[Bristol-Birds] eBird database shows dramatic sample of regional birding
- From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 21:11:19 -0400
The following data is for two lists compiled from the eBird database that is
on file at Cornell University for birds found in Northeast Tennessee and
Southwest Virginia selected for birding sites covered by the Bristol-Birds
Net.
The first list (below) shows the number of checklists posted to the database
by all birders with a checklist generally indicating the number of birder
lists visits.
The second list shows the number of species known from each site as compiled
from the individual birder field lists posted for each site.
My personal reflection about the lists is that the number of checklists for
each site indicates the popularity of birding visits and the expectation for
finding good birds. It also indicates the convenience of each site as it
relates to the birder population and such things as having to access sites
behind gates and fee areas.
The lack of checklists for Southwest Virginia is basically attributed to
the few small bird clubs that generally are socially focused and concentrate
a great deal on club programs, banquets, picnics, Christmas parties and
visitations to the homes of birders.
The Elizabethton Bird Club is heavily influenced by experienced birders that
have an additional emphasis and focus on considerable field work that
concentrates less on hiking/walking and more on monitoring bird populations
at all seasons. Many birders participate in an annual effort to list the
most species seen each year per participating birder. They usually honor
the top birders with certificates. This friendly contest drives most of the
frequent birding in the five-county Northeast Tennessee area. It also
produces many excellent and rare birds each year.
Rankin Bottoms on Douglas Lake has tremendous shorebird and wading bird
populations in late summer and early fall that it is a major birding
attraction to the Tri-Cities and Knoxville area and birders who travel
considerable distance. Many are from surrounding states.
With the exception of the Kingsport Birding Trail, the Walkway along the
river in Elizabethton and the Linear Park in Erwin have attracted a large
number of birders and birding visits in recent years. The Kingsport area
has a good number of "birders" who are socially focused. Like Southwest
Virginia, the Kingsport community and Bays Mountain Park have not supported
a large visitation of birders and locally active birders except for an
occasionally good species.
The exceptionally large numer of lists and species diversity at Steele Creek
Park in Bristol Tennessee reflects a few nature center employees who have
focused on posting to the eBird database.
Musick's Campground speaks for itself as a water bird site that produces an
amazing array of rare species as well as constantly changing diversity in a
small shorebird habitat. The large and shallow lake area attracts many
water birds much of the year. It is the crown jewel of birding in the
region. It is a special location for find gulls and grebes.
Paddle Creek Pond has quickly grown into a popular shorebird area since it
has habitat management for exposed mudflats. The diversity of species and
several good species have attracted many birders in recent years.
Several tenacious birders regularly bird in Green and Cocke counties as well
as Burke's Garden. They have produced many field lists and good finds. Many
birders who are retired or those with special personal arrangements provide
a constant birding presence in Northeast Tennessee.
Hampton Creek Cove has been a favorite breeding bird site. Phipps Bend has
benefited from new birder focus in that area from birders living in Hawkins
County. So has Burkes Garden in Tazewell County. A track of private land
on the shore of John Sevier Lake on the Holston River in Hawkins County is
not included in this eBird data because compiled figures are not available
to the birding public.
Birders will each have their own take on what influences the number of
visits and diversity. Those who don't take well to participating in the
more technology-driven systems of birding will note that their visits and
species lists are not included and the list would look differently with
their data included. Those socially centered have little interest in
contributing to such compilations. While some might not be able to afford
the required technology or do not consider it a priority in their birding,
Others are not willing to deal with the challenge. Still many are concerned
that the constant flood of technology is not well suited to what they value
in birding to begin with. At least they are conservative folks who are not
comfortable with a constant change in the birding landscape.
Sullivan County has a very large number of birding sites with lots of birder
visits and many good birding finds. The county has basically been
considered as east Sullivan and west Sullivan. East Sullivan is the area
east of I-81 and west Sullivan the area to the west. Eastern Sullivan has
an abundance of water areas with lakes and 50,000 acres of National Forest.
Many miles of paves roadways provide excellent access to the National Forest
in four compass directions. The county features two of Tennessee's top four
largest parks by acreage (2,000 plus acres each). Each is owned and
managed by one of the two cities (Bristol and Kingsport). Both have
professional nature centers with naturalist staffs. The county has three
TVA lakes with land reservations and lots of public lands for birding. The
county also features several good smaller lakes (and weir dam impoundment)
which are good habitats for wintering bird populations. Sullivan has
several rivers.
Northeast Tennessee has both the highest and lowest elevations in the
immediate region.
The Bristol-Birds email list contributes to communication and encouraging
birding in many ways.
SITE / LOCATION/COUNTY SORTED BY CHECKLISTS ON FILE
Musick's Campground, SH Lake, Sullivan
409
Steele Creek Park Bristol TN, Sullivan
377
South Holston Weir, SFH River, Sullivan
313
Paddle Creek Pond, South Holston River, Sullivan
304
Rankin Bottoms, Douglas Lake, Cocke
298
Bushhog Pond, Jonesboro, Washington
263
Elizabethton Walkway, Watauga River, Carter
248
Valle Crucis Community Park, Watauga NC
201
Westview Ponds, Washington
195
Carver's Gap, Roan Mtn, Carter
193
Hampton Creek Cove, Carter
176
Winged Deer Park, Boone Lake, Johnson City, Washington
132
Bays Mountain Park, Kingsport, Sullivan
121
Wilbur Lake, Elizabethton, Carter
121
Dry Creek Rd., Johnson City, Washington
121
Trout Lake, Moses Cone Park, Boone, Watauga NC
115
Phipps Bend, Church Hill, Sullivan
111
Sycamore Shoals, Elizabethton, Carter
99
Burkes Garden, Tazewell, Tazewell
95
Keebler Rd., Limesone, Washington
85
Joachim Bible Refuge, Green
80
Northeast State Community College, Elizabethton, Carter
77
Rasar Farm, Elizabethton, Carter
71
Watauga Dam, Elizabethton, Carter
71
Austin Springs, Boone Lake, Washinton
63
421 Boat Ramp, SH Lake, Sullivan
59
Erwin Linar Park
57
Dutch Bottoms, Douglas Lake, Cocke
57
Unaka Mountain, Erwin Unicoi
55
South Holston Dam, SH Lake, Sullivan
52
Orchard Bog, Shady Valley, Johnson
48
Boone Dam, Sullivan
47
Quary Bog, Shady Valley, Johnson
45
Grayson Highlands State Park, Galaxm Grayson
45
Walmart Distribution Pond, Greeneville, Green
42
Warrior Path State Park, Kingsport, Sullivan
35
Fort Patrick Henry Dam
33
Hungray Mother State Park, Marion, Smyth
33
Whitetop Mtn., Konnarock, Washington
32
Erwin Fish Hatchery, Erwin, Unicoi
29
TVA Trail, SF Holston River, Kingsport, Sullivan
28
Erwin Trail Park (Linear Park, Erwin, Unicoi
27
Watauga Lake, Elizabethton, Carter
26
Riverfront Park, Kingsport, Sullivan
26
Riverfront Seafood, SHR, Kingsport, Sullivan
25
Breaks Interstate State Park, Haysi, Dickenson
25
Roan Creek, Watauga Lake, Johnson
23
Fairwood Valley, Troudale, Grayson
19
Elk Garden, Konnarock, Washington
18
Clear Creek Lake, Bristol VA, Washington VA
15
Washington County Park, Abingdon, SHL, Washington VA
14
Mount Rogers, Galax, Grayson
13
Hidden Valley Lake, Clinch Mtn. Abingdon, Washington VA
13
Wilcox Bridge, SHR, Kingsport, Sullivan
11
Elk Garden, Lebanon, Russell
11
