[Bristol-Birds] Northern Bobwhite on Greene County Breeding Bird Survey--additional info

  • From: "Alice Loftin / Don Miller " <pandion@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: TN-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, butternuts@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Sun, 16 Jun 2013 12:19:33 -0400 (EDT)

June 16, 2013 
  
After my post of June 9, I received several questions about Northern Bobwhites 
along the BBS route in Greene County.  Here's additional information, which I 
hope will help create a better understanding of the species along the portion 
of Greene County represented by the survey route.  I have run the route since 
2001, so I have thirteen years of data on which to draw.  
  
Year, followed by number of stops where bobwhites were found, followed by stop 
numbers themselves 
  
2001 (22): 3-5, 7-11, 13-15, 19-20, 22, 24, 26-29, 33, 44, 49 
2002 (21): 1, 3-5, 7-9, 11, 13, 15, 18-20, 22, 24, 27-29, 32-33, 50 
2003 (12): 7, 9-11, 13-14, 18, 20, 25-26, 28, 36 
2004 (14): 5-6, 8-10, 13-14, 16-18, 26, 30, 45-46 
2005 (10): 10, 22, 25-27, 29-30, 45-46, 50 
2006 (16): 4-5, 10-11, 13-14, 16, 20, 26-29, 35-36, 39, 46 
2007 (8): 5, 10, 14-15, 20, 22, 30, 36 
2008 (5): 5, 21-22, 35, 49 
2009 (3): 3, 27, 29 
2010 (4): 20, 27-29 
2011 (6): 6, 8-9, 11, 26, 30 
2012 (3): 7, 28, 36 
2013 (14): 4-5, 13-14, 16, 18-19, 24-25, 29, 35, 37, 45-46 
  
Stop numbers where bobwhites were found, followed by number of years 
  
# 1 (1) 
# 3 (3) 
# 4 (4) 
# 5 (7) 
# 6 (2) 
# 7 (4) 
# 8 (4) 
# 9 (5) 
# 10 (6) 
# 11 (5) 
# 13 (6) 
# 14 (6) 
# 15 (3) 
# 16 (3) 
# 17 (1) 
# 18 (4) 
# 19 (3) 
# 20 (6) 
# 21 (1) 
# 22 (5) 
# 24 (3) 
# 25 (3) 
# 26 (6) 
# 27 (6) 
# 28 (6) 
# 29 (7) 
# 30 (4) 
# 32 (1) 
# 33 (2) 
# 35 (3) 
# 36 (4) 
# 37 (1) 
# 39 (1) 
# 44 (1) 
# 45 (3) 
# 46 (4) 
# 49 (2) 
# 50 (2) 
  
Over the survey period, bobwhites have been found at 38 stops.  The habitat 
along these stops consists primarily of hay fields or grazed pastures bordered 
by overgrown fencerows, vegetated creek banks, fields reverting to forest, 
and/or mature woodlots.  Houses and other human structures occur in close 
proximity to most of the spots where bobwhites have been found.  The survey 
route as a whole can be described primarily as rural pasture and woodlots (some 
rather large) slowly being replaced by houses and occasional small 
subdivisions, with some of the pastures reverting to overgrown fields.  Tobacco 
fields are present at a small number of stops. A few farm ponds also occur at 
the assigned stops. 
  
As the summary above indicates, bobwhites took a sharp dip in numbers beginning 
in 2007, and the total for 2013 represents a surprising increase over the 
recent past.  I am unable to offer meaningful speculation to explain this . 
Given the steady decline in habitat, I would expect the opposite.  Perhaps this 
year's numbers are merely an anomalous spike in a continuing downward trend. 
  
Don Miller 
Greeneville, Greene Co., TN 

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  • » [Bristol-Birds] Northern Bobwhite on Greene County Breeding Bird Survey--additional info - Alice Loftin / Don Miller