The 49th consecutive Elizabethton Fall Count was held on 29 Sep 2018
with 50 observers in 13 parties covering parts of 5 adjacent counties.
127 species were tallied (plus Empidonax sp.),slightly higher than the
average of the last 30 years which was 125.
The all-time high was 137 species in 1993.
Two very rare species were found:
Purple Gallinule - at Meadowview golf course in Kingsport;
Black-legged Kittiwake - on South Holston Lake (found 27 Sep.).
Shorebird habitat was scarce due to high water levels at most sites, thus
only 1 species was found (other than Killdeer).
Broad-wg. Hawks were numerous, part of a notable late flight likely due
to unfavorable weather conditions preceeding the count.
Warblers were generally in low numbers, although 23 species were seen.
No migrant sparrows had arrived yet. Blackbirds, too, were scarce.
Some regular species were tallied in record high numbers, likely due to the
above average number of field parties.
The list:
Canada Goose 781
Wood Duck 79
Mallard 345
Blue-wg. Teal 110
Com. Merganser 2
Ruffed Grouse 2
Wild Turkey 56
Pied-billed Grebe 32
Dbl-cr. Cormorant 78
Great Blue Heron 49
Great Egret 2
Green Heron 2
Blk-cr. Night-Heron 5
Black Vulture 71
Turkey Vulture 203
Osprey 27 - most ever on this count
Bald Eagle 8
N. Harrier 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk 3
Cooper's Hawk 9
Red-shld. Hawk 6
Broad-wg. Hawk 321 - most ever on this count
Red-tailed Hawk 19
Virginia Rail 1
Purple Gallinule 1
Killdeer 43
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Black-lg. Kittiwake 1
Caspian Tern 1
Common Tern 2
Rock Pigeon 597
Eur. Collared-Dove 2
Mourning Dove 330
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 4
E. Screech-Owl 24
Great Horned Owl 10
Barred Owl 5
N. Saw-whet Owl 1
Com. Nighthawk 1
Chimney Swift 481
Ruby-thr. Hummingbird 31
Belted Kingfisher 32
Red-headed Woodpecker 5
Red-bellied Woodpecker 92 - most ever on this count
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 5
Downy Woodpecker 59
Hairy Woodpecker 12
N. Flicker 67
Pileated Woodpecker 54 - most ever on this count
Am. Kestrel 13
Merlin 2
E. Wood-Pewee 15
Empidonax sp. 2
E. Phoebe 79
E. Kingbird 9
White-eyed Vireo 1
Yellow-thr. Vireo 2
Blue-hd. Vireo 21
Philadelphia Vireo 3
Red-eyed Vireo 4
Blue Jay 646
Am. Crow 364
Com. Raven 19
N. Rough-wg. Swallow 3
Tree Swallow 465
Barn Swallow 1
Cliff Swallow 3
Carolina Chickadee 177
Tufted Titmouse 133 - most ever on this count
Red-br. Nuthatch 4
White-br. Nuthatch 71 - most ever on this count
Brown Creeper 1
House Wren 4
Winter Wren 1
Carolina Wren 218 - most ever on this count
Golden-cr. Kinglet 8
E. Bluebird 187
Gray-cheeked Thrush 12
Swainson's Thrush 46
Wood Thrush 9
Am. Robin 591
Gray Catbird 64 - most ever on this count
Brown Thrasher 23
N. Mockingbird 111
Eur. Starling 1226
Cedar Waxwing 294
Worm-eating Warbler 1
N. Waterthrush 1
Black-and-white Warbler 7
Prothonotary Warbler 1
Tennessee Warbler 42
Orange-cr. Warbler 2
Kentucky Warbler 2
Com. Yellowthroat 9
Hooded Warbler 7
Am. Redstart 16
Cape May Warbler 6
N. Parula 8
Magnolia Warbler 18
Bay-breasted Warbler 15
Blackburnian Warbler 8
Yellow Warbler 1
Chestnut-sd. Warbler 1
Black-thr. Blue Warbler 4
Palm Warbler 63
Pine Warbler 11
Yellow-thr. Warbler 1
Prairie Warbler 1
Black-thr. Green Warbler 7
E. Towhee 66
Chipping Sparrow 94
Field Sparrow 16
Song Sparrow 97
Dark-eyed Junco 42
Summer Tanager 2
Scarlet Tanager 11
N. Cardinal 149
Rose-br. Grosbeak 125
Indigo Bunting 14
Bobolink 2
Red-wg. Blackbird 132
E. Meadowlark 7
Com. Grackle 8
Brown-hd. Cowbird 5
House Finch 41
Pine Siskin 11 - present all summer
Am. Goldfinch 220
House Sparrow 69
____________________
Thanks to all of the participants.
Rick Knight - - compiler
Johnson City, TN
