[Bristol-Birds] Elizabethton Spring Bird Count

The 65th consecutive Elizabethton Spring Bird Count was held on Saturday 26 
April 2008
(but not compiled until 6 May).  30 members of the Herndon Chapter of TOS split 
into 7-8 
parties and spent 83 party hours plus 8 nocturnal hours counting birds.

The coverage area included Carter County and parts of adjacent Johnson, 
Sullivan, Unicoi, 
& Washington Counties.

Observers tallied 9801 birds of 151 species.  This is above the recent 30-year 
average of
144.6 species.  The all-time high for this count is 161 species found in 2005.  
Over the long
run of this count 239 species have occurred.

Notable sightings:
N. Shoveler - 2
Lesser Scaup - 18
Bufflehead - 12
Red-br. Merganser - 5
Ruffed Grouse - 2
Com. Loon - 7
Am. Bittern - 1
Great Egret - 1
Yellow-cr. Night-Heron - 5
Osprey - 16
Red-shouldered Hawk - 2  (scarce in NE Tenn.)
Virginia Rail - 1
Western Sandpiper - 1
Am. Woodcock - 1
Eur. Collared-Dove - 1 
N. Saw-whet Owl - 2
Red-headed. Woodpecker - 3
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 2
Loggerhead Shrike - 1
Warbling Vireo - 5
Com. Raven - 9
Brown Creeper - 6
Hermit Thrush - 1
Am. Pipit - 40

warblers - 26 species, including Golden-winged - 2 and Swainson's - 3; 
good numbers of breeding warblers were found, such as Black-thr. Blue - 118,
Black-thr. Green - 149, Ovenbird - 169, & Hooded - 188.

Grasshopper Sparrow - 2
Pine Siskin - 32
-------------------------------------------
As always, a few species were missed.  This year the species missed included:
N. Bobwhite (none since 2003)
Barn Owl
Com. Nighthawk
Swainson's Thrush
several warblers - Blue-wg., Tenn., Cape May, Cerulean (none since 2002), & 
Prothonotary.
Summer Tanager
--------------------------------

Rick Knight  --  non-participating compiler (I went to the TOS meeting in 
Memphis.)
Johnson City, TN

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