[EMAS] Balsam Mountains Spring Count Report

From: Marilyn Westphal <mjwestph@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: carolinabirds <carolinabirds@xxxxxxxx>, "emas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Audubon Society" <emas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 7 Jul 2013 14:42:09 -0400
Slightly tardy, but here are the results for the Balsam Mountains spring
count.


8th annual Balsam Mountains spring count (includes the Blue Ridge Parkway
from just north of the Pisgah Inn to the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains
as well as adjacent trails and roads and the Shining Rock and Middle Prong
Wilderness)

84 species and 3523 individuals

25 participants in 11 groups, 81.85 party-hours



The very cold, wet spring with frequent dense fog and high winds required
some flexibility with the count date this year.  What might be considered
poor birding weather conditions at lower elevations become impossible
birding conditions on mountain ridges.  Teams were allowed to select a date
to survey within a few days on either side of May 18th and base their
selection on weather conditions as much as possible.  This system worked
very well and allowed some teams to switch dates, even at the last minute,
to allow for more favorable conditions.  Weather should not be a critical
factor in determining species presence/absence or abundance.

Although lessening daily weather conditions as a factor allowed for a more
realistic count, and the consistently late date for this count allows for
breeding species to return before the count, overall weather conditions
during the spring season did affect return dates for a few species.  Cedar
Waxwings and Indigo Buntings delayed returning to the higher elevations
until very late in May and even into June.  Both of these species were in
the top ten in abundance on the 2012 spring count when foliage emerged much
earlier than usual, but as foliage emerged quite late this year abundance
of both of these species declined greatly, from 107 Cedar Waxwings in 2012
to only 10 this year, and from 117 Indigo Buntings in 2012 to only 63 this
year.  At this writing in early July, however, both of these species are
once again quite abundant at higher elevations.

The top three most abundant species changed rankings this year when, for
the first time, the most abundant species counted was Eastern Towhee (354).
 Rounding out the top ten most abundant species were Dark-eyed Junco (330),
Chestnut-sided Warbler (314), Veery (171), Golden-crowned Kinglet (168),
Blue-headed Vireo (164), American Robin (160), Black-throated Green Warbler
(154), Canada Warbler (150), and Ovenbird (135).

Although Golden-crowned Kinglet numbers had been dropping off over the past
several years, this year numbers bounced back, perhaps indicating that
their populations are more cyclical or more dependent on conditions the
previous breeding season.  Thrush numbers also were higher than average, in
general, with Veery, Hermit Thrush and Wood Thrush all recording the
highest numbers on any of the eight counts conducted.  The range of the
Hermit Thrush has expanded in the count area as well.  Once limited largely
to the area from Devil’s Courthouse to Richland Balsam, more are now being
found farther east in the Black Balsam/Shining Rock area.  Other species
recording good numbers this year included Winter Wren (61), Common
Yellowthroat (71), Least Flycatcher (36) and Alder Flycatcher (32).  The
Black Balsam/Shining Rock/Graveyard Fields areas with their extensive shrub
and grass balds with wooded edges are ideal habitat for the latter three
species where most of these birds are found.

Late migrants found included a couple of Yellow-rumped Warblers and a
Bay-breasted Warbler along the Pisgah Ridge as well as a Cerulean Warbler,
which may or may not have been a late migrant, in the Plott Balsam
Mountains.  The very controversial Black-capped/hybrid Chickadee numbers
along the higher ridges of the Great Balsam Mountains and extending into
the Pisgah Ridge also have increased in number.  As has been true in recent
years, all chickadee songs heard from Black Balsam Road to Richland Balsam
were that of the Black-capped Chickadee, indicating either a range
expansion of the Black-capped Chickadee or at least of the dominance of
that song in hybrids and possibly even in Carolina Chickadees.  What is
certain is that chickadee numbers have greatly increased in the spruce/fir
zone of the Balsam Mountains since the 1960’s when they were largely absent.

Once again many participants on this count considered this one of their
favorite birding days of the year.  Thanks again to all of them for a job
well done.

Marilyn Westphal





-- 
Marilyn Westphal
Hendersonville, NC
[EMAS] Balsam Mountains Spring Count Report

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