed at least
three other summering individuals of this species in Tennessee over the
years (including two registered while I was conducting breeding bird
surveys), but no others during summer in the UCR.
Just
after the last message went out, Nancy Layzer sent in a nice report about
a survey she conducted July 2 of the four pairs of nesting Ospreys in Jackson
Co., TN. A total of at least four and possibly five young Ospreys was present
at three of the four nesting sites, not bad production for a species that was
almost absent as a breeder in the Region a decade ago. I have not heard
about results from the Smith Co., TN, Osprey nest, but perhaps someone can
send along the latest word from that sector? Check out the Summer 2007
UCR Bird Report for photos of two of the Jackson County nests that had young
still in the nest with an adult on July 2.
No
large, white, long-legged waders have yet been reported from anywhere in the
Region, but I am sure that a few such feathered bipeds are around, so keep
alert when near areas with water. However, the shorebird migration is
officially underway. Roseanna Denton checked out Fishing Creek in
Pulaski Co., KY, June 30 and found a Greater Yellowlegs, the first windbird of
the "fall." On July 3 she found Spotted and Least sandpipers
at the same site, where an injured Solitary Sandpiper that probably lingered
from this past spring was also foraging.
Butterfly
counters are still needed for the two Putnam County, TN, butterfly counts,
July 26 and 30; drop a line if either of those sounds tempting.
Good
critter counting, Steve
Review: Richard Preston's The Wild
Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring. New York: Random House,
2007; 295 pp.; ISBN: 978-1-4000-6489-2.
If you were fond of climbing trees
during your imprudent youth (or if you still climb them during your more
prudent adult years), here is a book that will bring back memories (or
tune you in to some of the latest tree-climbing techniques). Preston
writes mainly about the people who pioneered the climbing of giant trees
(redwoods mainly, but other giant trees are also dealt with in the text)
in order to determine what
lifeforms a giant tree's canopy supports. Giant trees are those that
reach above 300 feet; many of them surpass 350 feet; and some approach
380 feet. Climbing into one of these trees is definitely not for the
faint of heart. Preston describes a few folks who climbed into such
trees and then fell to their untimely ends, becoming members of small club:
humans who managed to approach terminal (in every sense of the word)
velocity (about 120 mph) after falling from a living object. He
also describes a few who survived such falls.rmine what
lifeforms a giant tree's canopy supports. Giant trees are those that
reach above 300 feet; many of them surpass 350 feet; and some approach
380 feet. Climbing into one of these trees is definitely not for the
faint of heart. Preston describes a few folks who climbed into such
trees and then fell to their untimely ends, becoming members of small club:
humans who managed to approach terminal (in every sense of the word)
velocity (about 120 mph) after falling from a living object. He
also describes a few who survived such falls.rmine what
lifeforms a giant tree's canopy supports. Giant trees are those that
reach above 300 feet; many of them surpass 350 feet; and some approach
380 feet. Climbing into one of these trees is definitely not for the
faint of heart. Preston describes a few folks who climbed into such
trees and then fell to their untimely ends, becoming members of small club:
humans who managed to approach terminal (in every sense of the word)
velocity (about 120 mph) after falling from a living object. He
also describes a few who survived such falls.
The title of this book refers to giant
trees (or really any trees, I suppose) that have not been climbed before.
A wild tree awaits someone to make the first ascent into its canopy, and
tree climbers, especially climbers of giant trees, put of lot of stock in
being the first climber up a redwood or other forest giant. If they
also have a scientific bent, they put even more stock in determining what is
going on up in the canopy of these trees--and it turns out that
these folks, who have become known as canopy biologists, have found quite of
lot going on in tree canopies, almost all of it unknown to science just a
couple of decades ago.
Preston's book laments the loss of most
of the great coastal redwoods that once covered much of northern California;
only 3-4% of all these trees remain, the other 96-97% having been logged
during the past couple of centuries. Somewhere among those logged
trees was probably the largest tree ever to grow on our planet,
but no one will ever know where it was or how tall it grew during its
2000-2500 year long life.
