The Nashville area's Hickory - Priest Christmas Bird Count was held on Jan. 1,
2020.Seventeen participants in the field and one feeder watcher counted 10,543
birds of 88 species. Eighty-eight species is normal to slightly below normal
for this count. We had an unusually mild day for the count.
Highlights include: the cooperative Western Grebe on Percy Priest; woodcock at
Shelby Bottoms; Old Hickory section had one Black-crowned Night-Heron (getting
scarce on this count), one Red-breasted Nuthatch, a Tennessee and two
Orange-crowned Warblers; Rusty Blackbirds were seen on several sections. Joe
Hall and I had fun observing the gull roost after sunset on Percy Priest Lake,
and struggled with coming up with an appropriate number for the milling crowd
of gulls. Misses include Merlin on count day, although sightings were made
during count week; no Great Horned Owl; fewer ducks than normal. See totals
list below. Thanks to all participants!
Richard Connors, compilerTarcila Fox, coordinatorScott Block, co-compiler,
spreadsheet author
Canada Goose - 328
Gadwall - 36
American Black Duck - 4
Mallard - 329
Northern Shoveler - 13
Bufflehead - 62
Common Goldeneye - 15
Hooded Merganser - 49
Ruddy Duck - 11
Wild Turkey - 4
Pacific Loon - 1
Common Loon - 172
Pied-billed Grebe - 72
Western Grebe - 1
Horned Grebe - 394
Double-crested Cormorant - 4
American White Pelican - 1
Great Blue Heron - 43
Great Egret - 3
Black-crowned Night-Heron - 1
Black Vulture - 180
Turkey Vulture - 20
Northern Harrier - 1
Cooper's Hawk - 3
Bald Eagle - 2
Red-shouldered Hawk - 11
Red-tailed Hawk - 13
American Coot - 627
Killdeer - 38
American Woodcock - 2
Bonaparte's Gull - 1511
Ring-billed Gull - 3405
Herring Gull - 3
Rock Pigeon - 251
Mourning Dove - 62
Eastern Screech-Owl - 2
Barred Owl - 2
Belted Kingfisher - 10
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 14
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 11
Downy Woodpecker - 14
Hairy Woodpecker - 2
Northern Flicker - 35
Pileated Woodpecker - 9
American Kestrel - 5
Eastern Phoebe - 6
Blue Jay - 64
American Crow - 92
Carolina Chickadee - 90
Tufted Titmouse - 36
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 1
White-breasted Nuthatch - 3
Brown Creeper - 4
House Wren - 1
Winter Wren - 4
Carolina Wren - 62
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 12
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 18
Eastern Bluebird - 78
Hermit Thrush - 16
American Robin - 408
Northern Mockingbird - 66
Brown Thrasher - 6
European Starling - 548
American Pipit - 1
Cedar Waxwing - 79
Tennessee Warbler - 1
Orange-crowned Warbler - 2
Pine Warbler - 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 37
Eastern Towhee - 10
Chipping Sparrow - 16
Field Sparrow - 96
Fox Sparrow - 10
Song Sparrow - 57
Swamp Sparrow - 49
White-throated Sparrow - 174
White-crowned Sparrow - 13
Dark-eyed Junco - 32
Northern Cardinal - 171
Red-winged Blackbird - 379
Eastern Meadowlark - 21
Rusty Blackbird - 20
Common Grackle - 1
Brown-headed Cowbird - 20
House Finch - 27
American Goldfinch - 8
House Sparrow - 27
Total Species - 88
Total Number of Birds - 10543
