TENNESSEE/ALABAMA/MISSISSIPPI
Stephen J. Stedman

In Tennessee, Reelfoot Lake's species total (110) once again led the state but was followed closely by Savannah (106), demonstrating that it might occasionally supplant perennial power Reelfoot Lake in the top spot in the future. Two counts conducted last year dropped out--Cross Creeks N.W.R. (weather problems) and Warren County (observer health problems); otherwise, the 23 counts conducted this year were the same as those conducted last year. However, slightly fewer species (144 plus 3 during count week only) were reported this year than during either of the last two years. Notable invasions of American Tree Sparrows and Lapland Longspurs highlighted many counts from the western and middle divisions of the Volunteer State.

Bristol (83) included adequately described Merlin and Greater Scaup, as well as Sandhill Cranes with good details, in its total, while a count week Eared Grebe sans details was the only one on Tennessee CBC’s. Buffalo River (80) listed Great Egret, immature Golden Eagle, and Lapland Longspurs--all with good details; only Brewer's Blackbirds without details sullied its list.

Cades Cove (59) reported a Northern Saw-whet Owl with adequate details, the only one on Tennessee CBC’s; five Black-capped Chickadees without details were also listed. Chattanooga (100) provided good details for Long-tailed Duck, one of two found on state CBC’s, and included adequate details for Surf Scoter, the only one reported statewide; without details were six infrequently encountered or difficult-to-identify winter species: Greater Scaup, Merlin, Rufous Hummingbird, Sedge Wren, Marsh Wren, and Orange-crowned Warbler. Clarksville (72) listed American Tree and Chipping sparrows without documentation, otherwise submitting a clean list. Columbia (99) achieved a fine species total and offered adequate descriptions of Tundra Swan and Ross's Goose, the swan being the only one on state CBC’s; left undescribed were Common Merganser, Le Conte's Sparrow, and Lincoln's Sparrow. Cookeville (78) included good details for Long-tailed Duck, one of two found statewide, and adequate details for Barn Owl, also one of two found statewide, and count week Vesper Sparrow. Clay County (85) registered well described American Tree Sparrows and Lapland Longspurs, the easternmost of the state's CBC’s to record each of these invaders; two Chipping Sparrow without details were also listed.

Elizabethton (70) submitted a clean count except for undocumented Peregrine Falcon. Fayette County (70) listed Orange-crowned Warbler without details but was otherwise clean. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (59) listed many chickadees of both expected species. Hiwassee (100) provided good details for Rough-legged Hawk and Brewer's Blackbirds, as well as adequate details for immature Broad-winged Hawk, the only one found on state CBC’s, but Common Merganser and Golden Eagle sans descriptions were also listed. Hickory--Priest (89) included Common Merganser and Lapland Longspur with adequate details and American Tree and Le Conte's sparrows with good details on its list, but Chipping Sparrows without details were also reported.

Jackson (83) supplied good details for the following species: Rough-legged Hawk, Eurasian Collared-Dove, American Tree Sparrow, count week Vesper Sparrow, Lapland Longspur, and Brewer's Blackbird; Fish Crows without details were also reported. Knoxville (94) hosted Rough-legged Hawk (good details), Rufous Hummingbird (banded), and a remarkable Yellow-throated Warbler (good details), the only one reported on state CBC’s; Common Merganser, Orange-crowned Warbler, and Vesper Sparrow without details were also listed.

Memphis (97) included a Selasphorus sp. with good details, Eurasian Collared-Dove with marginal details, and Lincoln's Sparrow with excellent details in a fine species list; Mute Swan (the only one statewide), Blue-headed Vireo, and Brewer's Blackbirds without details were also reported. Nashville (82) joined the large contingent of counts registering American Tree Sparrows and Lapland Longspurs across the western and middle parts of the state but included Chipping Sparrows without details. Nickajack Lake (93) provided good details for Merlin and Brewer's Blackbirds, marginal details for Sedge Wren, and no details for Peregrine Falcon. Norris (70) listed a northerly Brown-headed Nuthatch with good details.