I was intrigued by this book--despite the
fact that there is precious little about birds in it--and I recommend it
highly to anyone who has ever wondered what it would be like to climb to the
top of a little tree (under 300 feet), let alone a giant one.
Subject: birdfolk message 2007-24 (1
july)
Dear
birdfolk,
The
period of post-breeding dispersal of herons, egrets, ibises, and other
long-legged waders is now upon us, so be on the look-out for large, white (and
other-colored) waders at Regional ponds, lakes, and wet areas. Many
Regional counties are without records of even the most common of these
species--Great Egret--so it is always possible to add a little to our
understanding of their post-breeding dispersal patterns. The dry pattern of
weather we've generally experienced this year may actually act favorably so
far as dispersal of these species into the Upper Cumberland Region is
concerned, or not; part of the fun this year will be to see what quality
and quantity of post-breeding dispersal we experience and to
try to figure out how these factors are related to the recent
weather pattern in the Region.
While
on the subject of long-legged waders, let me note that an adult Black-crowned
Night-Heron was observed at the Hurricane Marina, Center Hill Lake, DeKalb
Co., TN, June 28, 2007, by Carol Williams. BCNHs, both adults and
immatures (or juveniles), have been reported at this site during several
recent breeding seasons; there can be little doubt that it is
breeding there, but evidence more solid than the presence of young birds late
in the summer has yet to see the light of day. If you visit this
site--and there is a restaurant over the lake at the marina acting as a
possible source of attraction--please be alert for this species and report it
if you see it.
Project
ParkWatch is still an active project, and there are several Regional observers
who are contributing to it on a regular basis. Gay Hodges in Pulaski
Co., KY, has continued to make trips to, and count birds in, General
Burnside Island S. P.; Roseanna Denton in the same county has visited Gen.
Burnside and the Pumphrey Farm, a Nature Conservancy area, and provided bird
data from each. Winston Walden has continued to submit data from the
Buffalo Valley Nature Trail and Center Hill Dam for over a year, and the list
from that area is now around 100 species, so it has been provided with a
check-list accessible from the ParkWatch page of my website:
There
are many small public access birding sites, and some large ones, around
the Region that could use more work to determine the species that occur in
them, so please consider making visits when you can and submitting your data
to me, as well as to eBird.
During
the last two and a half years, I've received reports of 35 road-killed
Eastern Screech-Owls from a variety of helpful persons who live in the Region.
About 83% of these screech-owls have been rufous morphs birds; about 14% have
been gray morph birds; and 3% were not classifiable to morph. I will
continue to accept reports of road-killed EASOs until I have received at least
50 such reports, so please be on the alert for carcasses of this species along
roadways, especially now that young, semi-vulnerable birds are flying around
and looking for places to settle down.
During
July and August I will be turning a lot of my attention to butterfly counting
around the Region, though I will not be ignoring birds entirely while I
am seeking butterflies (and moths). At the end of July there will be two
butterfly counts in Putnam County; if you want to join me for a day of lepping,
drop a line and let me know. The tentative dates for these counts
follow: Putnam County West--26 July; and Putnam County East--30 July.
Good
bird and butterfly counting, Steve
Subject: birdfolk message 2007-23 (22
june--post-solstice by a day)
Dear
birdfolk,
As
the length of daylight each day begins its half-year-long process of diminishment,
let me add a few notes to those that I passed along earlier today in a rare
bird alert about Scissor-tailed Flycatchers and Veeries. Besides the
three adult Scissor-tails in Bledsoe Co., TN, I also found 1973 individuals of
79 other species in that county yesterday, the day of the summer
solstice. One of the birds was an American Coot that was hanging out on
a large pond I had never seen before on Kelly Lane south of Pikeville.
