Birding in East Tennessee

2004 Audubon Count - Count Year 105
Date 1/1/2005

2004 Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count
Shady Valley/Mtn City Report prepared by Robert Biller (compiler)

The Shady Valley / Mtn City CBC is sponsored by the Bristol Bird Club

Count Year 105
Count Name: Shady valley-mountain city (TNSV)
Count Date: 2005-01-01
Compiler: Robert Biller
Number of Party Hours: 46.0
Species reported on count date: 62
Date of Printout: January 4, 2005
Observers In Field:Total Number: 12
Minimum Number of Parties (daylight): 4
Maximum Number of Parties (daylight): 4
At Feeders: 0
Start Time 6:00am
End Time 5:30
Party Hours and Distance (excludes viewing at feeders and nocturnal birding)
(All distances are in miles.)
By Foot: Hours - 16 , Distance - 5.5 mi
By Car: Hours - 30 , Distance - 198.0 mi
Nocturnal Birding: Hours: 3 , Distance: 10.5 mi
Totals Total Party: Hours: 46.0 , Distance: 203.5 mi

Temperature - Minimum: 35, Maximum: 60
Wind Direction: None
AM - Clear, PM Partly Cloudy

Special Aspects for Count Circle

Abnormally warm temperatures attributed to many common species having a high number for this CBC circle. Also this count is still relatively young.

This year's count is dedicated to Howard Langridge who passed away in November of 2004. He was a tremendous birder, known from Florida to Tennessee, and was our bird dog for Quarry bog in Shady Valley. He produced the LeConte's Sparrow and provided hours of humerous conversation on the really cold counts. This count missed Howard deeply.

Organizations and Sponsors: Bristol Bird Club

Participants:

Robert Biller (Compiler)
Moyle, John
Draper, Diane
McNeil, Thomas
Hay, John
Knight, Rick
Carrico, Ron
Coffey, Wallace
Cross, Rack
O'Bryan, Chris
Holt, Don
Jones, Andy

Total Species:

Currrent Count Year 105 (2004) - 62

Past Count Years
Count Year 104 (2003) - 62
Count Year 103 (2002) - 58
Count Year 102 (2001) - 61
Count Year 101 (2000) - 65
Count Year 100 (1999) - 66
Count Year 99 (1998) - 61
Count Year 98 (1997) - 53

Species Checklist for Count 105 (2004)- 62

Janruary 1, 2005

Area Leaders: Thomas McNeil (T), Rick Knight (R), Wallace Coffey (W), Ron Carrico (C)

HC - High Count

Species List

Canada Goose - T- 89,R-39,W-23,C-0, Total=151

American Black Duck - T-0,R-1,W-10,C-0, Total=11
(This is a HC for Black Ducks, previous HC in Count 101 with 10 Black Ducks)

Mallard - T-1,R-2,W-83,C-38 Total=124
(This is a HC for Mallards, previous HC in Count 99 with 59 Mallards)

Great Blue Heron (Blue Form) - T-1,R-3,W-1,C-1, Total=6

Wild Turkey T-0, R-44, W-1, C-0, Total=44
(This is a HC count for Wild Turkeys, previous HC on Count 103 was 38)

Black Vulture - T-2,R-2,W-0,C-1, Total=5

Turkey Vulture - T-1,R-1,W-1,C-11, Total=14

Cooper's Hawk - T-1,R-2,W-0,C-1, Total=4

Red-shouldered Hawk - T-1,R-0,W-1,C-1, Total=3

Red-tailed Hawk - T-4,R-7,W-1,C-2, Total=14
(This is a HC for Red-tailed Hawk, previous HC in Count 101 with 11 Red-tails)

American Kestrel - T-2,R-3,W-1,C-0, Total=6

Killdeer T-1,R-1,W-1,C-0, Total=3

Wilson's Snipe - T-0,R-0,W-0,C-4, Total=4
(This is a HC for Wilson's Snipe, previous HC in Count 103 with 3 W.Snipes)

Rock Pigeon - T-0,R-6,W-0,C-0, Total=6
(This is the first time Rock Pigeon has been recorded on this count)

Mourning Dove - T-39,R-127,W-12,C-50, Total=228

Eastern Screech Owl - T-0,R-6,W-(NA),C-3, Total=9

Great Horned Owl - T-1,R-0,W-(NA),C-0, Total=1

Belted Kingfisher - T-2,R-4,W-0,C-3, Total=9
(This ties the HC for B.Kingfishers in Count 98)

Red-bellied Woodpecker - T-4,R-5,W-2,C-3, Total=14
(This is the HC for RB Woodpecker, previous HC in Count 104 with 10)

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - T-1,R-0,W-2,C-0, Total=3

Downy Woodpecker - T-3,R-6,W-5,C-4, Total=18

Hairy Woodpecker T-2, R-0, W-2, C-4, Total=8

Northern (Yellow-shafted) Flicker - T-1,R-3,W-0,C-1, Total=5

Pileated Woodpecker - T-4,R-4,W-1,C-2, Total=11

Eastern Phoebe - T-4,R-2,W-2,C-4, Total=12
(This is a HC for Eastern Phoebe, previous HC in Count 104 with 11)

