[Bristol-Birds] Elizabethton Fall Bird Count

  • From: "Rick Knight" <RKnight@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "TN-bird" <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>,"bristol-birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sun, 28 Sep 2003 18:41:28 -0400

The Elizabethton Fall Bird Count was held on 27 Sep. by members & friends of 
the Lee and Lois Herndon Chapter of TOS.  The coverage area consisted of Carter 
County and parts of adjacent Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi & Washington counties.   
21 observers in 6 parties spent 69 party-hours in the field, plus 4.5 hours 
owling.  The weather was good until a cold front passed through in the late 
afternoon.  Temperatures were 52-80 degrees.  The sky was partly cloudy until 
the front arrived, then light rain began, with clouds persisting until dusk.  
Winds were westerly at 5-15 mph, but gusty with the frontal passage.
132 species were found (plus Empidonax sp.).  This compares to an average of 
123 species over the last 20 years.  The all-time high on this count was 137 
species in 1993.  A total of 6710 individuals were counted.

Highlights include (in taxonomic order):  Horned Grebe - 2 (record early), 
Eared Grebe - 3 (at their now-regular site on South Holston Lake), both 
night-herons, Bald Eagle - 1, Peregrine Falcon - 1, Virginia Rail - 1, Sora - 
2, six species of shorebirds (besides Killdeer), LAUGHING GULL - 9 (at South 
Holston Lake, about 14th record & largest number in 5-county area of Northeast 
Tenn.), Barn Owl - 2 (at regular site at the V.A. in Johnson City), Com. 
Nighthawk - 6, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 1, Acadian Flycatcher - 1, 
Philadelphia Vireo - 1, Com. Raven - 13 (by 4 parties), Marsh Wren - 2 (in 
Shady Valley), 22 species of warblers (including a Golden-winged, 2 Nashville, 
102 Tenn., a Yellow, & 3 Canada), Swamp Sparrow - 1, Blue Grosbeak - 13, 
Bobolink - 1, Red Crossbill - 2, Pine Siskin - 2.

Participants were:  Fred Alsop, Rob Biller, Wallace Coffey, Rack Cross, Tess 
Cumbie, Gilbert Derouen, Glen Eller, Don Holt, Rick Knight (compiler), H.P. 
Langridge, Tom Laughlin, Larry McDaniel, Tom McNeil, Charles Moore, Dexter & 
Linda Newman, Mike Poe, Bryan Stevens, Allan Trently, Gary Wallace, and Frank 
Ward.

The full list will appear in the chapter newsletter (The Kestrel) & a future 
compilation of fall counts in THE MIGRANT.

###################
Rick Knight
Johnson City, TN
rknight@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

*************************************************
       BRISTOL BIRDS NET LIST

This is a regional birding list sponsored by the
Bristol Bird Club to facilitate communications 
between birders and bird clubs of Southwest Virginia
and Northeast Tennessee.  It serves the Russell County
Bird Club, Herndon TOS Chapter, Blue Ridge 
Birders Club, Butternut Nature Club, Buchanan County
Bird Club, Bristol Bird Club, Clinch Valley Bird Club
and Cumberland Nature Club.
--------------------------------------------------
You are subscribed to Bristol-Birds.
To post to this mailing list, simply send an email
to: bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe, send
an email to bristol-birds-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with
the one word 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
--------------------------------------------------
       Wallace Coffey, Moderator
         wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
           (423)764-****

Other related posts: