The 123rd Great Smoky Mountains Christmas Bird Count was held on Sunday,
December 18, 2022. Weather was gorgeous! 20s-30s in the morning, mid-40s to
mid-50s by afternoon, sunny and clear.
This year the count had 40 observers, 35 in the field and 5 at feeder stations.
Sixty-nine (69) species and two spp. (hawk and woodpecker) were recorded with a
total of 2,424 individuals. The top 10 most abundantly counted species were,
not surprisingly, American Crow, Carolina Chickadee, American Robin, Northern
Cardinal, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow,
and American Goldfinch.
The least counted species were, not surprisingly, Savannah Sparrow, Eastern
Screech-Owl, Great Horned Owl, Barred Owl, American Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon,
House Wren, Gray Catbird, Red-winged Blackbird, and Rusty Blackbird. Both the
Gray Catbird and Rusty Blackbird are notable entries for this years count.
This 69 species represents the second highest species total in this count to
date, a great statement to you folks who spent the time in the field!
Notably absent were Bald Eagle, Fish Crow and Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (both
regulars at the Pigeon Forge Greenway), White-crowned Sparrow, Eastern
Meadowlark, and a recurrent until this year Orange-crowned Warbler in Pigeon
Forge (it showed up this week!).
Thirty-five (35) people spent 101.5 hours in the field covering 63.65 foot
miles and 201.24 car miles.
At feeders, 5 parties counted 175 individuals of 23 species in 22.2 hours of
feeder watch/count.
Here is a list of species and numbers seen.
American Crow 211
Carolina Chickadee 209
American Robin 181
Northern Cardinal 155
Tufted Titmouse 120
Carolina Wren 112
Song Sparrow 107
White-throated Sparrow 104
American Goldfinch 83
Golden-crowned Kinglet 73
European Starling 70
Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Junco 59
Eastern Bluebird 58
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 55
House Finch 50
Canada Goose 46
Downy Woodpecker 46
Mallard 45
White-breasted Nuthatch 44
Blue Jay 42
Wild Turkey 38
Winter Wren 32
Northern Mockingbird 29
Red-bellied Woodpecker 28
Eastern Towhee 28
Turkey Vulture 27
Pileated Woodpecker 27
Pine Siskin 27
Black Vulture 26
Mourning Dove 25
Yellow-rumped Warbler 24
Killdeer 23
Eastern Phoebe 20
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 19
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 17
Swamp Sparrow 16
Brown Creeper 15
Hairy Woodpecker 11
Northern Flicker 10
Black-capped Chickadee 10
Field Sparrow 10
House Sparrow 9
Red-breasted Nuthatch 8
Hermit Thrush 8
Cedar Waxwing 8
Great Blue Heron 7
Red-tailed Hawk 7
Red-shouldered Hawk 5
Belted Kingfisher 5
Chipping Sparrow 5
Purple Finch 4
Common Raven 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk 2
Cooper's Hawk 2
Brown-headed Nuthatch 2
Brown Thrasher 2
Fox Sparrow 2
Savannah Sparrow 2
Hawk sp. 1
Eastern Screech-Owl 1
Great Horned Owl 1
Barred Owl 1
woodpecker sp. 1
American Kestrel 1
Peregrine Falcon 1
House Wren 1
Gray Catbird 1
Red-winged Blackbird 1
Rusty Blackbird 1
Anyone interested in participating in the count in 2023 should contact Keith
Watson at the address below. Lots of areas still need to be covered in and
outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Peace
Keith Watson
shaawitya@xxxxxxxxxxx mailto:shaawitya@xxxxxxxxxxx
Sevier County, TN