This coot was probably unable to fly or disabled in some manner, as happens
sometimes, and its presence was not really too much of a surprise, but the
pond on which it was staying is worth focusing on because it appears to be
capable of drawing in herons and egrets during the period of post-breeding
dispersal (July-September), shorebirds during spring and fall migrations, and
perhaps waterfowl during winter, so it could bear a lot of checking if there
are any birdfolk out there who can get to it occasionally. This
pond, which I hereby dub the Kelly Lane pond (unless it has another name of
which I am unaware), should prove to be just as good as, or even better
for, birds as the Swafford Pond on Upper East Valley Rd. in Bledsoe Co.
[Get to Kelly Lane by driving south on Rt. 127 from Pikeville 3-4 miles; Kelly
Lane is on the left; take it a half mile or so and you will see a large pond
on your left; scope/scan it from the road.]
Another
of the birds I found yesterday was a singing Cerulean Warbler on Lowe's Gap
Rd. in northern Bledsoe Co.; it was at a site where this species was also
detected during the Bledsoe County Foray conducted during mid-June 1987.
Nice that Lowe's Gap Rd. still supports this decreasing songbird two decades
following what I hope will be just the first Bledsoe County Foray.
Eurasian
Collared-Doves showed up in several places in Bledsoe Co. yesterday, all
sightings involving either a single "singer" or a pair of
birds, no flocks, so the collared-doves are clearly still in breeding mode.
Positive breeding evidence involving more than a bird carrying nest material
has yet to be documented anywhere within the Upper Cumberland
Region, so if you discover any such, please pass it along.
My
190-mile odyssey through Bledsoe Co. yesterday was shrikeless; difficult to
believe that such nice habitat for shrikes as is available in the Sequatchie
Valley produced not a single shrike. It's hard to say how many more
years will pass before the shrike becomes a species like the virtually absent
Bachman's Sparrow, the Bewick's Wren (ditto), to say nothing of the entirely
absent Red-cockaded Woodpecker in the UCR, but the long decline toward the
shrike's Regional extirpation seems to be happening as inevitably as the
shortening of days following the summer solstice. Sad to see it
happening and to be able to do pretty much nothing about it except point it
out, probably too incessantly.
A
lepidopteran note: this year appears to have produced a larger than usual
flight of Diana Fritillaries, a rare and wonderful butterfly of the southern
Appalachians and Ozarks. A butterfly count in the Chattanooga area
recently tallied a whopping 130 of these fine 'flies, and they are right now
fairly easy to find in Cumberland Co., TN. Joseph Mast was recently able
to obtain a photo showing the sexually dimorphic male (orange and brown) and
female (black and blue--but not from spousal abuse!) of this species near
Mayland, enabling the species to be documented as occurring in that county and
reflected in the data presented at the Butterflies and Moths of North
America website for the first time.
A
note on an insect of another kind: fireflies (aka lightning bugs) seem
way down in numbers in my yard this month compared to numbers I have seen in
previous summers; I'm wondering if others are seeing fewer of these critters,
which may have been affected by the Easter freeze, as well as by the extremely
dry conditions of late spring and early summer. Please pass along
whatever word you have on these bioluminescing wonders.
Good
bird and butterfly counting, Steve
Subject: birdfolk message 2007-22 (14
june)
Dear
birdfolk,
A
Barn Owl pair with five young is currently being reported near Mayland in
Cumberland Co., TN. Joseph Mast put up a nest box for Barn Owls in late
March and by the end of April a pair of owls had taken up residence in the
box; by early May the female had laid five eggs; and now the pair is
feeding five young of various sizes. Congrats to Joseph for his
initiative; he learned of this nest box type from friends in Ohio where a
dense population of Barn Owls is sustained by an informal nest box
program. Joseph has a few other boxes he is willing to put up, and I am
sure he would share plans for his box with anyone wanting them. Roseanna
Denton also reported a Barn Owl at Mt. Zion, Pulaski Co., KY, June 5; this owl
was in a barn where one has been sporadically reported since August 2006.