Top-ranked Reelfoot Lake (110) provided good details for 14 species, including count week Tree and Barn swallows, the only ones reported statewide, and the only Smith's Longspurs found on state CBC’s, but Orange-crowned Warbler, Chipping Sparrow, and Brewer's Blackbirds were listed without details. Roan Mountain (40), mainly a high elevation count, listed the fewest species among the state's CBC’s but these included ten Common Ravens and an American Woodcock.

Savannah (106) listed Osprey with adequate details and American Tree Sparrow with excellent details but provided no documentation for Merlin, Short-eared Owl, Le Conte's Sparrow, Brewer's Blackbird, or the only Red Crossbill recorded on state CBC’s. Shady Valley (65) included a Barn Owl, as well as Le Conte's Sparrow with excellent details, on its list, the former being one of only two recorded statewide.

Eleven CBC’s were conducted in Alabama during the 101st CBC, and they were exactly the same counts that have been conducted the previous 14 years. Furthermore, the statewide species total of 201 for the 101st CBC precisely matched the statewide species total for the 100th CBC. Such consistency is a testament to the fine CBC tradition that has developed in the Heart of Dixie. Gulf Shores (156) continued its long run as species total leader, with Dauphin Island (134) coming in a respectable second. American Tree Sparrows were surprisingly unrecorded on the state's CBC’s, though present within the state later in the winter. Lapland Longspurs showed up on the Wheeler N.W.R. count, the only Alabama CBC providing evidence of the major invasion occurring just to the north.

Birmingham (89) included a banded Rufous Hummingbird on its list but offered no details for Peregrine Falcon or Lincoln's Sparrow. Dauphin Island (134) provided a clean list except for undocumented Common Tern, Northern Rough-winged Swallows, and Le Conte's Sparrow, the first of these being the only one reported statewide. Eufuala N.W.R. (120) turned in a fine list, including Rough-legged Hawk with good details and Prairie Warbler with adequate details. Fort Morgan (98) included an adequately described Greater White-fronted Goose on its list.

Gulf Shores (156) provided documentation for 15 species, including Brown Booby (adequate details), jaeger sp. (good details), Black-throated Green Warbler (good details), Yellow-breasted Chat (good details), and Painted Bunting (at feeder); Pacific Loon, Henslow's Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, and Brewer's Blackbirds without details were also submitted.

Guntersville (107) provided good details for Glaucous Gull, the only one on CBC’s statewide, and Laughing Gull during count week, the only one reported inland, but undocumented were Pacific Loon, Common Merganser, Merlin, and Lincoln's Sparrow. Montgomery (104) managed an almost clean count, providing good details for Merlin, adequate details for Spotted Sandpiper, as well as banded Black-chinned and Rufous hummingbirds, but providing no details for Brewer's Blackbird.

Mobile--Tensaw Delta (111) provided adequate documentation for Mottled Duck but no details for Yellow-crowned Night-Heron. Tuscaloosa (90) offered no details for Merlin or count week Le Conte's Sparrow but was otherwise clean. Waterloo (98) adequately described Sandhill Cranes but offered no details for Common Merganser. Wheeler N.W.R. (117) offered good details for Merlin, excellent details for Acadian Flycatcher--a remarkable record of a singing bird--and good details for Marsh Wren, but Peregrine Falcon and Brewer's Blackbird were left undocumented.

With 17 counts conducted and 184 species listed statewide, Mississippi's results for the 101st CBC matched the state's results for the 100th CBC exactly, evidence of considerable consistency in the collection of CBC data in the Magnolia State. Southern Hancock County (148) edged Jackson County (144) for highest species total. Small numbers of Laughing Gulls on seven inland counts provided the state with an unexpected--and seemingly inexplicable--larid lagniappe. The invasion of American Tree Sparrows in Tennessee was barely registered in Mississippi, where but a single bird was counted on CBC’s. On the other hand, the remarkable Lapland Longspur invasion in Tennessee continued south into Mississippi, where four counts registered longspurs, including Arkabutla with 1040 of these invaders.