Blue Jay - T-14,R-54,W-16,C-10, Total=94
(This is a HC for Blue Jay, previous HC in Count 100 with 45)

American Crow - T-43,R-450,W-320,C-284, Total=1097

Common Raven - T-1,R-0,W-0,C-0, Total=1

Carolina Chickadee - T-32,R-21,W-55,C-23, Total=131
(This is a HC for Carolina Chickadee, previous HC in Count 104 with 115)

Tufted Titmouse - T-19,R-18,W-29,C-9, Total=75
(This is a HC for Tufted Titmouse, previous HC in Count 104 with 59)

Red-breasted Nuthatch - T-4,R-10,W-22,C-1, Total=37
(This is a HC for Red-breasted Nuthatch, previous HC in Count 98 with 8)

White-breasted Nuthatch - T-13,R-7,W-19,C-10, Total=49
(This is a HC for White-breasted Nuthatch, previous HC in Count 100 with 29)

Brown Creeper - T-3,R-2,W-1,C-0, Total=6
(This is a HC for Brown Creeper, previous HC in Count 104 with 2)

Carolina Wren - T-10,R-23,W-34,C-22, Total=89
(This is a HC for Carolina Wren, previous HC in Count 100 with 87)

Winter Wren - T-0,R-2,W-1,C-0, Total=3

Golden-crowned Kinglet - T-4,R-2,W-19,C-7, Total=32

Ruby-crowned Kinglet - T-0,R-0,W-0,C-1, Total=1

Eastern Bluebird - T-36,R-62,W-36,C-44, Total=178
(This is a HC for Eastern Bluebird, previous HC in Count 100 with 103)

Hermit Thrush - T-0,R-4,W-1,C-0, Total=5

American Robin - T-47,R-1,W-0,C-19, Total=67

Northern Mockingbird - T-8,R-10,W-2,C-5, Total=25
(This is a HC for Northern Mockingbird, previous HC in Count 100 with 20)

European Starling - T-91,R-80,W-81,C-86, Total=338

Cedar Waxwing - T-0,R-0,W-6,C-0, Total=6

Yellow-rumped(Myrtle) Warbler - T-2,R-0,W-0,C-2, Total=4

Eastern Towhee - T-6,R-8,W-0,C-0, Total=14

Chipping Sparrow T-0, R-6, W-0, C-0, Total=6
(This is the first appearance of Chipping Sparrows in this Count. Rick had good looks through his spotting scope. It is listed as an Unusual Species.)d Sparrow - T-0,R-13,W-0,C-1, Total=14

Vesper Sparrow - T-0,R-0,W-0,C-1, Total=1
(This is flagged as an Unusual Species as it has only been found on this count on one other occassion - Count 100 [1999])nnah Sparrow - T-0,R-0,W-1,C-0, Total= 1

Song Sparrow - T-37,R-68,W-52,C-38, Total=190

Swamp Sparrow - T-5,R-1,W-4,C-10, Total=20

White-throated Sparrow - T-21,R-35,W-5,C-12, Total=73

White-crowned Sparrow - T-57,R-18,W-0,C-23, Total=98
(This is a HC for WC Sparrow, previous HC in Count 101 with 58)

Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Junco - T-27,R-42,W-37,C-32, Total=138

Northern Cardinal - T-23,R-51,W-6,C-29, Total=109

Red-winged Blackbird - T-0,R-3,W-117,C-98, Total=218
(This is a HC for RW Blackbird, previous HC in Count 98 with 13)

Eastern Meadowlark - T-1,R-0,W-23,C-3, Total=27

Rusty Blackbird - T-0,R-0,W-1,C-4, Total=5

House Finch - T-23,R-22,W-6,C-1, Total=52

Red Crossbill - T-8,R-0,W-0,C-0, Total=8

Pine Siskin - T-42,R-17,W-0,C-0, Total=59
(This is a HC for Pine Siskin, previous HC in Count 98 with 13)

American Goldfinch - T-32,R-44,W-19,C-17, Total=112

House Sparrow - T-17,R-23,W-11,C-1, Total=52

Total individuals counted: 4099
Total Reported Species : 62

Technical note:

The Rock Pigeon's first appearance on this count is a bit misleading. Technically it is the first time Rock Pigeon is listed, but as Rick Knight pointed out, every count in North America will have this species as a new count bird. Rock Pigeon is the new name for the bird, formely known as Rock Dove, and the good people at Audubon did not make the String Variable reconize the previous name - Rock Pigeons (Doves) have appeared on the Shady Valley/Mountain City CBC before.

Rob Biller
Elizabethton, TN
Shady Valley_Mountain City CBC Compiler