[Bristol-Birds] Elizabethton Fall Count
- From: "Richard Knight" <rknight8@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "bristol-birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "tn-bird" <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:52:11 -0400
Members & friends of the Lee & Lois Herndon Chapter of TOS conducted the 40th
annual
Elizabethton Fall Count on Saturday, 26 Sep 2009. The area covered was Carter
Co. and
parts of adjacent Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, & Washington Cos.
The morning saw partly cloudy skies quickly turn overcast with a few sprinkles.
By noon
the full brunt of a passing front brought moderate to heavy rain until well
after sunset,
literally washing out most of the afternoon. Flash flooding occurred in some
areas as
2 or more inches of rain fell.
Despite the weather, 121 species (+ 2 sp.) of birds were tallied. This is only
slightly below
the average of 124 species detected over the last 25 years. The all-time high
was 137
species found in 1993. As you might guess, totals for many species were on the
low side
(e.g., 60 Am. Goldfinch was the lowest since 1978).
However, totals for 5 species were record high for this count: Mallard - 411,
Wild Turkey - 84,
Bald Eagle - 5, Ruby-thr. Hummingbird - 39, and Am. Crow - 885.
Notable were:
Northern Goshawk - 2 adults near Ripshin Lake (4th count record),
Eur. Collared-Dove - 2 in Washington Co (first on this count),
Virginia Rail - 1 at Shady Valley (4th on this count),
Semipalmated Plover - 1 in Sullivan Co (only 2nd in last 17 years on this
count),
Ring-necked Duck - 1 on Watauga River (1 of 2 that summered).
Missed were:
Ruffed Grouse - missed for only 3rd time since 1990;
N. Bobwhite - missed 8 straight years, has been found 3 times in last 16 years
(all singles);
Com. Nighthawk - only 3rd miss since 1975;
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - only missed 5 times in last 20 years;
Loggerhead Shrike - missed 11 of last 16 years;
Ruby-cr. Kinglet - FIRST MISS EVER on this count;
Nashville Warbler - missed for 3rd time in last 16 years.
The nighthawk miss was due to the rain, as some of the others may have been.
However, bobwhites and shrikes have become difficult to find in this area.
Parties were:
1) Gary Wallace, Brookie & Jean Potter, Bryan Stevens, David Thometz, Jennifer
Kennedy.
2) Fred Alsop, Jim & Darla Anderson, Mary Anna Wheat, Connie McCall.
3) Tom McNeil, Rob Biller, Hannah Baker, Michele Sparks, John Tolejko.
4) Joe McGuiness, Kim Stroud, Don Holt, Dianne Draper, Kathy & Eric Noblet.
5) Glen Eller, Roy Knispell, Jerry Bevins, Richard Lewis.
6) Larry McDaniel, Gary Cooper.
7) Rick Knight, Gil Derouen, Jim Anderson, Paul & Emily Bayes.
Thanks to all who braved the weather.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
species list:
Canada Goose 676
Wood Duck 43
Mallard 411
Blue-wg. Teal 7
Ring-necked Duck 1
Wild Turkey 84
Pied-billed Grebe 3
Dbl-cr. Cormorant 3
Great Blue Heron 39
Great Egret 8
Green Heron 7
Black-cr. Night-Heron 1
Black Vulture 12
Turkey Vulture 102
Osprey 9
Bald Eagle 5
N. Harrier 2
Sharp-sh. Hawk 5
Cooper's Hawk 11
N. GOSHAWK 2
Broad-wg. Hawk 2
Red-tailed Hawk 9
Am. Kestrel 8
Virginia Rail 1
Sora 3
Semipalmated Plover 1
Killdeer 67
Spotted Sandpiper 6
Solitary Sandpiper 3
Least Sandpiper 7
Pectoral Sandpiper 1
Rock Pigeon 390
Eur. Collared-Dove 2
Mourning Dove 456
E. Screech-Owl 16
Great Horned Owl 1
Barred Owl 1
Chimney Swift 622
Ruby-thr. Hummingbird 39 (+ 1 hummingbird sp., possibly Black-chinned)
Belted Kingfisher 33
Red-hd. Woodpecker 1
Red-bel. Woodpecker 34
Downy Woodpecker 27
Hairy Woodpecker 6
N. Flicker 29
Pileated Woodpecker 16
E. Wood-Pewee 8
Empidonax sp. 2
E. Phoebe 61
E. Kingbird 1
White-eyed Vireo 2
Yellow-thr. Vireo 1
Blue-headed Vireo 11
Philadelphia Vireo 1
Red-eyed Vireo 8
Blue Jay 361
Am. Crow 885
Com. Raven 7
Tree Swallow 55
Barn Swallow 3
Carolina Chickadee 96
Tufted Titmouse 74
Red-br. Nuthatch 1
White-br. Nuthatch 17
Carolina Wren 107
House Wren 2
Winter Wren 1
Marsh Wren 2
Golden-cr. Kinglet 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 3
E. Bluebird 129
Veery 1
Gray-cheeked Thrush 7
Swainson's Thrush 50
Wood Thrush 5
Am. Robin 430
Gray Catbird 22
N. Mockingbird 40
Brown Thrasher 7
Eur. Starling 1340
Cedar Waxwing 81
Tennessee Warbler 58
N. Parula 2
Yellow Warbler 3
Chestnut-sd. Warbler 6
Magnolia Warbler 12
Cape May Warbler 14
Black-thr. Blue Warbler 6
Yellow-rumped Warbler 3
Black-thr. Green Warbler 12
Blackburnian Warbler 4
Yellow-thr. Warbler 3
Pine Warbler 5
Palm Warbler 10
Bay-br. Warbler 11
Black-and-white Warbler 4
Am. Redstart 12
Ovenbird 2
N. Waterthrush 2
Com. Yellowthroat 6
Hooded Warbler 5
Scarlet Tanager 9
E. Towhee 27
Chipping Sparrow 56
Field Sparrow 20
Savannah Sparrow 7
Song Sparrow 105
Lincoln's Sparrow 1
White-thr. Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco 32
N. Cardinal 130
Rose-br. Grosbeak 49
Indigo Bunting 18
Bobolink 5
Red-wg. Blackbird 35
E. Meadowlark 23
Com. Grackle 36
Brown-hd. Cowbird 151
House Finch 22
Pine Siskin 3
Am. Goldfinch 60
House Sparrow 66
#####################
Rick Knight
Johnson City, TN
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