Herb Hodge Rd., Austin Springs, Johnson City, Washington
10
Confluence Rivers, Kingsport, Hawkins
9
Virginia Creeper Trail, Abingdon/Damascus, Washington VA
6
East Stone Commons, Kingsport, Sullivan
4
Domtar Park, Kingsport, Sullivan
3
Sugar Hollow Park, Bristol VA, Washington VA
2
Laurel Bed Lake, Clinch Mtn. Russell
1
SITE / LOCATION/COUNTY SORTED BY SPECIES DIVERSITY
Rankin Bottoms, Douglas Lake, Cocke
215
Steele Creek Park Bristol TN, Sullivan
201
Phipps Bend, Church Hill, Sullivan
176
Musick's Campground, SH Lake, Sullivan
155
Austin Springs, Boone Lake, Washinton
149
Elizabethton Walkway, Watauga River, Carter
148
Valle Cruesi Community Park, Wautaga NC
145
Sycamore Shoals, Elizabethton, Carter
141
Joachim Bible Refuge, Green
141
Burkes Garden, Tazewell, Tazewell
139
Rasar Farm, Elizabethton, Carter
123
Hampton Creek Cove, Carter
122
Trout Lake, Moses Cone Park, Boone, Watauga NC
121
Carver's Gap, Roan Mtn, Carter
119
Winged Deer Park, Boone Lake, Johnson City, Washington
118
Paddle Creek Pond, South Holston River, Sullivan
118
South Holston Dam, SH Lake, Sullivan
116
South Holston Weir, SFH River, Sullivan
115
Erwin Linar Park
115
Watauga Dam, Elizabethton, Carter
113
Hungray Mother State Park, Marion, Smyth
113
Dutch Bottoms, Douglas Lake, Cocke
113
Wilbur Lake, Elizabethton, Carter
112
Wamart Distribution Pond, Greeneville, Green
110
Bushhog Pond, Jonesboro, Washington
110
Quary Bog, Shady Valley, Johnson
108
Boone Dam, Sullivan
108
421 Boat Ramp, SH Lake, Sullivan
108
Roan Creek, Watauga Lake, Johnson
106
Grayson Highlands State Park, Galaxm Grayson
105
Breaks Interstate State Park, Haysi, Dickenson
105
TVA Trail, SF Holston River, Kingsport, Sullivan
96
Unaka Mountain, Erwin Unicoi
95
Warrior Path State Park, Kingsport, Sullivan
94
Orchard Bog, Shady Valley, Johnson
94
Dry Creek Rd., Johnson City, Washington
93
Whitetop Mtn., Konnarock, Washington
90
Westview Ponds, Washington
88
Hidden Valley Lake, Clinch Mtn. Abingdon, Washington VA
88
Elk Garden, Lebanon, Russell
85
Mount Rogers, Galax, Grayson
84
Northeast State Community College, Elizabethton, Carter
82
Bays Mountain Park, Kingsport, Sullivan
80
Fort Patrick Henry Dam
77
Erwin Trail Park (Linear Park, Erwin, Unicoi
75
Virginia Creeper Trail, Abingdon/Damascus, Washington VA
72
Keebler Rd., Limesone, Washington
70
Watauga Lake, Elizabethton, Carter
68
Fairwood Valley, Troudale, Grayson
66
Erwin Fish Hatchery, Erwin, Unicoi
64
Confluence Rivers, Kingsport, Hawkins
53
Riverfront Seafood, SHR, Kingsport, Sullivan
51
Riverfront Park, Kingsport, Sullivan
51
Elk Garden, Konnarock, Washington
51
Clear Creek Lake, Bristol VA, Washington VA
50
Washington County Park, Abingdon, SHL, Washington VA
49
Wilcox Bridge, SHR, Kingsport, Sullivan
36
Sugar Hollow Park, Bristol VA, Washington VA
35
Herb Hodge Rd., Austin Springs, Johnson City, Washington
35
East Stone Commons, Kingsport, Sullivan
33
Domtar Park, Kingsport, Sullivan
28
Laurel Bed Lake, Clinch Mtn. Russell
20
Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN
Other related posts:
- » [Bristol-Birds] eBird database shows dramatic sample of regional birding - Wallace Coffey