In
a recent birdfolk message (2007-19; 23 may), I reported on what seemed to be
predation on shrikes by Cooper's Hawk in DeKalb Co., TN. The latest news
from that sector of the Region indicates that the hawk may well have taken
some of the young shrikes, but at least two young shrikes survived into
early June near the nesting site on Student's Home Rd. Furthermore,
another pair of shrikes has been found about a half mile away from the first
pair, so things are fairly good for shrikes in that area. Additionally,
Janie Finch reported seeing a shrike on Hickory Valley Rd., White Co., TN,
this past Monday; this site has produced few previous reports in the
past. Any and all shrike reports are welcome from now until I retire
from this kind of activity, so please send them along.
I
completed 50 point counts in Western Putnam Co., TN, last week; in all, I
counted 33 Cerulean Warblers at these 50 points, which are conducted in the
same general area where I conducted a driving survey for CERWs in late May
(counting 28 CERWs) and where I counted birds during the Spring Bird Count in
Putnam County (including 31 CERWs). All of these monitoring efforts
suggest about the same density of CERWs to be present in western Putnam
County. John Froeschauer conducted some point counts in Edgar Evins S.P.,
DeKalb Co., TN, on May 20, counting 4 CERWs, the same number that he counted
there last year. Hope others in the Region can begin to
conduct annual counts at other sites where this decreasing warbler is
found--and share results so we are not all unaware of what is going on with
this species in various places around the Region.
Ospreys
are known nesters in Jackson and (more recently) Smith counties, TN, but not
in any other Regional county except Morgan, TN, so one seen by Roseanna Denton
June 10 in northern Pulaski Co., KY, was certainly of great interest.
There is a lot of likely nesting habitat for this raptor around Lake
Cumberland (as well as Dale Hollow Lake, Center Hill Lake, and some other
lakes of the Region besides Cordell Hull), and it appears only a matter of
time before there is a larger Regional breeding population than there is now
(and what we know about now may be only a small part of what is really out
there).
During
Spring 2007 no Regional reports of any Swainson's Warblers came my way, so it
was with great joy that I report that up to six of these retiring warblers
were counted June 2 near Bee Rock, Pulaski Co., KY, by Tim Houghton and
various members of the Beckham Bird Club. Anyone who has knowledge of
other sightings of Swainson's Warbler is encouraged to report their findings
as otherwise 2007 will go down as a really down year for the population of
this warbler in our neck of the woods.
I've
not heard any word in nearly a month about the Scissor-tails in Bledsoe Co.,
TN; anyone out there been to have a look? They should have nest about
now if both members of the pair returned to the Ninemile Crossroad site.
Good
bird counting, Steve
A
Natural Moment: 0937 EDT on 9 June 2007 north of Monticello at stop
50 of the Sunnybrook Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), Wayne Co., KY.
I
am about to begin scanning a nearby hayfield to see if a Red-tailed Hawk might
be perched on one of the recently produced bales of hay now dotting the field;
if I can spot a Red-tail, it will give me 70 species for the morning's BBS
effort, and I would like to have 70, rather than 69 species, because this BBS
is a special one for me, the 200th of my BBS career. So I begin to scan
the field with only one minute left at this 3-minute stop, which is the
last stop of 50 on this route. As I slowly peruse the bales of hay, I think
back on the morning's counting effort, which began at 0549 EDT. As
usual, I had stopped about a mile from the start point to wait a few minutes
so I could drive up to the start point right at the appointed starting time,
and, as usual, I heard a Whip-poor-will calling in the distance and then
(surprise) I heard a Chuck-will's-widow, not a usual customer here.
However, also as usual, when I start the BBS, I can hear neither of
these nocturnal songsters, so my effort to achieve 70 species is already hindered.