Arkabutla Lake (100 species) provided excellent details for Spotted Sandpiper and Laughing Gull, good details for Ross's Goose, Greater Scaup, and American Tree Sparrow, marginal details for Peregrine Falcon, and no details for count week Common Merganser. Church Hill (48) offered marginal documentation for Brewer's Blackbird but otherwise had a clean count.

Eagle Lake (107) submitted good details for White Ibis and night-heron sp., adequate details for dowitcher sp., but left a Lincoln's Sparrow undocumented. Documentation for the Grenada (105) count was stellar: high quality photographs supported the Sora, Virginia Rail, and Marsh Wren; excellent written details supported the Red Crossbill; and good details the Merlin, Sandhill Crane, Laughing Gull, and White-eyed Vireo.
Hattiesburg (91) omitted documentation for Eared Grebe, Black-chinned and Rufous hummingbirds, and Brewer's Blackbirds. Jackson (106) offered good details for Laughing Gull, Horned Lark, and Lincoln's Sparrow but none for Brewer's Blackbird. Jackson County (144) included a banded Calliope Hummingbird and provided adequate details for Eared Grebe, Le Conte's and Lincoln's sparrows, and Brewer's Blackbird.
Lauderdale County (81) submitted a clean count except for undocumented Brewer's Blackbird. Moon Lake (79) was also clean except for Painted Bunting with unconvincing details. Noxubee N.W.R. (100) vied with Grenada and South Hancock County for best documented count in the state, providing good details for Greater Scaup, Laughing Gull, and Barn Owl, as well as fair documentation for Merlin and Horned Lark, but leaving unsupported Le Conte's Sparrow and Brewer's Blackbird.

Southern Hancock County (148) turned in good details for Surf Scoter, Wilson's Warbler, and Lincoln's Sparrow and offered adequate details for White-winged Scoter and jaeger sp. Sidon (83) documented its Laughing Gull quite adequately but did not do so for Brewer's Blackbird. Sardis Lake (106) provided convincing details for Common Merganser, Merlin, and Laughing Gull.

Sumner (56) provided adequate details for Lapland Longspur and marginal details for Brewer's Blackbird. Tupelo (58) ran a clean count as did Vicksburg (99), which submitted adequate details for Le Conte's Sparrow and good details for Laughing Gull. Washington County South (98) lacked details for Merlin and Brewer's Blackbird but was otherwise a clean count.

Documentation of very uncommon and/or difficult-to-identify species remains a source of concern. Is it appropriate for compilers to exempt their own counts from documenting such species simply because they have documented them in the past? Such species either need documentation every year or they do not need it any year, there being no acceptable intermediate status. So, if the following species have been previously documented on counts (or even if they have not been), compilers are asked to seek documentation for them in perpetuity: Pacific and Red-throated loons, Eared Grebe, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Greater Scaup, Common Merganser, Golden Eagle, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Short-eared Owl, Blue-headed Vireo, Fish Crow, Marsh and Sedge wrens, Orange-crowned Warbler, American Tree Sparrow, Le Conte's Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, and Brewer's Blackbird. Inland Merlin and Peregrine Falcon, as well as Blue-headed Vireo, Marsh and Sedge wrens, and Orange-crowned Warbler in the northern third of the state, would also benefit from documentation. Inland Merlin and Peregrine Falcon and Chipping and Vesper sparrows found in the northern half of the region would also benefit from details each year. A quick look for species denoted with DD or ND codes will alert compilers to other species on their counts that would benefit from annual documentation.

Across the region, several compilers submitted hard copies of their results, making it possible to rectify some errors on those counts, especially for total species listed; thanks to those compilers. All other compilers are asked to submit a hard copy of their results to me or to NAS.