The Norris CBC was held on Saturday, December 16, 2017. Count day
temperatures ranged from 21 to 48 F. The sky was clear. The morning was
calm and the afternoon had wind gusts up to about 12 mph. Some small ponds
were frozen over early in the day. Fourteen observers worked in 6 field
parties and 1 feeder watcher. 77 species were observed, a few more than the
average over the last decade. The best location in the count circle for
water birds is usually Eagle Bend Fish Hatchery which on count day, as
during the preceding few weeks, had very few waterfowl. The number of
species would probably have been higher had there been more waterfowl at
the hatchery.
Highlights of the count included the first-ever Orange-crowned Warblers,
the second-ever Sandhill Cranes, the first Northern Harrier in many years,
an infrequently observed House Wren, and a record high number of Red-winged
Blackbirds [although this number is unimpressive compared to many counts
elsewhere in TN].
Canada Goose 133
Mallard 37
Lesser Scaup 2
Canvasback 1
Redhead 3
Bufflehead 1
Hooded Merganser 6
Turkey Vulture 74
Black Vulture 98
Pied-billed Grebe 7
Horned Grebe 14
Great Blue Heron 19
Bald Eagle 3
Coopers Hawk 3
Red-shouldered Hawk 11
Red-tailed Hawk 11
Northern Harrier 1
American Kestrel 2
Sandhill Crane 2
American Coot 26
Killdeer 30
Wilson's Snipe 2
Ring-billed Gull 381
Bonaparte's Gull 29
Rock Dove 171
Mourning Dove 89
Eastern Screech-Owl 2
Great Horned Owl 1
Barred Owl 2
Belted Kingfisher 8
Red-bellied Woodpecker 63
Red-headed Woodpecker 3
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 18
Downy Woodpecker 24
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 18
Pileated Woodpecker 13
Eastern Phoebe 7
Blue Jay 108
American Crow 234
Carolina Chickadee 65
Tufted Titmouse 87
Brown Creeper 1
Brown-headed Nuthatch 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 40
Carolina Wren 78
House Wren 1
Winter Wren 7
Golden-crowned Kinglet 16
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 8
Eastern Bluebird 114
Hermit Thrush 13
American Robin 163
Northern Mockingbird 58
Brown Thrasher 7
Cedar Waxwing 53
European Starling 482
Orange-crowned Warbler 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler 98
Palm Warbler 3
Eastern Towhee 21
Chipping Sparrow 38
Field Sparrow 18
Savannah Sparrow 4
Song Sparrow 57
Swamp Sparrow 11
Fox Sparrow 2
White-throated Sparrow 47
White-crowned Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco 20
Northern Cardinal 107
Eastern Meadowlark 33
Red-winged Blackbird 3000
Common Grackle 157
House Finch 27
American Goldfinch 115
House Sparrow 10
Many thanks to the observers who participated in this count!
Chuck Nicholson
Norris, TN