However, stop 1 does yield two Scarlet Tanagers, a species I do not always
record on this BBS route, so it has not been a total loss. At stop
2 I hear the dawn song of an Acadian Flycatcher, another species I do not
always record on this route. Stops 4 and 5 yield a catbird apiece,
another species I sometimes miss on this route, but no Ovenbird can be heard
"Teach--Teach--Teaching" at stops 6, 7, or 8, where I usually hear
at least one--another obstacle to overcome if I am to record 70 species.
However, several Yellow-throated Vireos take up the slack, as well as
White-eyes and Red-eyes. Stop 15 produces its usual Purple Martins; stop
28 its usual Grasshopper Sparrow--and a bonus, a female Mallard with six
young. Stop 32 the first of seven House Wrens I will count, but sooner
than I usually get the first one. At stop 36 I begin to enter the
outskirts of the town of Monticello, usually causing few new species to be
added to whatever I have so far accumulated, so I am momentarily depressed;
with only 61 species, it seems my goal of 70 it out of reach. Stops 37,
38, 39, and 40 yield no new species, continuing my depression. However,
at Stops 41 and 42 I count Eurasian Collared-Doves, the first time that I have
found this exotic dove on the Sunnybrook BBS route (and about time,
too, since the doves have been in Monticello for several years already); and
stop 42 also produces a real eye-opener when a Tree Swallow circles low over the
completely paved parking lot of a local funeral parlor (what could
it possibly be doing there!). At stop 43 I watch a Chimney Swift attempt
to break twigs off of a dogwood, presumably for nest-building; I cannot recall
ever seeing this behavior before, so my spirits are lifted a little even
though the swift is not a new bird for the day. Stop 44 yields the day's
first kestrel, and I begin to feel a little encouraged about the prospect
of a 70-species BBS. During a brief lull in heavy traffic, stop 45
yields not one, but two singing Horned Larks. Stop 46 is another noisy
one, but during a brief period of quiet the softly uttered song of a Warbling
Vireo comes my way. Stop 47 produces the first White-breasted Nuthatch
of the morning. Stop 48 is almost always a good one, because Thurston's
Pond is located here, but today no new bird appears along its
willow-fringed edges though another Tree Swallow is a good find. I
get to stop 50 with 67 species, thinking it just won't be possible to add
three new species at this stop, but as I pull up I flush a Cooper's Hawk (#
68) from a nearby tree, and it stays in sight long enough for me to (rapidly)
exit my car and start the timer, so it can be counted. Then a Northern
Bobwhite (# 69) calls off to my left (and another countercalls to my right).
So it all comes down to whether there is a Red-tail sitting on one of those
bales of hay, as I earnestly hope will be the case. With only a few
bales of hay left to look over (and only a few seconds left on my timer), I
begin to think that the birdgods aren't going to cooperate today, but, what's
this, a Buteo on that second-to-last bale of hay! And, yes, it
has a belly band; Red-tail (# 70) it is. 70 species is not a
record number for this particular BBS, but it is a number I wanted to achieve
on this 200th personal BBS effort, so it is good that it happened. Life
(in the bird lane) is good. Beep, beep, beep.
Subject: birdfolk message 2007-21 (4
june)
Dear
birdfolk,
Late
May and early June comprise the primary period when breeding
bird surveys of various kinds are undertaken by the birdfolk out there who
possess good ear-birding skills and a modest concern for the welfare of
the various species comprising the Regional avifauna, not an overly frequent
combination in most birding communities. It was good to see the
moderately good turn-out for the White County Foray, one of many kinds of
breeding bird surveys that can benefit our understanding of the local birdlife
and eventually promote the maintenance of stable populations of most species
within it. Many thanks again to all who took part in that event, results
of which are close to, but not yet quite, final.
Please get the lead out if you still have data to offer relating to the foray,
and many thanks if you have already taken care of this final and crucial step
in the foray data-gathering process.
I
began to conduct my federal Breeding Bird Surveys last Friday, when I ran
the Union Hill BBS (70 species) in Clay and Macon counties, TN; on Saturday, I
continued this year's BBS blitz by running the Silver Point BBS (75 species)
in Putnam, DeKalb and Smith counties, TN; on Sunday I followed those BBSs with
a running of the Oliver Springs BBS (67 species) in Morgan Co., TN; and this
morning I continued with the Hegira BBS (73 species) in Cumberland and Monroe
counties, KY. Not many surprises to relate from these BBS efforts: five
species of swallows on the Silver Point BBS were nice, as were five species of
raptors this morning on the Hegira BBS, which also produced a Dickcissel,
rarely reported on that route; a Willow Flycatcher on the Oliver Springs BBS
was nice, but that flycatcher has been reported along that route several
times in the past.
Following
the Oliver Springs BBS yesterday, I went on to Frozen Head State Natural Area
and walked a 10-mile loop in the park, counting Cerulean Warblers. I
have also walked this loop during each of the past 13 years, so it has become
like an old friend to me, even though the number of CERWs along the loop has
mostly been on the decline, like old friends tend to be if you know them long
enough, I suppose. This year I counted 35 CERWs, up 2 from last year,
but far, far below the 106 I counted in 1994, when I began this particular
survey effort, which is non-standard but still extremely revealing of the
trend in CERW numbers in the park (and perhaps in the Region, since results of
the Frozen Head CERW survey are essentially mirrored by the results of the
CERW survey I've conducted in western Putnam County the past four years).
The decline in the number of CERWs I have counted on the loop in Frozen Head
is parallel, curiously enough, to the decline in Scarlet Tanagers along the
same loop over the the past 14 years; since both of those species are canopy
specialists, perhaps there is something going on in the upper levels of the
Frozen Head forest that is not good for such species. However, few other
species have undergone such a dramatic loss of numbers in the park since 1994.
For instance, yesterday I counted 91 Black-throated Green Warblers (mid-canopy
forager and nester), 22 Black-and-white Warblers (ground nester), and 98
Ovenbirds (ground nester), all highest ever numbers for those species during
my 14 CERW surveys in the park.
I'll
be conducting 50 standard 10-minute point counts in western Putnam County
during the next week or so, mostly to see how results of these standard
counting efforts compare to the results of the nonstandard counting efforts
I've conducted there. If you are interested in acquiring the skills
needed to conduct such points yourself, drop a line and perhaps we can arrange
for you to join me for a point-counting morning.
Hope
your summer includes a little effort on behalf of the birds out there.
Good
bird counting, Steve
A
Natural Moment: c.
1230 EDT 3 June 2007, a little north of the intersection with the Coffin
Spring Trail on the jeep road in Frozen Head State Natural Area,
Morgan Co., TN:
I
am about two hours into this 4.25-hour-long walk, enjoying the cool
temperature produced by 3000 feet of elevation and by the mostly closed canopy
overhead when I stop short, hearing the distinctive call of a Veery, one of
the high elevation specialists of Frozen Head that I am alert for today.
I listen for other "veer" notes from other directions but hear none,
so I record one Veery on my field card, the first for this year's walk.
I proceed another 20 meters or so when suddenly a Veery sings off to my left
not more than 15 meters from where I stand; just as suddenly another
Veery begins to sing about 15 meters to my right. The net effect is to
have stereophonic Veery song drenching my ears. As wonderful as hearing
a single Veery sing very close by is, the effect of two Veeries seems more
than double that of one, as if some kind of mystical echo is overloading the ears
with this thrush's fine music. I spend two rapt minutes soaking in Veery song,
when just as suddenly as they began, the Veeries cease their songs. I
move on, hoping that other Veeries ahead of me will provide a similar concert
in the woods, but no more Veeries do I hear during the remaining 2 hours of my
walk; even so, the entire 255-minute walk is made the more memorable by
those two minutes when the Veeries sang.